No. 3 Duke basketball finishes its regular season tonight at 9 p.m. against North Carolina at the Dean Dome.
The Chronicle's Brady Buck and Andrew Beaton sat down to talk about the game and what it may look like in this edition of the Tobacco Road rivalry.
Andrew Beaton: Brady, since losing to Duke, UNC has been red hot, winning six consecutive games. Do the Tar Heels hold the edge going into Saturday's regular season finale? Las Vegas certainly seems to think so—Tar Heels are 1.5-point favorites right now.
Brady Buck: I'm going to say yes because of this glaring fact about Duke: the Blue Devils have not won a true road game against a team in the top half of the ACC.
The Tar Heels are playing their best basketball of the year right now. Playing at home in what promises to be a raucous Dean Dome should help bring out the best in North Carolina too.
The element of revenge will also be one North Carolina's minds, dating back to Austin Rivers' game-winning shot in Chapel Hill last season, as well as earlier this year when the Heels were in a position to escape Cameron Indoor Stadium with a win but ended up falling 73-68.
AB: Keep in mind, all those road losses came without Ryan Kelly—it's easy to forget they haven't dropped a game with him playing since February... of last year. There's no denying this team is different with Kelly, even if he's not putting up 36 points as he did against Miami. He's a savvy defender and opens up the offense for other scorers in Duke's lineup.
With him back in the fold, it will be interesting to see how these two teams matchup. UNC's success has come with using a smaller lineup—starting a number of guards and wings alongside James Michael McAdoo down low. Granted some of those wings are big... at 6-foot-7, Bullock might be the most physical and best rebounder in the ACC.
Now, though, the Tar Heels don't have the luxury of knowing Bullock will guard Amile Jefferson and Josh Hairston who aren't true threats on the offensive end.
BB: You nailed it right on the head: The matchups in this game are very intriguing. I think we'll see P.J. Hairston—who will give up considerable height—guard Kelly. I'll look for Duke to really work the rock inside to both Plumlee and Kelly. Bear in mind that Hairston guarded N.C. State power forward C.J. Leslie, who is 6-foot-9, for a large portion of UNC's win over the 'Pack a few weeks ago. Holding Leslie to just six points, Hairston was very effective despite giving up substantial size and length. As a stretch four, Kelly is obviously an entirely different player than Leslie, though.
UNC actually matches up with Duke's perimeter as well as anybody in the country, in my opinion. Curry, in particular, struggled from the field in the last meeting. He went 3-of-10 from the field while being guarded by Strickland, Bullock and Hairston, all of whom are superior in size and athleticism.
Defensively for Duke, it has to keep Hairston in check. He's UNC's hottest player, averaging 17.7 points per game as a starter. He hung 23 points on the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, and right now he is shooting the ball better than he ever has. Wednesday night at Maryland, he finished with 22 points.
AB: Beyond the Xs and Os, though, my question is: will Duke be able to get as hyped for this game as the Tar Heels?
As Coach K said after the Virginia Tech game, this Blue Devil squad is more emotionally drained emotionally than physically. First there was the dramatic return of Kelly, and then there was senior night, which is as emotional as it gets, even if the game itself turned out to be a rather easy one.
UNC has locked itself into an NCAA Tournament berth at this point—something that wasn't always a certainty this season—but there's no doubt they're amped for revenge on their home court. They're also riding this hot streak that they'll want to continue into the Big Dance.
BB: Valid point. If you're Coach K, you hope this is when it really pays off to have three battle-tested seniors. Luckily for Duke, they get one more day of rest than the Heels, who played at Maryland Wednesday. That should help the team refresh a bit. At the end of the day, though, it's Duke-North Carolina, which generally brings the best out of both parties, regardless of fatigue, records, or anything else.
The Blue Devils better get ready to walk into one of the most electric and hostile Dean Dome crowds in recent memory. Not only are they hosting their neighboring nemesis, but Andrew Wiggins, arguably the best amateur basketball player in the world, will be in the house for his official visit. It should be a fun one.
AB: Now the Tar Heels get to chant for him while he's actually in the house.
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