There's an old and recycled sports cliche which claims that when two arch-rivals meet, all records and stats are thrown out the window.
Never has that been more true than in Thursday night's men's basketball game between Duke (10-9, 0-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) and No. 2 North Carolina (16-1, 6-1 in the ACC) at 9 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils are winless in the ACC and are teetering on the edge of a .500 overall record. On top of that, the Tar Heels enter this game as one of the hottest teams in the nation.
But all of that might not mean much when the two teams tip-off.
"This is Duke-North Carolina," freshman Steve Wojciechowski said. "It doesn't matter what each other's record is. It's going to be intense, and it's going to be both team's best games."
The Tar Heels also think that tomorrow's game is as important as any other Duke-UNC contest.
"[Duke-UNC] means a big rivarly, a big ACC matchup, a big game on either part," sophomore center Rasheed Wallace said. "No matter what Duke's record is, if they beat us, they'll always remember that win."
Duke is coming off of a 74-72 loss at No. 5 Maryland on Saturday. Having made great strides in their past two games -- a 13-point win over Notre Dame and the loss to the Terrapins -- the Blue Devils are enthusiastic about the opportunity to face the Tar Heels at home.
"I thought we really played well the last two times out," assistant coach Mike Brey said. "We know we're on to something good here, and we're excited about getting out there and playing again."
Thursday night's game will mark the end of the first round of conference play. The Duke players believe that this is the perfect time in the season to face UNC.
"I think we've taken our hits, and in taking our hits our confidence level has been up and down," senior Erik Meek said. "Right now, we're at the stage where we know that we have nothing to lose and it's just time to hold nothing back."
The Blue Devils are also tired of contests like the Maryland game, where the team put forth a hard-fought effort only to end up with another loss. They don't want any more "almost wins."
"It's going to be a very big game because we need a win, and just because we're playing Carolina makes it more special," sophomore guard Jeff Capel said. "Everyone on the team is tired of playing well and losing."
On defense, the Blue Devils will have the tough task of slowing down Wallace and the other half of UNC's dynamic duo, sophomore Jerry Stackhouse. They are just two of the five players who form what many people call the best starting line-up in the nation.
"[In Wallace and Stackhouse], you're talking about two of the best players in the country," Brey said. "It's a team where you can't help on somebody because all five of their starters are so dangerous."
Meek will likely be assigned to guard Wallace, and he has had plenty of experience covering talented big men. Last week, Meek held Maryland's Joe Smith, who is averaging just under 20 points per game, to only six points.
"Rasheed's a great player and we really need to try to contain him," Meek said. "We have to make sure that it's a team effort."
Yet Duke must be careful not to concentrate too much on the Tar Heels' inside game. UNC has a multi-talented backcourt in the tandem of sophomore Jeff McInnis and senior Donald Williams. McInnis is second in the ACC in assists with 6.1 per game, while Williams is pouring in nearly 15 points per contest.
Also, with an early-season injury to senior Pat Sullivan, 6-5 Dante Calabria has stepped in at the small forward spot and is currently leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage.
With all of their weapons, the Tar Heels are going to score some points. That will make Duke's ball control and offensive execution even more important.
"We have to have more patience on offense," Capel said. "We have to get good looks every time and realize the more times we turn the ball over, the more opportunities the other team gets to put points on the board."
The teams' records indicate that this game should go the Tar Heels' way. But throw in the crowd factor and the Duke team's new-found confidence, and the outcome isn't quite as clear-cut.
"I definitely think this is a winnable game," Wojciechowski said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.