For the second time this season, Duke and North Carolina continues the program’s legendary rivalry. Will the Blue Devils avoid a humiliating sweep?
TV schedule: Saturday, March 3, 8:15 p.m. ESPN
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
Even with the Big Ten Tournament oddly enough starting early, nothing will stop the biggest rivalry in college basketball from taking center stage. That’s between the Duke Blue Devils 24-6 (12-5) and the North Carolina Tar Heels 22-8 (11-6).
The games have been close, as it’s been passionate between the fan bases. In the meeting earlier in the season, North Carolina won in the Dean Smith Center, 82-78. Joel Berry led all scorers with 21 points, including some tough shots to keep the lead in the Tar Heel;s hands. Luke Maye had 15 points and eight rebounds.
But the heroes were the role players, who played some of their best basketball of the season. Cameron Johnson had his best performance in a Tar Heels uniform, with 18 points and 13 rebounds (six off.). Kenny Williams had 20 points himself, with 18 coming from the three-point line.
Related Story: Latest Bracketology and storylines
On Duke’s side Gary Trent Jr. had 16 points to lead the Blue Devils. Grayson Allen had just nine and Alex O’Connell had 11 points for an unexpected spark off the bench.
Marvin Bagley III had 15 points and 16 rebounds, it what turned out to be his last game for a couple of weeks, dealing with a knee injury. But Duke still managed to win all four games in his absence, led by both Allen and Wendell Carter Jr. The freshman likely All-American has returned in the past week, playing well in the Blue Devils split between Syracuse (W) and Virginia Tech (L).
Although Virginia has the ACC regular season title locked up, the seeding for the upcoming conference tournament is still up for grabs. Depending on what happens with Clemson, North Carolina could be as high as a two seed with a win, and as low as six with a loss.
Duke on the other hand can guarantee themselves a the two spot with a win, and No. 3 with a loss. The No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is still within reach for them as well.
Duke should be determined to avoid a season sweep for the first time since the 08-09 season, which was the year North Carolina won the national championship. That’s a pretty good omen for the Tar Heels if they can win.
Next: 3 keys for Duke beating North Carolina
With Duke at home, they should be able to win. But the dynamic between Allen and Bagley still hasn’t been solved, and I think they’ll be going into the ACC Tournament on a sour note.
Prediction: Duke 80 – North Carolina 84