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Three Keys for Duke Basketball in Tobacco Road Rivalry Game

By Chris Brown

Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard (5) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) in the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard (5) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) in the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here are our three keys for Duke Basketball to earn a victory in today’s matchup against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels.

Duke will take on North Carolina this evening in a Top 25 rivalry game. The Blue Devils are currently on a three-game winning streak, and here are three things that Duke must do well in order to upset the 8th-ranked Tar Heels.

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1. Rebound

The Tar Heels have excelled on the boards so far this season averaging approximately 45 rebounds per game. They are led by senior center Kennedy Meeks who records 9.6 rebounds per game. This will be even more crucial since Duke switched to using a smaller lineup moving Jayson Tatum to power forward. Duke Basketball will need Amile Jefferson, Jayson Tatum, and Harry Giles to make an impact by giving the Blue Devils more possessions and preventing the UNC bigs from dominating on the boards.

2. Ball Movement

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The Blue Devils have shown improvement in their ball movement on offense during their current winning streak. Duke struggles when they do not share the ball and isolate on offense, leading to recent losses to Florida State, Louisville, and NC State. Grayson Allen leads the team in assists with 4.0 per game and Frank Jackson has also excelled recently at point guard for the Blue Devils. Duke will need Allen to excel as a scorer as well as a playmaker and Jackson to facilitate in order to win over the Tar Heels.

3. Limit Mistakes

The North Carolina roster is full of talented and experienced players coming off a national championship appearance last year. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have many a young players and have not had the consistent play throughout the season due to injuries, Grayson Allen’s suspension, and Coach K’s absence. Duke will need to limit turnovers and mistakes against the Tar Heels, who will be looking to take advantage of Duke’s mental errors.

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Duke Basketball will host the North Carolina Tar Heels this evening at 8:00pm. The highly-anticipated rivalry game will be televised on ESPN. The Blue Devils are still in the running to win the regular season conference title after a rocky start but will need a win tonight against ACC-leading UNC to have a chance. Let’s Go Duke!

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