How do they play?
The focus for the Blue Devils will be getting the ball into the hands of their playmakers and letting them go to work from there. Duke runs a variety of screens to set up space for either three-pointers or driving lanes, and between ACC Player of the Year candidate Luke Kennard, likely top-five draft pick Jayson Tatum and Grayson Allen, the team has a wealth of playmakers who can score.
North Carolina’s defense has improved in recent weeks compared to the unit that the Blue Devils lit up for 86 points in the last matchup, but this will be UNC’s toughest test since that game. There are few offenses that stretch defenses as much as Duke does between its outside shooting and its driving ability.
Who stands out?
Kennard, who leads the Blue Devils in scoring, has been the favorite to earn ACC Player of the Year honors for several weeks, though UNC junior Justin Jackson has made a run at him in the past few games. Whichever player shines brightest on Saturday night could go a long way toward sealing the award.
With Grayson Allen dealing with an injury in the last game against Florida State, first-year point guard Frank Jackson — who averages 10.3 points per game — stepped up with one of his biggest games of the season. The rookie scored 22 points with over 50 percent shooting in Duke’s 75-70 win against the No. 15 Seminoles.
Even if Allen is limited again on Saturday, Frank Jackson could more than offset that. He scored the game-tying three-pointer in an eventual loss to Kansas earlier in the season, so he’s no stranger to performing on the big stage.
