Duke Basketball: 3 keys to finally getting revenge against North Carolina

3. Lock down the paint

North Carolina had been cruising with only Quadrant 1 losses until Wednesday night, when they took a tough one-point loss to Pittsburgh at home. The loss will be classified as a Quad 2 loss for now, but Pitt’s game plan against UNC is more important than trying to qualify the loss for the Tar Heels.

Carolina had a dreadful showing on the offensive end. Pitt did an excellent job of double-teaming Armando Bacot, which UNC seemed curiously unprepared for. Pitt head coach Jeff Capel made a point to pack his defense in the paint and take away Bacot’s opportunities. Essentially, he dared someone else to beat them, and it worked.

Although Caleb Love scored 22 points on Wednesday night, he is a 28% 3-point shooter on the season, the same as Leaky Black. Carolina’s guards and wings are incredibly streaky. Bacot is not. Capel focused Pitt’s defense on eliminating the constant and letting the variables try to beat them. Expect Scheyer and Duke to come out with a similar game plan.

North Carolina leads the all-time series 143-115, although Krzyzewski finished 50-48 against the Heels. Expect Jon Scheyer to open up this new era of the rivalry with a win in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.