Game Preview: UNC vs. Duke

When the Duke Blue Devils arrive in Chapel Hill in the early afternoon on Saturday, the program will be without a loss to an ACC opponent for 364 days. Since a 77-71 loss at Clemson on February 8, 2025, Duke has won 20 straight games. Two of those 20 were against the Tar Heels.

In the 266th meeting between these teams, Saturday night’s game is the 88th ranked-vs-ranked game in the series. A third of the games between these programs have been between ranked squads, and it outpaces the next closest rivalry by 47 games.

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At time of writing, the Blue Devils are 5.5 to 6.5-point favorites. What will it take for Carolina to knock off fourth-ranked Duke?

Duke ranks in the top five nationally in both adjusted offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. From field goal percentage defense to scoring margin, the Blue Devils dominate both ends of the floor.

So far this season, both teams have played Kansas, Michigan State, Florida State, SMU, Wake Forest, Stanford, Cal, and Georgia Tech.

On the bright side, Carolina had a much more convincing win over Georgia Tech in the Thrillerdome than the six-point Duke win in Cameron Indoor, and the Seminoles put up much more of a fight against the Blue Devils than they did against the Tar Heels. But the big contrast was the West Coast swing in January. Duke convincingly beat Stanford and Cal by a combined +45 scoring margin, while UNC dropped both in embarrassing ways. The glaring issue was the Tar Heels’ perimeter defense, as Carolina allowed a combined 23 made three-pointers across those two losses.

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Setting aside the late letdown in the win over Syracuse, though, Carolina is playing some of their best basketball since the loss at Cal three weeks ago.

The focus on the game will be in the frontcourt, and for good reason. This game will boast two lottery picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is tied for second in the nation in scoring with 23.3 points per game and leads the ACC with 9.9 rebounds per…

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Publish date : 2026-02-06 16:00:00

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