CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– There’s no question that UNC-Duke isn’t just the best rivalry in college basketball or even just collegiate athletics, this matchup is the most storied in the history of sport and round one between these two programs begins tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium just eight miles away from UNC’s campus.
The Tar Heels completed a sweep of the Blue Devils last season first with a 93-84 win at home, followed by a 84-79 win at Cameron a month later on Mar. 9, 2024.
Flash forward to present day, however, and this matchup can’t be any more lopsided. No. 2-ranked Duke seems invincible against a UNC team that has lost three of its last four games.
Across the last 100 meetings between the two blue-bloods, Duke holds a slight edge (51-49) and maintains the longest active winning streak in the nation with 14 straight.
Tonight will be the 263rd meeting between the two programs and for the Tar Heels, a victory tonight is a chance to turn a disappointing season around. A loss, however, could be disastrous.
Tonight is a must-win for the Tar Heels as they fight to get their season back and make up for the inconsistencies that have shattered their season thus far. Heading into tonight, here are three keys for a North Carolina win:
Fight and effort down low:
North Carolina couldn’t find an impact big in the portal and lacking a true center has hurt them bad this season. Duke is tied with FSU for tallest teams in the country. The 6-foot-9 Cooper Flagg and 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach make up the bulk of that height.
UNC’s forwards will have to work in tandem to disrupt a Blue Devils offense that has shown an aptitude for forcing themselves into the paint. Junior Jalen Washington has been the leader of this quartet of forwards, however he went down with a left knee injury against Boston College last Saturday. Washington didn’t play against Pitt on Tuesday and his status tonight is questionable.
In the event that Washington is unavailable, Drake Powell, Ven-Allen Lubin and Jae’Lyn Withers must step up and balance their attention on Flagg and Maluach as well as forward Maliq Brown. Brown was announced as available on College GameDay this morning after missing the last four games.
Keeping the pace:
The Tar Heels are a team that has no problem getting out in transition, yet they’ve slowed down a bit in ACC play which has given them fewer opportunities to score.
In order to come out on top, the Tar Heels must be unrelenting with their fast break points as they face a Blue Devil team that boasts a top-5 scoring defense.
Playing complete halves:
Watching UNC has been like Groundhog Day. The Tar Heels either dig themselves an early hole and scramble to catch up, or collapse in crunch time. They’ve played in nine one-score games this season, surrendering devastating runs against both elite opponents and ACC rivals alike.
On Tuesday, the Tar Heels held a 63-59 lead at Pitt before the Panthers went on a 14-2 run. Like other games, UNC led late before Pitt scored the final nine points to win the game while the Tar Heels missed 10 of their last 11 shots from the field. In that game they were limited to just 21 points in the second half.
UNC has a lot of work to do in terms of minimizing points off turnovers, ball pressure, disrupting offenses and not just getting good looks, but making those shots.
North Carolina is always in the fight, but tonight they must capitalize and take it possession by possession heading into Cameron Indoor.
Three Keys to UNC Upsetting Duke