Duke Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beating North Carolina on the road

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 22: Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to Tre Jones #3 during the second half of their game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on November 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 31: Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after dunking against the Boston College Eagles during the first half of a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 31, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Get the Ball to Vernon Carey jr.

In order to beat North Carolina on Saturday night, Duke MUST get the ball to Vernon Carey Jr. time and time again. Without a true center on their roster, one of North Carolina’s biggest problems is stopping big men in the frontcourt.

UNC’s most recent game was against Florida State, a game in which the Tar Heels lost 65-59. In that game, Florida State made only four total threes, which just goes to show you that you don’t need to shoot the deep ball in order to beat North Carolina.

Duke shoots an average of 19.17 threes per game, making an average of just over seven of them, but against UNC, Duke won’t need to take as many threes as they typically do.

The Tar Heels do have a combination of Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks down low who respectively are 6’10” and 6’9″, but it is unrealistic to think the two of them could effectively shut down Vernon Carey jr. who averages 17.8 points per game to go along with nine rebounds.

Barring a breakout streak from another player, Carey will more than likely be the ACC Player of the Year and if he is going up against a team without a center, he is going to absolutely dominate.

Against Boston College on Tuesday, Carey went for 17 points and 10 rebounds, his 10th double-double of the season. Why does this matter you ask? That would be because Boston College, like UNC, does not play with a true center.

Carey has scored 20+ points in 10 games this season, 7/10 games have come against a team who didn’t start a true center. 22 games this season, he has scored 20 points or more in 10 of them and in seven of those 10 games, he went up against a team who didn’t start a center.

This just goes to show you how much of an impact Carey has first of all, but it also goes to show you how good he can be in games like this when the opposing team doesn’t start a center. In those seven games when he scored 20+ and didn’t play against a center, he scored an average of 24.14 points with 11.57 rebounds.

If this doesn’t go to show you how well Carey could play against UNC; a team that doesn’t have a true center, I’m not quite sure what will. If Duke wants to win their first regular-season game over the Tar Heels since 2018, they MUST get the ball to Carey time and time again.

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