Saturday, Feb. 3 was a very happy day in Chapel Hill, NC.
It was Round 1 of UNC-Duke, the greatest rivalry in all of sports. That February matchup pitted two of the ACC’s best teams against each other, with the winner possibly going a long way to determine the conference’s regular-season champion.
Largely from opening tip, North Carolina overpowered the Blue Devils in a 93-84 victory. The ACC-leading Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3) shot an even 50% from the field, led by a much-needed breakout game from star center Armando Bacot.
On Saturday, March 9, the storied matchup returns to Durham for Duke’s (24-6, 15-4) senior day. While all eyes will be on the Blue Devils’ four seniors pregame, this game will decide whether UNC wins the ACC’s outright regular-season title – or shares it with Duke.
The Tobacco Road Rivalry wouldn’t be what it is today without a little trash talk, some of which Duke freshman guard Jared McCain is providing ahead of Saturday’s rematch.
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This is far from the worst players have said ahead of UNC-Duke, but I’m sure it’ll add a little extra motivation for the Tar Heels. McCain is averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting nearly 46 percent for the Blue Devils, include a 16-point, 5-rebound outing in Raleigh on Monday.
North Carolina is riding a five-game winning streak. Its most recent victory was a 33-point drubbing of Notre Dame on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils have absolutely dominated Louisville, UVA and NC State in consecutive matchups, breaking away from the Wolfpack late.
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