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The Duke Blue Devils will take on their conference rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, on Saturday night in a highly anticipated NCAA College basketball matchup.
The Duke vs North Carolina rivalry is considered to be the biggest conference rivalry in all sports. The Tar Heels currently control the historical record going back to the 1949-50 season, with 98 wins and 86 losses. However, the Blue Devils have won the last three matchups.
The Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels will be making the wrong kind of history during their game on Saturday. It will be the first time both teams are absent from the AP Top-25 Poll since 1960, the year Muhammad Ali won the light-heavyweight gold medal at Summer Olympics.
Match Details
Fixture: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Duke Blue Devils - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, February 6, 2021, 6 PM ET
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels Preview
The North Carolina Tar Heels seem to have more questions than answers this year, as they are currently 5th in the ACC standings.
If the Tar Heels are to defeat their conference rivals on Saturday night, they will need to take better care of the basketball. In their most recent game against the Clemson Tigers, they lost 63-50 and recorded 17 turnovers.
The game will most likely be played faster against the Duke Blue Devils, so they will need to ensure they can limit their turnovers, as there will be a higher count of possessions.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will also need to get back to what they do best. They are currently ranked second in the nation for offensive rebounds.
On average, they bring down 40% of their missed shots via newsobserver.com. However, against the Tigers, they collected a season-low seven rebounds, which was only 25% of their missed shots.
Key Player - Armando Bacot
The key player for the North Carolina Tar Heels is sophomore forward Armando Bacot. He is averaging a team-leading 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds on 65% shooting.
However, in the previous game, Bacot scored just one point and only attempted one field goal in his 19 minutes played.
Bacot will need to be more aggressive and should regain confidence in his jump shot against the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.
North Carolina Tar Heels Predicted Lineup
F Garrison Brooks, F Armando Bacot, G Leaky Black, G Caleb Love, G Kerwin Walton
Duke Blue Devils Preview
The Duke Blue Devils have struggled to shoot from three all season. As a team, they are converting on just 32.7% of their attempts from behind the arc.
If the Blue Devils are to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, they will need to avoid shooting threes and play downhill basketball. They will have to gain their advantage in the paint and look to get to the free-throw line.
As a team, the Duke Blue Devils are shooting 71.4% from the charity stripe but, according to Kenpom.com, they are only earning 14.7% of their points on free-throws, 3.7% lower than the Division I average.
Key Player - Grant Sherfield
The most consistent player on the Duke Blue Devils' offense thus far has been senior guard Matthew Hurt.
Averaging a team-leading 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 53.2% shooting, Hurt's play this season currently has him projected to be a second-round draft pick in the NBA.
Matthew Hurt will need to have a big game to help his team earn a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels and shake up the ACC standings.
Duke Blue Devils Predicted Lineup
F Jordan Goldwire, F DJ Steward, C Matthew Hurt, G Wendell Moore Jr., G Jalen Johnson
North Carolina vs Duke Prediction
This is one of the biggest spectacles in college basketball, so we expect both teams to battle from the opening tip to the final whistle.
The Duke Blue Devils are current favorites to win the game, according to ESPN power index ratings, but if the Tar Heels can control the rebounding battle, they will gain an edge and pull off an upset.
The player matchup that will have an outcome on the game is Matthew Hurt vs Armando Bacot.
Where to watch North Carolina vs Duke
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
