UNC Basketball vs. Duke: Game preview, prediction, info and more
The day sports fans have all been waiting for is nearly here.
On Saturday, Feb. 3, the 192nd installation of UNC-Duke will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET. North Carolina will be hosting this round, before heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the season finale on Saturday, March 9.
There’s suddenly a lot more pressure on the Tar Heels for Saturday, as they lost a disappointing, 74-73 battle at sub-.500 Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. UNC was able to battle all the way back and take a late 1-point lead, thanks to RJ Davis’ layup, only for that clutch bucket to be undone by Georgia Tech’s Naithan George.
Since losing to Pitt on Saturday, Jan. 20, Duke has won three straight games. The Blue Devils blew out ACC basement-dweller Louisville on the road, barely beat Clemson by one point and – on Monday – pulled away from Virginia Tech in a 10-point victory.
Last year wasn’t too kind to North Carolina in the Tobacco Road Rivalry, as it lost both games by just two possessions. The Tar Heels led late in the March 4, 2023 matchup in Chapel Hill, only for Duke to escape with a 62-57 victory.
This year, UNC leads the ACC and – outside of Tuesday – looks like a National Title contender. Duke is playing solid basketball, but is nowhere near the success it achieved last season.
Key to victory for UNC
North Carolina hasn’t always been the greatest 3-point shooting team, but it’d been playing respectable from deep most of the season.
Those perimeter woes resurfaced big-time on Tuesday, with the Tar Heels shooting just 8-of-28 from deep in the loss against Georgia Tech.
Cormac Ryan struggled the most, knocking down just 3-of-10 attempts. Harrison Ingram provided UNC hope late with a 3-pointer, but he shot even worse from deep than Ryan.
If North Carolina wants to stay close with Duke, it’ll have to knock down perimeter shots.
Something to watch
I’m intrigued to see how UNC plays in the post.
On Tuesday night, Georgia Tech blocked eight shots to North Carolina’s zero.
Armando Bacot, who’s normally a force down low for the Tar Heels, grabbed nine rebounds and scored just nine points. Harrison Ingram grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds, but the Yellow Jackets’ eight blocks outweighed North Carolina’s advantage on the boards.
UNC needs to be more aggressive on defense against Duke, particularly in the post, but also needs to make sure it doesn’t get into early foul trouble.
What you need to know
WHAT? UNC (17-4, 9-1 ACC) vs. Duke (16-4, 7-2)
WHEN? Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. ET
WHERE? Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV? ESPN (Watch and stream the game live on WatchESPN)
RADIO? Sirius XM (Channel 81 or 83)
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? Duke won 62-57, on Saturday, March 4, 2023 in Chapel Hill
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads, 102-89
PREDICTION? UNC 84, Duke 77
