UNC vs. Duke: Thread of the Game
The day has finally arrived: the North Carolina Tar Heels are ready to face the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils at the Dean Smith Center. This is the last game against the Heels at Chapel Hill for Coach K, and no, there will be no ceremonies or gifts… but hopefully he can go home with another loss before he leave at sunset.
It’s going to be really weird to say given the Heels’ hot and cold play so far this season, but this play could really go either way. Despite all the disappointing and at times very confusing performances this year, the Heels have been outstanding at home. Caleb Love also played Duke in both games last year and demolished NC State this season. Factor in Armando Bacot, Brady Manek and RJ Davis, and this could be one of the toughest games for Duke if everyone does their best.
However, we all know what the problem is: Wendell Moore, Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels are going to be extremely difficult to deal with, with Banchero being the biggest nightmare in the clashes. Mark Williams has also been a solid contributor for the Blue Devils this season and could make it another physical matchup for Bacot, who is fresh off of what essentially turned into a street fight against Louisville. Tonight’s game could deliver like all games between these two teams, but really…it just depends on which UNC team shows up. Since this is a home game, I have a cautiously optimistic guess.
As always, we’ll be back after the game with some post-game analysis and takes. Until then, Go Heels!
