*** The Official Duke @ UNC Thread ***

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This is lining up to be a good one. College sports best rivalry resumes again Tuesday night at 9pm as #2 Duke travels 8 miles to take on arch rival UNC.

Roy Williams and his squad come into the game riding a 3 game win streak (Arizona, Maryland, Clemson) and an impressive 14-5 record after losing 4 players to the top 14 picks in the draft and, overall, their top 7 scorers from last year's national champion team (UNC's 5th NCAA title). The Heels sit solo 4th in the ACC standings.

Coach K only has one loss on the docket this season and has two potential All-Americans on his roster. Duke remains undefeated in conference player after a controversial OT victory at home over the weekend against FSU.

The game, surprisingly enough, pits two freshmen PGs against each other as ACC leading assist man Bobby Frasor and H.S. two sport star Greg Paulus match up. However, Frasor will more than likely be guarding Dockery while Wes Miller should check Paulus.

Other potential match-ups include current All-American Sheldon "The Landlord" Williams taking on future All-American Tyler Hansbrough - the runaway winner of ACC freshman of the year and likely 1st team All-ACC member. Reyshawn Terry will probably guard freshmen Josh McRoberts who has had mixed results this season.

The key match-up will be David Noel against J.J. Redick. Last year Noel and Jackie Manuel did an excellent job in the two games of containing Redick. He shot 36% from the field and 42% from 3-PT range in those two games for a grand total of 35 points. Look for Marcus Ginyard, part of UNC's excellent freshmen class, to spell Noel and guard Redick as well.

Last year in the Dean Dome it was #2 UNC facing #6 Duke in what turned into an Instant Classic. Duke held a 9 point lead with 3 minutes left and had a strangle hold on the game. Then Coach K and his squad brokedown, missed FTs, and choked away the game as UNC scored the game's final 11 points, punctuated by Marvin Williams 3-pt play with 17 seconds left, to win 75-73 and set off a celebration on Franklin St. that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

The game is going to fierce, both teams will play with passion, and all the nation will be watching not only college sport's best rivalry but also one of the best sporting events year in and year out.

[highlife]

Please tell me they are bringing in some Big 12 refs or at least PAC 10. Yes Duke has the better team this year but the Heels have no shot if this game is close down the stretch.

[MyTurn2Raise]

I doubt you'll see UNC screwed at home...did you not watch how badly even the Dookies got screwed at UNC last year? That game was a joke

[MyTurn2Raise]

observation:

It wouldn't surprise me if Roy "Whiny ass" Williams has set-up the Dook bias in the media the last week to ensure his team doesn't get the short-hand of the officiating ala the 2001 NCAA tourney.

[Aces McGee]

Dude, we get it. You think the refs favor ACC schools, Duke and North Carolina in particular.

Find something else to do for the rest of the afternoon, please. Let's try and keep at least one basketball thread about actual basketball.

-McGee

[MyTurn2Raise]

that is actual basketball...it's the *key* factor in over half of the games played

It was the biggest factor in last year's Duke @ UNC game, so to ignore it would be awful

BTW-I think refs favor traditional powers and home teams in particular

[Clarkmeister]

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College sports best rivalry

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It's certainly up there, but I'll take Auburn-Bama. The great football rivalries are by their very nature greater than the great hoops rivalries.

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
College sports best rivalry

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It's certainly up there, but I'll take Auburn-Bama. The great football rivalries are by their very nature greater than the great hoops rivalries.

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Some cool facts about the UNC/dook rivalry (not refuting what you say, thought I'd share these):

THE SERIES VS. DUKE


Carolina leads the all-time series with Duke, 124-95.

Overall, Duke has won 15 of the last 18 games in the series.

Carolina and Duke have met 58 times when both teams were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

Carolina is 31-30 against Mike Krzyzewski-coached Duke teams.

This is the 120th consecutive meeting in which at least one school has been ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25. The last time Carolina and Duke met when neither team was ranked by the Associated Press was on Feb. 27, 1960. Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas coached the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, respectively, at the time.

This is the 140th meeting between the two schools since the ACC began play in 1953-54 and the 137th time at least one of those teams was ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25 (the only games in which both teams were not ranked were in 1955 and 1960).

Carolina and Duke have accounted for 30 of the ACC's 52 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championships.

Carolina has won the ACC regular-season title 24 times, including in 2004-05. The Blue Devils are second with 17 regular-season crowns.

