No. 7 Duke, No. 9 N.C. State, No. 11 North Carolina are neighboring favorites in ACC women's race

Kara Lawson’s push to build a championship program at Duke reached her goal in Year 5 while the Blue Devils got within a game of the Final Four, too. The Blue Devils’ neighbors in the 919 area code — N.C. State and North Carolina — weren’t far behind.

Now, for the first time in more than two decades, the instate schools from the “Triangle” region of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill are picked to finish 1-2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The seventh-ranked Blue Devils are preseason favorites after winning their first ACC Tournament since 2013. The ninth-ranked Wolfpack, who lost to the Blue Devils in the title game, are picked second and the 11th-ranked Tar Heels are third in a race that also features No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 20 Louisville.

“Carolina and Duke both have big brands,”