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Duke Basketball: Top 5 reasons why the Blue Devils will be better than North Carolina in 2018-19

By Jerran Anderson

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: RJ Barrett #6 of Montverde Academy dunks during the 2018 McDonald's All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: RJ Barrett #6 of Montverde Academy dunks during the 2018 McDonald's All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

1. Duke holds steam in the rivalry

Although the Tar Heels hold the advantage in the overall series rivalry with 96 wins and 83 losses, the Duke Blue Devils still have an advantage. In a rivalry that hasn’t been decided by more than 10 points since the 2013-14 season, Duke has won seven of the last 11 meetings in the Tobacco Road rivalry.

The Blue Devils lost two of the three meetings last season. Neither team has won more than one game in a row since Duke won four consecutive games spanning the 2013-16 seasons. The rivalry will have high stakes this season and given both teams have the potential to face some of the same opponents, it helps in the scouting department.

Next. What if Marvin Bagley never reclassified?. dark

Anything can happen when ACC play begins, but that’s the beauty of it all, especially with the Blue Devils. They’re a squad that tends to have a team mentality regardless of who’s on the floor. With a bigger focus on defense, they certainly have the look of a team that will make a deep run in March.

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