Their Tuesday night showdown with Wake Forest was a perfect example of their heightened play over the last month. In a matchup pitting two of the top four teams in the ACC against each other, the Cardinals made the Demon Deacons look like a team that was dwelling in the league's basement.

The Cardinals were still finding their footing when Cooper Flagg and then-No. 9 Duke beat Louisville in the River City on Dec. 8. Head coach Pat Kelsey was in t