Know Your Opponent: Duke

By Matt Bowers

Duke Blue Devils (GoDuke.com)
Location: Durham, N.C.
Rankings: No. 6 KenPom, No. 12 AP
Record: 24-6, 14-5 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 6 NET, No. 26 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads, 139-113 (Duke 98, UNC 96 in OT on Feb. 8, 2020, in Chapel Hill)

Earlier this season, Duke captured one of the most memorable installments in college basketball's best rivalry when it won in the Smith Center on a buzzer-beating putback by Wendell Moore.

The Blue Devils beat the Tar Heels in that overtime heartbreaker a month ago, hitting buzzer-beaters at the end of regulation and overtime to overcome a 13-point UNC lead in the final four minutes of the second half.

Prior to that comeback, Carolina played one of its better games of the year in building a double-digit lead but couldn't come up with key defensive stops and missed 17 of 38 free throws. With UNC riding a three-game winning streak, there is reason to believe

Duke has fallen out of the Associated Press top 10 after losing three of its last five games, but it very certainly remains among the contenders for the national championship. Before losing back-to-back games to Wake Forest and Virginia, the Blue Devils won seven in a row. They already have earned a double bye in next week's ACC Tournament and enter this weekend with a 14-5 conference record, tied for third place with Virginia. Florida State and Louisville sit atop the standings at 15-4.

Vernon Carey Jr. remains a leading candidate for ACC Player of the Year and All-America honors. He averages 28.4 points per 40 minutes, third-best in the nation among major conference players. His field goal percentage of .577 leads the ACC, and he is the only player to rank in the top 10 in the ACC in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (8.7 rpg), field goal percentage and blocked shots (48).

Tre Jones joins Carey on the 20-player, late-season watch list for the Wooden Award and is one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. He also is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and is

Jones hit the runner at the buzzer of regulation a month ago that forced overtime, and he outscored the entire Carolina team, 18-15, in the final minute of the second half and all of overtime.

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