There's more at stake in this rivalry game than one fanbase claiming its blue as superior.
Ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the ACC respectively, Duke and North Carolina men’s basketball teams are set to face off in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. With these two teams highly ranked and prized, they have a lot to lose — both for the ACC and NCAA tournament runs.
The No. 9 Tar Heels (22-8, 11-6 ACC) and No. 5 Blue Devils (24-6, 12-5 ACC) look to reclaim their throne as ACC Tournament Champions. For UNC, it has been two years; the Blue Devils are the reigning champions. With both teams suffering brutal loses in the past week, the fate of their tournament runs rest on a win Saturday night.
With a win against Duke, UNC would clinch the No. 2 seed as well as a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. With a loss, however, the fate of Duke and UNC rests on how N.C. State and Clemson finish out their regular season games. Clemson plays Syracuse and N.C. State plays Louisville on Saturday.
Needless to say, because of the parity among the top five seeds in the ACC, a lot of different outcomes can shake out by the conclusion of this weekend.
The Tar Heels lead the series 136-110, but the Blue Devils are searching for revenge after the 82-78 loss in the Smith Center on Feb. 8.
Entering that game in early February, the teams were ranked first and second in the nation in rebounds per game. Despite this statistic, UNC out-rebounded Duke 44-38, going 28-17 in the second half. The Tar Heels had 20 offensive rebounds with the Blue Devils having only 11, and UNC outscored Duke 12-7 on second-chance points.
While Duke may have been the nation’s highest scoring team, they only scored 29 points in the second half of last month's contest — which was the second-fewest for Duke of the year at the time of the game. UNC tied a school record of only allowing two turnovers, which ultimately secured the win for the Tar Heels.
Going into the game on Saturday, the Tar Heels will most likely rely heavily on their veteran players against the younger Blue Devils. Senior Joel Berry II leads UNC in points per game with 18.2, and junior Luke Maye leads the team in field goals (217) and total rebounds — both offensive (90) and defensive (217). Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson is third on the team with 13.1 points per game. Other notable veterans on UNC’s roster include senior Theo Pinson, who leads the team with 144 assists.
