UNC vs. Duke: Game Thread

The day is finally here: the North Carolina Tar Heels are set to take on the #9 Duke Blue Devils in the Dean Smith Center. It is the final game against the Heels in Chapel Hill for Coach K, and no, there will be no ceremony and no gifts…but hopefully he can go home with one more loss before he rides off into the sunset.

This is going to be really weird to say considering the Heels’ hot and cold play so far this season, but this game really could go either way. For all of the disappointing, and at times super confusing, performances this year, the Heels have been outstanding at home. Caleb Love also played out of his mind against 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 more challenging games for Duke if everyone is giving their best shot.

However, we all know what the problem is: Wendell Moore, Paolo Banchero, and Trevor Keels are going to be extremely hard to deal with, with Banchero being the biggest matchup nightmare. Mark Williams has also been a solid contributor for the Blue Devils this season, and could make this another physical game for Bacot, who is fresh off what basically turned into a street fight against Louisville. Tonight’s game could deliver like every game between these two teams delivers, but truly…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!