Just three weeks ago, Duke reached its high point of the season to date with a 74-73 road victory against the Tar Heels. Since then, the Blue Devils have split four games and come in to Saturday's contest looking to build momentum before postseason play. The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference in the game:
Duke: center Marshall Plumlee
Plumee will have his work cut out for him Saturday evening with another date against the Tar Heels' Brice Johnson.
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has stressed this week that he plans for Johnson to continue to get the ball throughout the game after fading late in the first matchup. Duke's stalwart in the interior will need to contain Johnson, who finished with 29 points and 19 rebounds in Chapel Hill in mid-February.
Plumlee has done a nice job this season avoiding foul trouble, but he fouled out against Wake Forest Tuesday night, thrusting freshman Chase Jeter into action. If Duke can rely on Plumlee to defend without fouling and hold Johnson to a reasonable night on the boards, the Blue Devils could force the Tar Heels to resort back to their trigger-happy guards.
The Warsaw, Ind., native might also need a big offensive game if the Duke backcourt struggles as it has in recent contests. Forward Brandon Ingram has not shot better than 50 percent from the field in his last six games, and freshmen guards Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton have also struggled of late. Plumlee is averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 offensive rebounds per game—numbers that will be harder to come by against the size of Johnson and Kennedy Meeks down low.
With Saturday being the last time a Plumlee takes the court for Duke, there's no doubt that the graduate student will have the crowd behind him. An early dunk or two by the center could send the Crazies into euphoria and the Blue Devils on their way to a much-needed victory.
North Carolina: guard Joel Berry II
The junior guard went quiet against the Blue Devils during the first meeting, finishing just 2-of-12 from the field. But Berry averages 12.6 points per game and has made seven of his last 15 3-point attempts. The Tar Heels will need Berry II to get going to create space on the interior for Johnson. Likewise with Johnson attracting an extra defender, North Carolina could open up good looks at the rim.
Berry II has also accumulated the second most turnovers this season on the team, averaging 1.7 per game. Given how lethal the Blue Devils can be in transition, the Apopka, Fla., native will look to avoid coughing up the ball.
He has also proven his worth in the spotlight, tallying 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting last week in a close loss to No. 3 Virginia. But look for Berry to try and avenge a miss on a potential game-winner against the Blue Devils in the first matchup with a big game Saturday.
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