What: College Basketball Armageddon 2009, Part II
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
TV: CBS
Livestats: SCACC Hoops
Liveblogging: No
Records: UNC 26-3, 12-3 ACC; Duke 25-5, 11-4 ACC
UNC-Duke, Senior Day, ACC Regular Season finish, NCAA seeding. No pressure right.
Ty Lawson's injury is the big headline in this one. Multiple reports put him anywhere from questionable to dealing with a turf toe type injury that could be an issue even after this one is over. For now we focus on this game. Because Lawson was so important to the Heels' success in Durham, it is assumed that he will be here. No argument from me but I think the Heels can win this game without Lawson getting all of the looks he got in the last Duke game.
UNC enjoys an advantage on the interior. That should be the well they go to first and they should go there on a regular basis. Duke does not have an answer for Tyler Hansbrough and if they double Wayne Ellington or Danny Green can do their share of shooting from outside to hurt the Devils. Duke really did not have an answer for Deon Thompson in the first half in Durham so he should be an option as well. The point is I believe this game hinges on the Heels executing good ball movement and getting the ball inside first then letting the offense flow from there. To some extent they can get accomplish this even if Ty Lawson is not 100% or depending on Bobby Frasor at the point. On the defensive end, the key with Duke is to cutoff the drives and turn them into a jump shooting team. Ed Davis could play a role in making that happen given his shot blocking ability.
The most important thing for the Heels is not to be too amped up to start the game. This is especially true for Hansbrough and Green who might feel the need to do too much and either take bad shots or play too tight. The best thing the Heels can do is really have fun. Yes there are high stakes but if the Heels play relaxed and up their abilities this is their game to win.
UNC 95 Duke 86