UNC Basketball vs. Duke: Game preview, info, prediction and more
The UNC basketball program will take on Duke in the final game of the 2021-2022 regular season. Can the Tar Heels pull off an upset in Coach K’s final home game?
Just a month after their first matchup in Chapel Hill, the greatest rivalry in all of college sports is set to renew on Saturday night in Durham, North Carolina.
There’s a little more meaning behind this battle, as it will be the final time that Coach Mike Krzyzewski will lead the Blue Devils on their home floor. It also may be the final time that Coach K is on the sidelines for this rivalry, as he’ll be retiring at the end of the season.
The first matchup did not go in the Tar Heels’ favor, as the Blue Devils cruised to an 87-67 victory at the Dean Smith Center. However, this game isn’t just important to Duke but could be crucial in regards to the Tar Heels NCAA tournament hopes.
North Carolina has won six of their last seven matchups since their loss to the Blue Devils back on February 5. Viewed as a “bubble team” at the moment, a huge upset victory in Durham could ultimately secure the Tar Heels a tournament bid.
Can the Tar Heels take care of business and secure that “quality win” that their resume so desperately lacks?
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Key to Victory
If the UNC basketball program wants to have any chance in this game, they have to get off to a fast start.
This team is known to sometimes get out to a slow start, which they certainly need to avoid in the hostile environment of Cameron Indoor Stadium. With ‘Senior Night’ and Coach K’s final home game on tab, the Tar Heels need to get going early and hope that the festivities surrounding the big day for the Blue Devils cause them to get off to a slow start.
Brady Manek is a player who has shown the ability to get going offensively early. Based on the last meeting, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see North Carolina try to get him off to yet another hot start.
Something to Watch
In the first meeting, Davis decided to have Armando Bacot defend Paolo Banchero to start the game, which ended up being costly for the Tar Heels as the junior big man was sidelined early in the game with two fouls.
How will Davis decide to attack the Blue Devils this time around? Will he elect to have Leaky Black, his best on-ball defender, guard Banchero, or will the Tar Heels head coach have something else up his sleeve?
It’s possible that Black will be rotated to match up with multiple Blue Devils throughout this one. If the Tar Heels want to play “spoilers” in this one, they’ll need a very strong defensive effort from their entire rotation.
Last Meeting
On February 5, Duke rolled into Chapel Hill and picked up a convincing 87-67 victory over the Tar Heels. Simply put, not much went right for Hubert Davis and North Carolina in this one.
Manek was the standout performer for the UNC basketball program, as his 21 points with six three-pointers essentially kept the Tar Heels in the game. After picking up two early first-half fouls, Bacot was limited to just 12 points and five rebounds
The story of the game was Duke freshman AJ Griffin, who absolutely torched the Tar Heels. The forward scored a game-high 27 points while making 11 of his 17 shot attempts.
Projected Starting Lineup
No. 4 R.J. Davis (So., 6-0, 175) – 13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.4 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (So., 6-4, 195) – 15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Sr., 6-8 200) – 5.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 apg
No. 45 Brady Manek (Sr. 6-9, 230) – 14.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Jr., 6-10, 240) – 16.4 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg
What To Watch For
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (22-8, 14-5 ACC) AT Duke Blue Devils (11-17, 4-13 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, March 5 – 6:00 p.m. EST
WHERE? Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
TV? ESPN
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? Duke -12.5
LAST MEETING? Duke defeated UNC 87-67 on February 5th
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads all-time 141-114
PREDICTION? Duke 83, UNC 70
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