UNC/Duke Preview

It has been a huge game for decades - but this year's version of college basketball's best rivalry should bring us one of the best matchups in years. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have been playing excellent basketball recently. Duke started off the year as the #1 team, lost one of their best players, and still has managed a 21-2 record. North Carolina started off the season with not terribly high expectations. But they have really turned it on, and have now compiled a 7-1 conference record.

So let's take a look at the matchup:

Duke can beat you many different ways. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler came into the year with a lot of experience and loads of potential. They have been terrific, combining for 39 points per game. But it's much more than them: Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry can light it up from the bench. The Plumlee brothers provide the Devils with some inside presence. And Ryan Kelly has been a pleasant surprise. As has been the case for many years, Duke is reliant heavily on the 3. Dawkins, Curry and Kelly are all shooting at least 41% from 3-point land. Singler and Smith aren't bad either.

North Carolina has had a lot of change over the past 12 months,

culminating in last week's decision by Larry Drew II to leave the program. Truth be told, Drew wasn't the best point guard UNC has ever had, and they might be better without him. It's no coincidence that their improvement has come at the same time that much heralded freshman Harrison Barnes started scoring in bunches. Barnes has a great shooting touch for a forward, and if he can stop forcing it as much as he does he could be a superstar. John Henson is a freakish athlete who can be a shooter but has an even bigger impact on the defensive end. Kendall Marshall only scores 4.5 points per game but is a great distributor and a catalyst for the team.

So what separates these two teams? Honestly, probably the venue the game is being played in. Duke hasn't even come close to losing a game at Cameron over the last two years. It's almost impossible to keep them from going on one of those patented Duke runs, where they score 10 points in a row over a minute. That being said, North Carolina has a chance. If I were the Heels, I would focus on guarding the 3. Let Henson guard the post - he can handle the Plumlees. If you can get out and make Duke put up quick shots, you can win.

If I were Duke, I would focus on ball movement. Make the extra pass and force Carolina to defend you all over the court. Don't take quick shots. And on defense, I would force the Heels to make shots from the outside. Double Barnes if you need to, double Tyler Zeller if you need to, and leave guys like Marshall and Leslie McDonald open. They have had some good outside shooting games, but the majority of the time they do most of their damage on the inside.

My prediction: Duke wins a close one, 77-72.