It’s the game all the fans have been waiting for—the showdown between two teams whose rivalry goes way back in history. It’s the battle between light blue and dark blue, North Carolina and Duke.
But for the players, it is nothing more than another game against an ACC team.
“When you try to hype it up and make it something more than what it is, that’s when you mess up,” senior forward Joy Cheek said. “It’s been going on for years and years—it’s a big game because the schools are strong, the rivalries are strong, but you can’t think that. You have to play them like you play Clemson, Miami, whoever else you play.”
And although the No. 9 Tar Heels (16-5, 4-3 in the ACC) and No. 6 Duke (18-4, 6-1) face some rivalries in recruiting—both Cheek and junior Jasmine Thomas were pursued by the Tar Heels—head coach Joanne P. McCallie dismisses the game as having any significant meaning, other than a historic one.
“I think that it’s something [to talk about] after the season,” McCallie said. “In the season, it’s like dominoes and they’re all lined up and you try to knock the dominoes down, but out of season, season’s over, and you’ve been successful against the rival and there’s talk about that, and that’s where rival games take on life—in the past tense, like, ‘Oh I remember that game.’”
Fan support should play a significant role in giving more energy to Duke’s players and increasing the amount of enthusiasm—Cameron Indoor Stadium is typically close to sold out when these two teams meet—though the main focus of the players is still playing Duke’s brand of basketball.
“It’s a fun game for fans because it’s a very historic game, and it’s great having the fan support and the tickets sold out, but that’s outside our arena,” McCallie said. “For our situation and our cause, which is playing our basketball and the way we want to command and dictate those kinds of things, it’s more [irrelevant].”
This is the first time since Feb. 21, 1997 that the two teams meet coming off of losses, as Duke lost to Boston College Feb. 4 and the Tar Heels to Miami the same day.
Duke, however, is looking to turn the tide and execute better defense against a team which has strong post players, like the ones the Blue Devils saw in Chestnut Hill, Mass. During that game, the Eagles shot 32 percent whereas Duke shot 38 percent, but Boston College still managed to come through 61-57 by taking more shots.
“I think it’s great that we have another team that has excellent post players. It’s going to be a team defensive effort,” McCallie said. “You get back at practice and you demand more. You have an awareness of what we did not accomplish last game out, and it will be definitely be a focus point against Carolina.”
“Teams are always growing and gaining experience, and we’re not a tremendously experienced team, and the team’s still coming together and growing, and I don’t want to lose to learn, but I guess we had to. You learn that if people aren’t going to be consistent, you have to do different things and you have to move things around. We really want to go after our game and we have found ways to make our presses effective against quick teams or not-as-quick teams.”
The Blue Devils always aim for playing an all-around game but know that when it comes down to it, they must focus on what’s necessary against particular opponents, whether it be rebounding, shooting from the field or pressing. And in North Carolina’s case, Duke will be facing a strong post offense combined with quick, athletic guards.
“We want a complete game and we want to play our offensive game, but it’s what it takes to win,” Cheek said. “So if defense is what it takes to win that night, then that’s what we have to do.”
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