Some things never change. While both programs win national titles, Duke is doing a far better job of developing NBA talent than North Carolina. The Blue Devils outperformed the Tar Heels in every way imaginable in Jeremy Woo's latest NBA mock draft for ESPN.com. Duke's two first-round picks are slated to come off the board before the UNC's top players do, even if it is by the slimmest of margins.
Woo has Duke forward Cameron Boozer going to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3 overall. This is one spot ahead of where he has North Carolina big man Caleb Wilson going to the Chicago Bulls at No. 4. Later on, Woo projected the Atlanta Hawks to take a flier on Duke guard Isaiah Evans at No. 23. He then has the NBA champion New York Knicks taking UNC center Henri Veesaar a pick later at No. 24.
Although no player from either school was taken in the second round of Woo's updated mock draft, there is a non-zero chance Duke forward Maliq Brown could go in the top-60. UNC does not appear to have a player to match Duke here. Even though Boozer and Evans only came off the board right before Wilson and Veesar, it just goes to show that when forced to make a choice, Duke comes first.
With what Jon Scheyer is building at his alma mater, look for this trend to continue moving forward.
Duke beats out UNC for first-round projections in latest NBA mock draft
While it remains to be seen if Boozer goes to Memphis and Evans to Atlanta, expect for these two Scheyer players to go firmly inside the top 30. This comes on the heels of him seeing Cooper Flagg and Kno Knueppel going in the lottery portion of last year's draft. UNC will have its own stars to send to the NBA, but Hubert Davis was not the recruiter or head coach his alma mater needed him to be.
Truth be told, having an NBA champion head coach in Michael Malone taking over in Chapel Hill could force UNC to up the ante soon. However, he is trying to figure out the college game on the fly after being in the association for so long. He is a savvy head coach, but UNC fans better hope it does not go the way of Bill Belichick at the college level. At least the Tar Heels do have baseball going for them.
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At this time, we have to appreciate the recent changes impacting college basketball's greatest rivalry. UNC has a new head coach, while Duke has put forth arguably its best portal class of all time. The next few years on the hardwood will be all about embracing change for both traditional powers. The one that adapts the best will win more. Right now, Duke seems to be much further ahead in the race.
Duke may be running laps on UNC's best pros, but Scheyer and his staff must continue to develop.
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