This is easily one of the best rivalries in sports. If you disagree, you don’t actually like sports. Each time these teams face off, something big happens. Whether it’s a buzzer-beater or some sort of brawl, one thing you can expect from this matchup is an entertaining couple of hours. Here's a short promo video from last year that captures the rivalry to some degree.
This rivalry works is because of the pure hatred between both programs. This isn’t your normal big brother, little brother fighting situation. It’s genuine hate that only continues to grow. Besides the hate though, this series has always found a way to be competitive. If one team was having an off year, you’d never know based on the way they’d play in this rivalry. North Carolina leads the all-time series 137-111. For your crazy stat of the day, The Tar Heels have scored 13,581 points while Duke has scored 13,559 in the series. In nearly 250 games, only 22 points separates the two.
Now we break down this years matchup. I recently put out my first college basketball power rankings where I put Duke first and North Carolina 7th. Both teams are in great form but the difference could come down to Nassir Little’s health for North Carolina. Little was a top recruit coming out of high school but hasn’t really had his breakout performance yet this year. After only playing 11 minutes in their most recent game, Little is expected to be at full health tonight which would help North Carolina’s front court. That’s crucial because Duke loves to attack the paint. They shoot 59% on two-point field goals. With a weak defensive present already inside, the extra body with Little may help.
North Carolina loves to get out and run. However, that may not be effective tonight. Duke’s transition defense ranks 5th in all of college basketball. So what does North Carolina do? One major advantage I see for the Tar Heels is from the 3-point line. North Carolina ranks 19th in 3-point field percentage while Duke sits at 305th. The ability to hit 3’s in bunches may allow North Carolina to keep the game close. I expect North Carolina to live and die by the 3 tonight and produce another high-scoring, entertaining game in this rivalry.
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