By WRAL staff

Rivals Duke and North Carolina are set to play in the Sweet 16 in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The programs have been playing regularly since 1976, but never under these circumstances. It’s a novel occurrence and something that fans have pointed to the possibility of since the brackets were unveiled. Duke, a No. 2 seed, is making its 19th Sweet 16 appearance while UNC, a No. 3 seed, is in the Sweet 16 for the 19th time.

It’s the first meeting between the teams in an NCAA Tournament game.

Both survived second-round battles on their home floors and had identical regular seasons, with Duke having the trump card of winning an ACC championship. They split the regular season games and each have navigated injuries to key players in recent weeks. In a way, it’s fitting that each team’s season would come down to this meeting.

“I think it’s a fact, I think, that these two teams have been so good for so long, and it’s Kara and I’s turn to make sure we take care of the rivalry with respect, integrity and toughness,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said.

Two key notes for the Tar Heels – Reniya Kelly and Alyssa Ustby will play in this game. Their absence was a key factor in the second meeting, a 68-53 win for Duke on Feb. 27 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“The main difference is Kelly and Ustby will play,” said Duke coach Kara Lawson. They didn’t play in the second meeting.”

On Jan. 9, UNC beat Duke 53-46 in overtime. The teams have split the last six meetings.

In a lift for Duke, ACC Rookie of the Year and Toby Fournier will suit up for the Blue Devils. Fournier, the team’s leading scorer, sat out Duke’s Round of 32 win against Oregon.

“I’m feeling great,” Fourier said on Thursday. “I’m here. I’m well-rested, well-hydrated. I’m ready to go.”

The Blue Devils reached the Final Four four times from 1999 through 2006, but haven’t made one since then. UNC has endured a similar drought, having not reached a Final Four since 2007.

The programs have been neck-and-neck throughout their history. UNC has won 56 of the head-to-head meetings and Duke has won 54 in 110 games.

“It’s something super special,” Ustby said of the matchup. “There’s not a lot of firsts that can be done at Carolina because it’s such a rich program with a lot of great history.”

The game tips off at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Kelly is a Birmingham native and played in state championship games at Legacy Arena. In 2023, she was named Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year for Alabama.

“It’s definitely a full cycle for me,” Kelly said. “I’m just happy to be back. I’m familiar with this place and this atmosphere.”

Fellow UNC player Indya Nivar said she was excited to see Kelly’s family, friends and her dog.

“I just know it’s really exciting because for me, staying at Chapel Hill, my family and friends get to come to every game, but for her, it’s not an every day thing,” Nivar said. “

Kelly said she expects about 50 family members and friends for Friday’s game.

Lawson spoke about the familiarity of playing UNC.

“There’s a familiarity, obviously, from a scout standpoint, from a personnel standpoint,” Lawson said. “You know the players.

“Since [my] first year, I think the games have been really competitive when you look at the margins of the games and how good both teams have been. So that would be my expectation again tomorrow.”

“To play in the Sweet 16, there’s just no bad teams,” Banghart said. “So, you might have more familiarity, but familiarity doesn’t win games, right? So, I think from a prep standpoint, there’s a little bit more comfort, both sides, as well as players having more familiarity with rosters and things like that.”

Source: wralsportsfan.com