All UNC coach Hubert Davis needs to know about rivalry games, he learned from his bible.
“Was it Proverbs 4:25?” he asked after UNC nearly blew a 30-point lead over Syracuse in the game before this season’s first meeting with Duke. “Keep your eyes straight ahead. Ignore all sideshow distractions.”
The best rivalry in college basketball is here, with all the sideshow distractions it usually brings. ESPN’s crew will be arriving in Chapel Hill, along with College Gameday, and the attention of the college basketball world turns to the eight-mile stretch between Chapel Hill and Durham.
Then, Saturday night, after all the buildup, the breathless coverage, the celebrity guests in the stands, the water-cooler arguments and wagers, two teams in blue will take the court. And if history is any guide, they’ll live up to the impossible expectations. Again.
“Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.”—Deuteronomy 20:1-4
Two weeks ago, Davis was supposedly on the hot seat after a winless West Coast trip against Cal and Stanford. It didn’t help that Duke went on the same trip, returning with a pair of fairly easy wins.
Since then, UNC has won four straight—blowouts of Notre Dame and at Georgia Tech, a signature win at Virginia, and the blowout-turned-nail-biter against Syracuse. Up until the final stretch against the Orange, it appeared the Tar Heels were peaking at just the right time.
That would be good for the folks in light blue, because Duke has been stringing together lopsided wins. The Blue Devils have won nine straight, and the last five haven’t been close, despite a challenging schedule: 71-56 at Cal, a Quad I game, 80-50 at Stanford, 90-69 over Wake Forest, 83-52 over Louisville, another Quad I, and 72-58 at Virginia Tech, yet another Quad I. Duke had a trap game of its own, against Boston College, Tuesday night, after press time.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”—1 Peter 5:8
As usual, Duke has plenty of weapons at its disposal.
““I don’t care what we do as coaches, if you don’t have guys that take pride in being coached, if they don’t want to grow as players, I don’t care what we do,” coach Jon Scheyer said. “I think it starts there. We have the right people in the room. We have the right people. We get a chance to coach them.”
Cameron Boozer is a top-five NBA draft pick who is the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year. He can score inside and out. He has help in the paint from sophomore Patrick Ngongba and senior Maliq Brown. On the outside, Isaiah Evans is a three-point threat, as is Boozer himself. And Duke has guards Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer distributing the ball.
Duke has a suffocating defense that can force turnovers and spark the break, as well as an explosive offense. The Blue Devils will be favored on the road at Chapel Hill.
“Take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”—Ephesians 6:12
The Heels have struggled with consistency at times—the Syracuse roller coaster was in many ways a microcosm of their season. However, freshman Caleb Wilson has helped anchor the team, making sure it doesn’t sink too low during bad times. Wilson leads the team in scoring and the conference in rebounding. He’s flanked by seven-footer Henri Veesar, who is also a double-double threat. Former European pro Luka Bogavac offers an outside threat, and veteran Seth Trimble is a leader and defensive presence. The team has also seen freshman Derek Dixon and transfer Jarin Stevenson develop over the recent winning streak.
“Brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.”—Isaiah 19:2
Wilson and the Boozer twins were actually AAU teammates on one of the more dominant high-school summer teams in recent memory.
“We were in the Peach Jam together, and we really just ran through the field,” Wilson said. “It’ll be fun to play against those guys. It should be a really good game.”
That would put it alongside dozens of other games in the long history of the rivalry.
“One of the reasons I came here was to play that game,” Wilson said. “It’s the biggest stage in college basketball. (Teammates told me) it’ll be a crazed environment, like the biggest game of your life. I just think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”—James 1:2-3
