The Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels will add another chapter to their storied rivalry when they collide for the first time this year on Friday, 9 p.m. EST, at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
The highly-anticipated showdown between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels were originally scheduled on February 12, but team officials were forced to cancel the match due to bad weather.
Both teams were determined to push through with the scheduled showdown, but the storm that paralyzed main roads prevented Duke not only from making their way to Chapel Hill, but it also completely prevented them from boarding their team bus.
But now that the weather has been favorable over the past several days, the stage is set for another classic showdown between two of the biggest rivals in all sports.
The fifth-seeded Blue Devils have been playing well as of late, winning in nine of their last 10 games with their only loss coming against Syracuse, absorbing a 91-89 loss to the Orange on February 1st at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Duke has racked up four-straight victories since that defeat, including a 69-67 win over Maryland and 68-51 win over Georgia Tech last week.
Freshman forward Jabari Parker has been filling up the stat sheets, averaging 22.3 points and 11.5 rebounds over that span.
The Tar Heels, on the other hand, have been hot as well over the past four weeks. They are currently riding on a seven-game winning streak, including a 75-71 victory over then-25th-ranked Pittsburgh on Saturday.
North Carolina sophomore guard Marcus Paige, who leads the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game, believes that their win against the Panthers could be a start of something special for the team moving forward, but he remains cautious about their upcoming showdown with their long-time rivals.
"The Pitt game was a big game for us. We thought we really got better that game. We're a little more confident, but I know they've been playing well, too," Paige said.
Betting Odds, Live Stream, TV Schedule
As expected, the Blue Devils are favored on Tuesday as they are listed as a two-point favorite, while the total is currently set at 149.5 points.
The Duke-UNC showdown will be broadcasted live by ESPN starting 9 p.m. EST. Fans can also catch the action via live stream through ESPN Watch.
