The big one…

So in my first attempt in blogging, I thought I would breakdown what will surely be the one thing that will divide North Carolina more than anything over the next few weeks. Democrat or Republican, Hilary or Obama???? No I am talking about the greatest rivalry in college basketball Duke vs. UNC!
If anything I am a Duke fan but I think (of course we all do) that I can be non biased in looking at this matchup between two top 5 teams.
I ‘ll start with UNC. Certainly there is no doubt that Tyler Hansbrough is statistically the best big man in the conference and one of the top 3(if not the top) in the nation. No I do not like him but stats are stats and his 22 point/10 rebound average backs it up. Throw in Ty Lawson, who may be the quickest point guard in the ACC, and the improving play of Wayne Ellington and there is a dangerous 3 some. Though Carolina can run as well as anyone, I think it would be to their advantage to slow it down. Make Duke play half court and pound it inside to the big guy. It is no secret the best interior player at Duke is……. well…. there is none. yeah I know Zoubek may be back for this game but he is only a big body with 5 fouls. With the size skill and ability Carolina brings inside the paint could be the Tarheels playground.
As far as the Blue Devils go, much has been made of the team play in Durham this year. With 4 players averaging double digits (Demarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, and Jon Scheyer) and 2 others knocking at the door, this may be the most balanced team offensively Duke has seen in a while. Alot of Duke’s success will be based on how well they are shooting from the outside and what type of pressure they can maintain on the Carolina backcourt. In the Maryland win, Duke was able to over come a 50+% field goal percentage by forcing 22 turnovers. While I certainly do not think Lawson and crew will come anywhere close to throwing it away 20 times, constant pressure will be a must for Duke.
I also think that depth could play a factor. As I said before, Duke does not have a real big guy but what they do have is a bench going 8 or 9 deep. Not only is it fresh legs on the floor but it is without a tremendous drop in talent.
Bottom line in this matchup is this. Certainly playing in the Dean Dome is advantge for the Heels but anyone that has watched this matchup knows when the game tips off it is anybody’s ballgame. With two of the best coaches in the country leading the way, it should be a great game to watch!