In years past, the Duke-UNC rivalry has centered around a contrast of playing styles. The Tar Heels have usually boasted a dominant center and the Blue Devils survived on their outside shooting and quick transition game.
This year, however, North Carolina finds itself in a similar predicament to the Blue Devil teams of past. Both squads play the center position by committee, utilizing different skills from each of their big men. Duke and UNC's perimeter players are the focal points on both offense and defense, and are certainly not replaceable.
Sean May, the Tar Heels' leading rebounder and inside player, was injured in late December and forced UNC into the current dilemma. Byron Sanders, a fellow freshman, has increased his playing time to 18 minutes per contest. Although his measly rebounding average of 2.5 a game does not fill a stat sheet, his presence on defense is all that coach Matt Doherty can ask for.
"It does concern me because they can afford more fouls," Doherty said about Duke's frontcourt. "If player X gets three fouls, they come in with another player who is big physically. We don't have that depth at our 4 or 5 spot."
North Carolina will be on the hot seat if a few of its posts are caught in foul trouble. Only four Tar Heels are over 6-foot-9--two of whom play fewer than eight minutes a game and average fewer than two rebounds.
The rebounding responsibility has been handed over to the small forwards and guards since the Tar Heels' frontcourt has not produced in the wake of May's injury. Jawad Williams, UNC's starting swingman, leads the team with 6 boards per game. Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton, both perimeter players, are the second and third leading rebounders.
"We have a height advantage down low so I think that if we are playing well we should be able to exploit that and really try to take advantage of what we have in the post," freshman Shavlik Randolph said. "But I also think we have a great perimeter so we will see what happens."
For once, it looks as though Duke could have the clear advantage inside because of North Carolina's lack of skill in the paint and the Blue Devils' deep bench.
Freshmen Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams have paired up with veterans Casey Sanders and Nick Horvath to become a formidable committee on the inside. All four players stand above 6-foot-9 and have proven they can perform in game situations. Although none of them has consistently proven to Krzyzewski that he should start every game, the rotation has worn down opposing centers.
In their matchup with Virginia, Travis Watson and Elton Brown outplayed Duke's big men, but as a group the Blue Devils were able to contain the Cavs enough to win the contest.
On the other end of the court, some of Duke's big men have been able to exercise their size advantage. Against Butler, Randolph exploded for 24 points, proving that he can score if the opportunity is present. Horvath has not broken the 20-point mark in any game, but his 16-point contribution against UCLA earlier in the season was crucial.
"I take it upon myself to get everyone ready--to be able to give all that they can give," Horvath said. "On any given night, one guy might be too into his own thing, missing his shots, or hiding behind his move. We can't have that the rest of the year, so we need to have everyone come out and play for the team, and play for each other."
Despite the superior play in the backcourt for both schools, the big men will play a large role in determining who gets the easy buckets from missed shots. If UNC continues its' poor rebounding and interior defense, Duke should be able to put their players in foul trouble and take a slight edge inside.
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