Basketball’s Greatest Rivalry – Part 2

by Sharon Thorsland

It’s time for the second installment of college basketball’s greatest rivalry this season, as North Carolina welcomes #2 Duke to the Dean Dome. There is plenty riding on this game, as the Tar Heels (20-13, 13-6 ACC) are fighting for an NCC Tournament berth, while the Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1) can clinch the outright ACC regular-season championship and the number one seed in the ACC tournament with a win. Tip-off is set for 6:30 on WBT.

Duke continues to be one of the best teams in the country and a favorite to win a national championship. Star freshman Cooper Flagg leads the team in basically every category, including points, rebounds and assists (19.6, 7.5 and 4.2 respectively). Flagg teams with two other standout freshmen in guard Kon Kneuppel and big man Khama Maluach. Kneuppel had 22 points in the first matchup, while the 7’2 Maluach caused plenty of problems inside. UNC’s taller lineup should fare much better this time around, and their interior defense has also improved. The Blue Devils got guard Tyrese Proctor back from a bone bruise injury, and there is an outside chance that Maliq Brown could be back in the lineup.

Another key to the game will be perimeter defense. UNC allowed Duke to shoot 50% (10 of 20) in the first matchup. Guards Isaiah Evans and Sion James are both threats from outside, connecting on over 42% from three. The Blue Devils will no doubt be looking to disrupt UNC’s outside shooting, as they’ve been the second hottest 3-point shooting team in the nation across the last six games, connecting on 47.8% of its shots from behind the arc.

This should be a much better game than the one we saw back in February at Cameron Indoor, when the Tar Heels didn’t put up much of a fight in a 87-70 loss. But this is a different UNC team – the Heels are riding a six game win streak and have been one of the top offenses in the country during that streak. They’ve averaged nearly 85 points per game since last facing Duke, who has allowed an average of 76.3 points in their three losses. The Blue Devils are favored by a lot in this one, but this is a rivalry game. It’s the final home game for RJ Davis, and the crowd should be loud and raucous. UNC has a chance to pull of the upset – go Tar Heels