UNC Basketball: 2019 keys against Duke in the ACC Semifinals

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the second half of their game against the Miami Hurricanes at Dean Smith Center on February 9, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. UNC won 88-85 in OT. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

1 of 4

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 14: The North Carolina Tar Heels bench reacts to a three pointer against the Louisville Cardinals during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

UNC Basketball and Duke meet yet again, this time in a high-stakes ACC Tournament Semifinals battle on Friday. What do the Tar Heels need to do to advance to the championship game?

Well, well, well. North Carolina versus Duke, Part Three.

Fate has a way of getting what it wants, and if it’s not evidently clear by now, it wants as many Tobacco Road battles as it can feasibly get. Be it in the regular season or the postseason, fate refuses to keep these two rivals separated for long.

Friday’s ACC Semifinal bout between the second-seeded Tar Heels and third-seeded Blue Devils presents a culture shock and major shift from what fans saw in the first two matchups, when UNC beat a Zion-less Duke squad in Durham (88–72) and Chapel Hill (79–70). With freshman phenom Zion Williamson now back and clearly healthy as all hell, and a berth in the ACC Tournament Championship game on the line, it’s apparent that the stakes are much higher than they’ve been all year. While the previous two matchups were more so battles of pride and ACC positioning, this is one that could lead to the acquisition of hardware—and, better yet, the acquisition of a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which is merely days away.

All eyes will be drawn to this game, as it gives Williamson his first true opportunity to play a part in college basketball’s historic rivalry, an opportunity that was torn—literally—away from him in the first 36 seconds of the first matchup on Feb. 20 when his right foot burst through his shoe, resulting in a knee sprain that would hold him out for five consecutive games. The Blue Devils would go on to lose both meetings, with freshmen RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish unable to makeup the difference created by Williamson’s absence.

While Duke struggled during its short Zion-less stretch to end the regular season, going 3–3 in the games that he was injured for, UNC thrived, winning 14 of its final 15 regular season games en route to capturing a share of the ACC regular season title.

Although many were left wondering what could’ve been, fans can now wonder what will be, with UNC’s 83–70 win over Louisville and Duke’s 84–72 win over Syracuse pitting the two teams against each other once more.

How will the two teams fair with Williamson firmly back in the fold? What do the Heels need to do this time around to be a full-strength (sans Marques Bolden) Duke squad?

Home/North Carolina Tar Heels