Duke's defensive identity is built on being physical and switch-heavy, applying pressure on the perimeter. They love to shrink the floor early, especially from the wings. That's great for forcing turnovers, but it opens up windows.
There are a few ways UNC can exploit Duke's vulnerabilities. Each possession, North Carolina needs to flow immediately into their second action. Meaning they need to rescreen instead of resetting, using dribble handoffs after the initial set is defended. Duke is excellent at guarding the first action.
Duke defenders often over-help on the first action, which sometimes leads to recovery miscommunications on the second action. Late closeouts could lead to foul calls or easy blow bys to the rim.
What UNC can't afford to do is have them constantly reset their offense with Henri Veesarr at the top of the key, passing around the perimeter. They need multiple actions every play, try to get the defense out of sorts, and have them playing on their heels.
North Carolina will need to consistently have guys like Caleb Wilson and Set Trimble driving into the help defender and kicking out to the weak side help. The team will have to make the extra pass to get more quality looks and force long closeouts.
Wilson's ability to attack under control is going to be crucial for the Tar Heels. If he can attack with his eyes up, he can pick apart Duke's defense and create a ton of open shots for his teammates.
Keeping the turnovers down and not allowing Duke to run out in transition and create fast runs will be huge for UNC to keep itself in this game. If they give this team momentum and play with confidence, they will be hounding North Carolina's ball handlers, which could force even more mistakes.
Read: Why Duke vs. North Carolina still reigns as college basketball's gold standard
This is going to be an exciting chess match between these two coaching staffs. We will find out which game plan is executed better on both sides of the ball in this highly anticipated matchup.
Tune in for this blue-blood collision this Saturday, February 7th, with a tip-off start time of 6:30 p.m. EST.