University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Duke
March 4, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Duke (GoDuke.com)
Location: Durham, N.C.
Rankings: DU - No. 16 KenPom, No. 17 AP; UNC - No. 4 KenPom, No. 5 AP
Records: DU - 23-7, 11-6 ACC; UNC - 25-6, 13-4 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 134-109 (Duke 86, UNC 78, Feb. 9, 2017, Cameron Indoor Stadium)
Know Your Opponent: Duke - Feb. 9, 2017
Duke's win over Carolina on Feb. 9 was the midpoint of a surge that saw the Blue Devils win seven straight and briefly threaten the top of the ACC standings. But back-to-back road losses at Syracuse and Miami slowed them enough to allow the Tar Heels to clinch an outright league title prior to Saturday's season finale.
The story down the stretch for Duke has been the health of Grayson Allen and Amile Jefferson. While Jefferson is coming off of one of his best outings of the year against FSU, Allen was limited to just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting in the loss at Syracuse before missing the Miami loss. He then played a season-low 16 minutes and scored just two points in Tuesday's win over the Seminoles, but Mike Krzyzewski said this week that everyone - including Allen - is ready for Saturday.
Luke Kennard has continued to play like one of the best scoring guards in the nation, and his 47.7 percent shooting from deep is fourth-best in the ACC. He's also one of three Blue Devils who rank in the top 12 in the league from the foul line, joining Allen and ACC Rookie of the Year candidate Jayson Tatum. Tatum, of course, had his coming out party against Carolina in the first meeting, and his 28 and 8 game at Virginia on Feb. 15 was one of the signature performances of the season for Duke.
While the stakes are always high for UNC-Duke, Saturday's showdown (and other league results during the day) will have a big impact on the Blue Devils' seeding for the ACC Tournament. With a victory, Coach K's club could finish as high as No. 3 and earn a coveted double bye in Brooklyn. Lose to the Tar Heels, however, and Duke could dip as low as No. 7.
