By Brian Murphy, WRAL

7Duke Blue Devils
3North Carolina Tar Heels
On Saturday, February 3rd at 6:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, ESPN will be broadcasting.

The fierce competition between Duke and North Carolina never fails to impress, regardless of the situation.

However, now that both teams have returned to the top 10 of The Associated Press poll and are leading the ACC standings, this initial encounter of the year simply feels fitting.

This is the first instance since 2019 where both teams have been placed in the top 10 for a match. In the previous two games of last year, neither team had a ranking and Duke emerged victorious in both.

According to former Blue Devils’ player and assistant coach Jon Scheyer, this is the ideal situation for our two programs based on their achievements over the years.

The third-ranked University of North Carolina, with a record of 17-4 overall and 9-1 in the ACC, will face off against the seventh-ranked Duke University, with a record of 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the ACC, at 6:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill. The Smith Center will host ESPN’s “College GameDay” earlier in the day.

This is the 49th meeting between the rival teams, where both are ranked in the top 10. In the previous 48 matches, the teams have evenly split with similar scoring averages of 76.8 for UNC and 76.0 for Duke.

Duke guard Jeremy Roach expressed that the UNC-Duke rivalry is one of the greatest in all of sports. He noted that it has remained consistent and intense, regardless of rankings. Every time the two teams face off, it is expected to be a fierce competition. Roach is eagerly looking forward to being a part of this rivalry.

Roach’s relationship with RJ Davis and Armando Bacot, both of whom are UNC standouts, goes back much further than the famous Duke-UNC rivalry. They have known each other and competed together since childhood.

The players are experienced in the rivalry and are familiar with the atmosphere and crowd. They have made an effort to ready their younger teammates, such as UNC’s point guard Elliott Cadeau and Duke’s freshman Jared McCain, for what they will encounter.

Bacot expressed the difficulty in preparing a new player for their first game, but also acknowledged the advantage of playing at home for the first game.

Duke sophomore Tyrese Proctor stated, “Maintain a positive attitude. Having a next-play mentality is also crucial. Playing at UNC is a unique experience with a lot of external distractions that can affect us.”

Bacot will participate in his tenth game between Duke and UNC. He has a record of 4 wins and 5 losses against the Blue Devils, but two of his victories are considered the most significant in the history of the rivalry. These wins include a victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2022, which was Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game, and a win in the Final Four, which was also Coach K’s final game.

Bacot expressed the significance of this game to the fans, our team, and former players. Winning gives you bragging rights until the next matchup. It’s a highly anticipated rivalry and each time we face them, the intensity and stakes seem to escalate.

The focus of this match is the same territory that fuels the competition: The top positions in the ACC rankings and, most likely, seedings for the NCAA Tournament.

In their most recent 12 games, Duke has emerged victorious in 11 of them. North Carolina has also been performing well, winning 10 out of their last 11 games. However, they suffered a defeat against Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. After returning to Chapel Hill, the players held a 90-minute meeting.

UNC coach Hubert Davis, a former player and assistant coach for the Tar Heels, acknowledges that there will be tough times with windy and rainy weather and cloudy skies. However, he believes that one has the choice to either assign blame, complain, and make excuses, or to stand up, continue moving forward, and fight. For Davis and his team, the decision is clear – they will get back up, move on, and rally together to face any challenges that come their way.

Duke has emerged victorious in two consecutive matches at Chapel Hill and is now aiming for a third consecutive win on the road in the rivalry, a feat that has not been achieved since 1999 to 2002.

Source: wralsportsfan.com