Busting Brackets
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Duke basketball: Three keys to the rematch against North Carolina

By Tristan Freeman

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 08: Teammates Grayson Allen
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 08: Teammates Grayson Allen /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 12: Joel Berry II
CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 12: Joel Berry II /

Make another Tar Heel guard beat you

Because of the nightly battles with all the great guards in the Big 12, along with the superb play of Jalen Brunson of Villanova, somehow the defending Most Outstanding Player from last year’ Final Four has been overlooked.

But that’s been the case with Joel Berry, who has made a great case to be a First Team All-ACC player. He’s averaged over 18 ppg for the Tar Heels, and has been a consistent source of offense.

He proved it in the first game between these teams, scoring a game-high 21 points, while dishing out six assists. His shooting numbers weren’t great, going 7/20 (1/8 from deep) from the field. But his clutch makes down the stretch was what gave North Carolina the win.

For Duke to win, they must make a decision when it come to the Tar Heel’s perimeter. They could shut down Berry, and force either Theo Pinson and Kenny Williams to beat them. Or just simply allow the point guard to get his, while taking care of the role players. Williams had a great game as well last time out, scoring 20 points on 6/12 from three-point range which just can’t happen if you wanna beat this team.

Berry will always get his, so my suggestion would be to let him get 30, while making sure the other guards are in check. This is what Virginia did to beat them when they played each other, so the Blue Devils should follow that recipe.