In the time since their first meeting Feb. 3, the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels have positioned themselves as the top two teams in the ACC. Now, with their second matchup looming and an ACC regular season title on the line, the Blue Zone looks at how each squad has changed:
Then
Forwards
Heading into the Blue Devils’ first matchup against their rival down Tobacco Road, an under-the-radar storyline was the matchup between North Carolina’s Harrison Ingram and Duke’s Mark Mitchell. In the end, Ingram stole the show, scoring 21 points and securing 13 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. On the other hand, Mitchell relatively underperformed in Chapel Hill, scoring just 11 points in 37 minutes. While the Kansas City, Kan., was far from the cause of the Blue Devils’ 93-84 loss, he struggled to contain Ingram all night, and the Stanford transfer looked the stronger of the two forwards on both sides of the floor.
Bacot
For Duke fans, it seems as if graduate student Armando Bacot has been playing in a Tar Heel uniform forever. While Bacot struggled last year against the Blue Devils, the 6-foot-11 center was the key piece in this season’s first matchup, willing North Carolina to victory behind 25 points and 10 rebounds. With the Tar Heels up eight and just under five minutes to play, Bacot posted up Kyle Filipowski and finished through him for an emphatic and-one. After the play, Bacot signaled that Filipowski was “too small” to the North Carolina bench, personifying Bacot’s electric performance in the matchup.
“The ACC runs through me,” Bacot said after the victory — a quote that he’ll look to back up this weekend in Durham.
93
Simply put, the Tar Heels were dominant on the offensive end: North Carolina’s 93 points are the most that Duke has allowed all year. While the Blue Devils were relatively effective guarding senior guard RJ Davis — who will likely be the ACC player of the year — the Tar Heels saw an uptick in scoring from sophomore guard Seth Trimble along with dominant performances from Bacot and Ingram. Now, Duke sits at third in the ACC on defense, allowing just 66.7 points per game. In this weekend’s matchup, head coach Jon Scheyer will surely be looking to limit North Carolina’s scoring to ensure that his squad continues to excel on the defensive end.
Now
Backcourt Experience
This year, the Blue Devils have relied on their experience. In fact, four of Duke’s top five scorers returned from last year’s team that took down North Carolina twice. In this matchup, look for senior captain Jeremy Roach to carry the Blue Devils on the offensive end, and sophomore Tyrese Proctor to match up with Davis on defense. So far this season, Roach is averaging 14.3 points per contest — second on the team behind sophomore center Kyle Filipowski. Additionally, Scheyer has historically tasked Proctor with the toughest matchups on the defensive end, a nod to his shiftiness and size. To come out on top in the rivalry matchup, the Roach-Proctor backcourt must use its experience from prior matchups with the Tar Heels.
Freshman firepower
Playing alongside Roach and Proctor, freshman guard Jared McCain has been a revelation for Duke this season, averaging a cool 13.4 points per game on 40.6% shooting from deep. While all-around shot making is a strength for the Blue Devils, McCain takes the lead as the primary option from behind the arc, especially in transition. In Saturday’s contest against North Carolina, most of the attention will be on the Filipowski-Bacot matchup; however, McCain must shine to keep up with the Tar Heels’ top-end offense.
Title
While the stakes are lofty in every instance of the Duke-North Carolina Rivalry, the ACC regular season title will be decided in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, as the Blue Devils currently sit one game behind the Tar Heels. Put simply, if Duke comes out on top, the title will be split, but if North Carolina leaves Durham victorious, the Tar Heels will be crowned the sole ACC regular season champion. With a title on the line, expect even more intensity in what will be an electric environment in Cameron Indoor Saturday evening.
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