The day sports fans have all been waiting for is nearly here.
On Saturday, Feb. 3, the 192nd installation of UNC-Duke will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET. North Carolina will be hosting this round, before heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the season finale on Saturday, March 9.
There’s suddenly a lot more pressure on the Tar Heels for Saturday, as they lost a disappointing, 74-73 battle at sub-.500 Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. UNC was able to battle all the way back and take a late 1-point lead, thanks to RJ Davis’ layup, only for that clutch bucket to be undone by Georgia Tech’s Naithan George.
Since losing to Pitt on Saturday, Jan. 20, Duke has won three straight games. The Blue Devils blew out ACC basement-dweller Louisville on the road, barely beat Clemson by one point and – on Monday – pulled away from Virginia Tech in a 10-point victory.
Last year wasn’t too kind to North Carolina in the Tobacco Road Rivalry, as it lost both games by just two possessions. The Tar Heels led late in the March 4, 2023 matchup in Chapel Hill, only for Duke to escape with a 62-57 victory.
This year, UNC leads the ACC and – outside of Tuesday – looks like a National Title contender. Duke is playing solid basketball, but is nowhere near the success it achieved last season.