MBB: Duke at UNC (Saturday 2/7, 6:30pm ET, ESPN) Pregame & In-Game Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Duke has won three of the last four times we've played in Chapel Hill.

Playing @ Chapel Hill, historically:

Duke is 3-2 in last 5;
Duke is 5-5 in last 10;
Duke is 8-7 in last 15;
Duke is 11-9 in last 20;
Duke is 14-11 in last 25;
Duke is 16-14 in last 30.

In even-numbered years only (@UNC is in the middle of the season; not the last game), Duke has won 10 of the last 13.

Historically, @ Chapel Hill in even-numbered years:

Duke is 3-2 in last 5;
Duke is 7-3 in last 10;
Duke is 10-5 in last 15.
 
3 thoughts...

1. I really hate these guys. That color of blue is disgusting and not allowed in my house. These games matter as much to me as a tournament game (I understand losing one there means the season is over. But regardless...). GTHC/ABC.

2. Their interior defense is very good this year. They have height. Points in the paint will not come nearly as easily as in the first half of the BC game. Saturday would be a good time for our outside shooting to have a great day.

3. Scheyer > Hubert.

9F
 
SkyBrickey said:
I'm expecting a tough game. Frontcourt v frontcourt. Strength v strength.

Caleb Wilson will be the most freakishly athletic player we've seen. He could bother Cam.

And Veesaar is shooting 46% from 3 and can punish us in the pick and pop if we continue to hedge ball screens. I'm surprised he's only shot 61 3s on the year at that percentage - poor coaching schemes.

I think we've got advantages 1-3 and I'm hoping that Foster and Sarr make life miserable for their guards. Would also be really nice to hit 35%+ from 3. If we lay another egg against this team, we could easily lose.
Click to expand...

I agree. Duke is going to get UNC's best shot. They should expect that at the minimum. If they don't bring it, Duke will lose. UNC can never be trusted. However, the Heels have not been that impressive. They are better than last year but not really stronger imo.
 
brevity said:
This winter has been unrelenting. UNC fans were freezing outside while they camped out for this game, so school officials set the Dean Dome on fire just to keep everyone warm.

Okay, maybe not. The 4th-ranked Duke Blue Devils (21-1, 10-0 ACC) take the short trip to Chapel Hill on Saturday to play the 14th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3 ACC) at the 21,750-seat Smith Center. The game tips off at 6:30pm ET, to watch or stream on ESPN (streaming link, listen, live stats).

www.espn.com

#4 Duke vs. #14 North Carolina 2/7/26 - Stream the Game Live - Watch ESPN

Stream the NCAA Men's Basketball Game #4 Duke vs. #14 North Carolina live from ESPN on Watch ESPN. Live stream on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Their bandwagon students and fans can familiarize themselves with the building on Saturday morning, when ESPN's College GameDay sets up shop to talk basketball.



UNC has an extra day to prepare for this game because they hosted Syracuse on Monday (87-77: recap, box score, highlights, presser). The Heels had a 32-point lead with 9:56 left, but the Orange chipped away at that lead, and were only down by 6 with 42 seconds remaining. Carolina hit 4 free throws to hold on.



Reporter: "Hubert, there have been times in the past where, in the game before the Duke game you guys lost... Do you feel like maybe in the second half, when Syracuse started to cut the lead down, your guys maybe started looking ahead a little bit to this weekend?"

Coach Davis: "Well, I mean, you'd have to ask them. My answer would be no. I've not mentioned who we're playing on Saturday to them one time. You know, I've been specific with you guys all the time... Was it Proverbs 4:25? 'Keep your eyes straight ahead.' Ignore all sideshow distractions. And so your focus should be real on what's in front of you, and what was real in front of us was a very good Syracuse team."

Well, now both teams are free to use their undivided focus on each other. I'll have more to say about the Tar Heels later. Discuss Saturday's game here.
Click to expand...
Up 32 and won by 6 huh.. That is interesting but not surprising. I changed the channel when they went up 20 and Syracuse was shooting horribly consistently. Not gonna cut it against Duke.
 
pat0125 said:
Up 32 and won by 6 huh.. That is interesting but not surprising. I changed the channel when went up 20 and Syracuse was shooting horribly consistently. Not gonna cut it against Duke.
Click to expand...
They won by 10 in the end. Syracuse cut it to 6 with under a minute, I believe.
 
Someone mentioned that Duke will get unc’s best shot. That is very true. The crowd will be rabid and don’t be surprised if they come out guns a’blazin’ and jump to a quick lead. If Duke just weathers the first 5 or 6 minutes, has their defense settled and make smart plays on offense, I think we will be OK. We just can’t get Cam and Big Oat in early foul trouble. It wouldn’t hurt if we get Wilson or Veesaar in some foul trouble themselves. This should be another wild one!
 
stals said:
Maybe. We’ll see.
Click to expand...
How will we guard Wilson? Positionally it makes sense it's Cam all night. But if Cam is struggling on him, picking up some early fouls, then I think Maliq and Nik are very capable of guarding him.

It's possible that when Maliq and Cam are on the court together, Jon does go with Maliq on Wilson and Cam on Veesaar. Let Maliq pick the youngster's pocket a few times...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top