This Final Four stat is sick and says a lot about the rivalry. You will often find either UNC or dook in a Final Four.
Either Carolina or Duke have played in the NCAA Final Four in 19 of the last 25 seasons (Carolina in 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2005).


Carolina has played in an NCAA-record 16 Final Fours. Duke has played in 14 Final Fours.

Sports Illustrated on Campus named the Carolina-Duke rivalry the No. 1 "Hottest Rivalry" in college basketball and the No. 2 rivalry overall in its Nov. 18, 2003 issue.

[DukeSucks]

from the dth [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
(it's blurry, but you get the idea)

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –-- It goes against nearly every basketball principle Dean Smith ever taught, that ultimate success or failure should rest so heavily on one player’s shoulders. Yet, such is the case with Duke and its senior sharpshooter, J.J. Redick.

And that’s not the only difference in philosophy between North Carolina and Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.
Traditionally, the Tar Heels (14-5, 5-3 ACC) would rather look inside first, strive to shoot 60 percent from the post and pick up as many offensive rebounds and stick-back baskets as possible. But in many cases, the Blue Devils (21-1, 9-0) would rather shoot 40 percent from three-point range, which often makes for long rebounds, helps negate size inside and, you guessed it, more opportunities at three-point shots.

The numerous differences between the policies of the two regimes can be discussed ad infinitum, but when Duke and Carolina hook up Tuesday at 9 p.m. in the Smith Center, UNC’s toughest challenge defensively will be trying to slow down the nation’s finest outside shooter.

Redick, ranked second nationally in scoring, is averaging 28.1 points per game, including three games in which he’s scored 40 or more points, and seven more with 30-plus. Redick’s 85 treys are one more than his team has allowed this season.

He’s no gunner mind you; Redick is making good on 50 percent of all his shots, 44 percent from three-point range, and 87 percent from the free throw line this season. However, he’s not in there for his defensive prowess either.

“I can’t remember anybody in my time of college basketball averaging 27-28 a game,” Roy Williams said. “To do it on a top quality team, especially when defenses are aimed to stop you… Every year there's somebody that leads the country averaging 27-28 a game, but his team is usually not very good. For J.J. to shoot the ball as effectively as he has with the other team's defense aimed at him is about as impressive as it can be.”

Jackie Manuel, who took part in UNC’s Monday afternoon practice, knew a little about guarding Redick, and was on hand to provide his insight especially to Bobby Frasor, Wes Miller, Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green – all of whom are sure to see significant action for the first time in this storied rivalry. It’s freshman Tyler Hansbrough’s first time around in this series as well, and his battle in the paint with Shelden “The Landlord” Williams provides for another thrilling subplot.

In his Senior Game, Manuel, with help from Noel, shutout Duke’s prolific shooter in the second half, enabling the Tar Heels to gut out a 75-73 victory the last time these two teams met.

This year the Tar Heels may try to combat Redick with a little each from Frasor, Miller, Ginyard, Green and/or Reyshawn Terry, at least until Williams can find the best match-up and then stick to it. Noel won’t be able to help much this year since he’ll have his hands full in giving up four inches of height to Duke freshman Josh McRoberts.

“Hopefully we won't have to use that many guys to guard [Redick],” Green said. “I think we'll do a good job on him. We've been practicing chasing guys through screens and just finding the shooter.”

Frasor kept Arizona's 6-4, 220-pound super-athletic Hassan Adams in check for an ineffective 12 points and held Maryland’s D.J. Strawberry scoreless in the second half last Thursday at College Park.

“Obviously everyone knows J.J. is a great scorer,” Ginyard said. “All the guys who will have a shot at him tomorrow have to fight their best to be all over him, challenge every shot and just make him as uncomfortable as possible. He’s going to knock down some tough shots, but you've just got to stick with it.”

Ginyard started the first 14 games due to his defensive effectiveness. And when he began to fall off a bit, Miller stepped right in not just because of his three-point shooting, but because he was playing solid defense in the backcourt. Terry, who’s beginning to fulfill preseason expectations offensively, has also gained his coach’s favor of late due to his on the ball stopping power.

“I think Reyshawn’s worked extremely hard to try to become a better player, and I think he’s going to be a big-time defensive player,” Williams said following UNC’s 71-64 win over Clemson on Saturday.

And while the Tar Heel head coach has a roster filled with inexperience, the most impressive aspect of his young team has been their defensive intensity, which bodes well for a matchup like tonight’s showdown.

“They’ve really bought into the defensive end of the floor and bought into playing with an energy level and passion that’s really impressive to me,” Williams said.