Being a UNC grad, the battle between North Carolina and Duke is obviously a huge game. At the beginning of the season it appeared the Tar Heels were the much better team, but as usual Duke has improved drastically while UNC has teetered up and down all year.
This week's matchup is much scarier than I was hoping it would be, and there are several keys to UNC putting an end to Duke's 3-game win streak in the series.
1. Limit Brandon Ingram's touches
Ingram has raised his game consistently all season, and at this point he's a clear top-5 pick in this year's NBA draft. Once he catches it he's nearly impossible to stop, so the Heels must keep one of the best defenders all over him at all times. Play him extremely physically and try to wear him down.
2. Force Grayson Allen left and don't foul him
Time and time again, teams allow Grayson Allen to drive to his right. He tries to go that way almost every time, and he's far more effective using his dominant hand. This should be obvious and the first thing everyone looks for as a defender, but somehow teams rarely force him to his left. No matter which way he's going, don't foul him! Force him to take a tough shot and live with the results. Free throws are way too easy and help him get into a shooting rhythm.
3. Run Matt Jones off the 3-point line
Make him do anything else. Don't help off of him, he's deadly from 3-point range but can't do much else.
4. Get Marshall Plumlee in foul trouble
I never thought I'd say this, but Marshall Plumlee makes Duke better. A whole lot better. When he goes out of the lineup Duke has nothing inside, and the Tar Heels will be free to completely dominate around the rim. This super-hyper-active player will likely be out-of-his-mind early in the game, and he'll certainly provide several opportunities to draw obvious fouls. His incredibly aggressive style makes him an absolute terror on the boards and on defense, and Duke has no chance if he spends most of the game on the bench. Use pump fakes and block out. Look for Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks down low, and Meeks too if he's going to be aggressive.
5. Push the tempo and expose their lack of depth
This one I'm not too worried about. If there's one thing Roy Williams gets his teams to do, it's push the tempo. At times this seems to be his only strategy, but in this game it will be especially important. I would employ a full-court press for large portions of the game, taking advantage of Duke's inexperience at the point guard position along with their short bench. Duke played 5 guys more than 34 minutes last game against Virginia, while Luke Kennard was really the only player to get minutes off the bench with 12. Duke couldn't win this game with 6 players if Carolina pressed all game. No chance. However, I don't expect it to happen. Surprise me Roy.
Kansas reclaims the #1 ranking, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot at this point. No one is a clear favorite to win the championship, and plenty of teams have a legit chance to take down the title. Kentucky has once again joined the conversation, and this week should give us an even better idea of who the true contenders really are.
| 2016 Team Rankings |
Games Seen | Last | |
| 1 | Kansas | 10 | 02/13/16 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 8 | 02/13/16 |
| 3 | Villanova | 4 | 01/24/16 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 9 | 02/13/16 |
| 5 | UNC | 17 | 02/14/16 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 5 | 01/20/16 |
| 7 | Xavier | 9 | 02/13/16 |
| 8 | Michigan St. | 6 | 01/23/16 |
| 9 | Virginia | 7 | 02/15/16 |
| 10 | Maryland | 8 | 02/13/16 |
| 11 | Iowa | 8 | 02/11/16 |
| 12 | Notre Dame | 4 | 02/13/16 |
| 13 | Miami | 9 | 02/14/16 |
| 14 | Duke | 11 | 02/13/16 |
| 15 | Louisville | 9 | 02/13/16 |
| 16 | Texas | 4 | 02/13/16 |
| 17 | Iowa St. | 6 | 02/13/16 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 5 | 02/13/16 |
| 19 | Indiana | 7 | 02/11/16 |
| 20 | Purdue | 5 | 02/13/16 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 9 | 02/11/16 |
| 22 | USC | 3 | 02/14/16 |
| 23 | Arizona | 8 | 02/14/16 |
| 24 | LSU | 9 | 02/13/16 |
| 25 | Utah | 8 | 01/27/16 |
| 26 | California | 7 | 01/27/16 |
| 27 | UCONN | 6 | 02/13/16 |
| 28 | SMU | 4 | 02/13/16 |
| 29 | Michigan | 7 | 02/13/16 |
| 30 | Oregon | 4 | 01/23/16 |
| 31 | Baylor | 4 | 01/23/16 |
| 32 | Texas A&M | 4 | 02/13/16 |
| 33 | Dayton | 7 | 02/12/16 |
| 34 | VCU | 2 | 11/22/15 |
| 35 | Providence | 9 | 02/13/16 |
| 36 | Clemson | 2 | 01/27/16 |
| 37 | Wichita St. |
4 | 02/13/16 |
| 38 | Temple | 5 | 01/02/16 |
| 39 | Cincinnati | 3 | 01/28/16 |
| 40 | St. Joseph's | ||
| 41 | Gonzaga | 6 | 02/13/16 |
| 42 | South Carolina | 2 | 02/13/16 |
| 43 | Florida | 4 | 01/26/16 |
| 44 | Vanderbilt | 6 | 01/26/16 |
| 45 | Florida St. | 7 | 02/14/16 |
| 46 | Seton Hall | 1 | 11/13/15 |
| 47 | Colorado | 2 | 11/17/15 |
| 48 | Louisiana Tech | 2 | 02/13/16 |
| 49 | San Diego St. | 3 | 11/27/15 |
| 50 | Creighton | 4 | 02/13/16 |
| On the Radar | |||
| Butler | 5 | 02/13/16 | |
| UAB | 1 | 02/13/16 | |
| Kansas St. | 2 | 01/20/16 | |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 02/14/16 | |
| Tulsa | 4 | 02/13/16 | |
| Georgetown | 7 | 02/13/16 | |
| Alabama | 1 | 11/17/15 | |
| Stanford | 2 | 01/06/16 | |
| UCLA | 7 | 02/12/16 | |
| Marquette | 7 | 02/13/16 | |
| Oregon St. | 3 | 01/17/16 | |
| Georgia Tech | 2 | 01/23/16 | |
| Boise St. | 3 | 01/27/16 | |
| Hawaii | |||
| Monmouth | 2 | 11/27/15 | |
| Arkansas LR | |||
| Stony Brook | 1 | 12/08/15 | |
| Valpo | 1 | 11/17/15 | |
| BYU | 2 | 01/14/16 | |
| Ohio St. | 4 | 01/10/16 | |
| Texas Tech | 1 | 11/19/16 | |
| Oklahoma St. | 2 | 01/19/16 | |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 02/12/16 | |
| Oakland | 1 | 12/30/16 | |
| St. Bonaventure | 1 | 11/17/15 | |
| St. Mary's |
