Can you believe it: the end of the 2024-2025 college basketball regular season is upon us.
The UNC basketball program has a tall task at hand as they'll host rival Duke at the Dean Smith Center on Saturday night. This is a very important game for the Tar Heels, given a win would provide them with a much-needed Quad 1 victory to help bolster their NCAA Tournament resume.
The good news is: this isn't the same team that Duke faced off against just five short weeks ago in Durham. North Carolina is currently riding a six-game winning streak and has seemed to have turn a corner, taking care of business against a favorable schedule down the stretch.
On 'Senior Night,' can this current UNC basketball team channel some 2022 vibes to upset Duke once again in a similar situation?
Only time will tell.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 20-11
Conference Record: 13-6
Home Record: 12-2
Away Record: 6-6
Neutral Site Record: 2-3
Duke Blue Devils
Overall record: 27-3
Conference Record: 18-1
Home Record: 17-0
Away Record: 9-1
Neutral Site Record: 1-2
Key Players
North Carolina
RJ Davis (Gr. Guard) – 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Ian Jackson (Fr. Guard) – 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists
Seth Trimble (Jr. Guard) – 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Duke
Cooper Flagg (Fr. Forward) - 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Kon Knueppel (Fr. Guard) - 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Tyrese Proctor (Jr. Guard) - 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
It may sound simple, but the Tar Heels need to do what they've been doing over the previous six games.
Play Hard.
Play Smart.
Play Together.
There are a few reasons to be optimistic going into this game. If the Tar Heels can continue to build on their recent success on both ends of the floor, especially with regard to shooting the basketball from three-point range, this team can compete with anyone and has a tremendous opportunity to prove that on Saturday night.
Something to Watch For
RJ Davis will play his 73rd (and final) game at the Dean Smith Center when the Tar Heels host the Blue Devils. He will also surpass former teammate Armando Bacot for the most games played by a single player in ACC history.
Does No. 4 have one more special performance in him in front of the home crowd in Chapel Hill? We sure hope he does!
Senior Night Participants
Ty Claude
RJ Davis
Jae'Lyn Withers