GREENSBORO - As the clock wound down to end Sunday's ACC Tournament final, North Carolina's Rashanda McCants dribbled the basketball high and bounced with the rhythm of it thudding against the floor -- just grinning.

Hearing the buzzer sound, she met the TV cameras at halfcourt and pounded her chest with four fingers, oblivious to the streamers and balloons raining down from the Greensboro Coliseum ceiling.

McCants, acutely aware of the moment, mouthed, "Four in a row."

That's what her team had done.

Defeating Duke for the third time this season, the top-seeded Tar Heels won their fourth consecutive ACC championship before a crowd of 11,132, holding back third-seeded Duke with an 86-73 performance that was neither dominant nor lackluster.

Simply, it was enough.

It was a convincing performance that sends the Tar Heels (30-2) -- whose only losses were at No. 1 Connecticut and No. 3 Tennessee -- into the NCAA Tournament with an eye toward capturing the program's second national championship.

Participants in back-to-back Final Fours, the Tar Heels are primed for the selection of teams next Monday, where they are expected to be a top seed in a regional bracket.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell, a Hall of Famer in her 22nd season in Chapel Hill, started immediately preparing her team for what comes next.

"You win the ACC championship, you are not going to face anything any tougher ... to win a national championship," Hatchell said.

"I mean we have already played the best teams in the country, and the ACC prepares you for a national championship. Six games and you can be national champions."

It was a spellbinding concept for a North Carolina team that has won 21 of its past 22 games, including 13 in a row.

On Sunday, UNC gave a well-balanced performance (four players scored in double figures) that was enough to improve the Tar Heels to 17-0 in ACC play this season. Last week they closed the league's regular season undefeated for the first time in school history.

They gave a performance thorough enough to beat a reinvigorated Duke team that kept pushing from behind, trying to close a lead that grew to 17 with seven minutes remaining.

North Carolina senior forward Erlana Larkins, who was named the tournament's most valuable player, said the Tar Heels kept their composure against a physical, aggressive Duke team that was more competitive than in last week's 82-51 regular season-ending rout.

Larkins (17 points, eight rebounds) and senior LaToya Pringle (16 points, six rebounds) will now end their college careers without ever losing in the ACC Tournament. They have lost only 12 games in their four-year careers.

"That's a big feat, but it's not something I'm excited about," Larkins said, adding that career reflections can come after the Tar Heels win a national championship.

Pringle conceded: "It is pretty special. We never really expected it, but every time we come here we work so hard. We're all on the same page, just working our butts off."

In this tournament, the Tar Heels defeated No. 9 seed Clemson 97-77, No. 4 seed Virginia 80-65 and Duke.

And every day, it was a different player or group of players who contributed, mirroring a pattern that has marked the Tar Heels this season as they lead the nation in scoring and employ a run-and-gun style that spreads the ball around.

McCants finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while UNC freshman Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half.

While outscored by Duke in the paint (32-26) and on fast breaks (6-4), the Tar Heels outrebounded their opponents (41-38) and forced 21 turnovers.

Duke, a team surging after upsetting second-seeded Maryland on Saturday in the semifinals, could not match the Tar Heels' scoring balance despite playing them close in most categories.

Freshman Jasmine Thomas and junior Chante Black led the Blue Devils with 16 points each.

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said the Tar Heels separated themselves by attacking the basket and making 77.3 percent of their free throws. The Tar Heels made a tournament-record 34 of 44 foul shots.

She said the Blue Devils (23-9) made progress in this tournament, knocking off a top-five team for the second time this season in Maryland, though their maturation must continue as they enter the NCAA Tournament.

"I think we are happy with progress, but we're very far from satisfied," McCallie said.

Duke junior Abby Waner, who scored 11 points and was 1-for-7 from 3-point range, added: "We always want to win. So, we're not going to be happy with second place regardless of the regular season or years past. We're in the moment and we demand excellence and we demand a win, and we didn't get that. We're going to take what we can from it."

NOTE: The ACC Tournament set a record for total attendance at 72,114.