Duke split with arch rival North Carolina during the season, and the two teams will get the chance to settle the score on a neutral site in Friday night's ACC tournament semifinals in New York. The No. 5 seed Blue Devils are playing the top-seeded Tar Heels in the postseason for the first time since 2011, when Duke won the ACC championship 81-67. Here are three keys to Friday's heavyweight battle.
Match up with Hicks
After a strained hamstring sidelined Isaiah Hicks for Duke's first matchup with North Carolina, the forward made up for lost time last Saturday on his Senior Night with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds. He had a lot more strength and experience than Blue Devil freshman Jayson Tatum in the post, and he capitalized on Duke's switches on screens whenever he had a guard matched up against him.
The Blue Devils cannot let Hicks get position near the basket early and often again, and when he does get the ball, they have to make it harder for him to score. That could mean more playing time for freshmen Harry Giles and Marques Bolden, who were both effective defensively during Duke's rally in Thursday's quarterfinals.
Control the tempo
The Tar Heels always play at a fast pace and push the ball up the floor almost every time they get possession, led by quick point guard Joel Berry II. They will also be fresher than the Blue Devils after enjoying a second-round bye Wednesday and cruising past Miami Thursday with only one starter needing to play more than 30 minutes.
If Duke plays into North Carolina's hands and gets into an up-and-down shootout, the Blue Devils will almost certainly run out of gas again in their third game in three days. Jayson Tatum and Luke Kennard have both rarely left the court for Duke for the last month, and limiting the number of possessions Friday would help keep them as ready as possible for a potential close finish.
Get hot from long range
The first time the Blue Devils played the Tar Heels, they shot 13-of-27 from long range and found a way to outscore them 86-78. When the two teams met again in Chapel Hill last week, Duke shot 7-of-19 from beyond the arc, making just one more triple than North Carolina in a seven-point loss.
The Tar Heels are sure to score plenty of points in the post through their talented frontcourt, but the Blue Devils will need to play to their strengths and make just enough 3-pointers to outweigh North Carolina's 2-pointers. If Duke makes at least 10 triples, it should be in good position to steal another upset win down the stretch.
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