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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 01 North Carolina at Louisville

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

 

Saturday night the greatest rivalry in sports renews itself, as Duke will visit UNC, for the final time under Coach K. Duke enters the month ranked team in the country, the lone ACC squad to appear in the AP top 25, as they sit atop of the conference. The Tar Heels have had an up and down season under first-year head coach, Hubert Davis, but have won four in a row, and currently sit second in the league. Of their 16 wins, they’ve yet to beat a team that qualifies as a “Quad 1” win, which is why despite their 16-6 overall record, and 8-3 mark in league play, they are sitting on the 11 line, for the NCAA Tournament. A win over Duke would solidify Carolina’s NCAA Tournament standing, and vault them atop of the ACC. During this winning streak, Carolina has won games in a variety of different ways, raising the question, of if this team has turned the corner. Brendan Marks, Duke and North Carolina reporter for The Athletic joined the Nick Wilson Show earlier today on WFNZ, to answer just that:

 

“I don’t think we can say that UNC has turned the corner, I do think they are learning some things about itself. It all comes down to Saturday, it comes down to these big games, and beating someone that is actually a good team. You have to beat teams that are going to make the NCAA Tournament. I can’t underscore enough how important this game is”

 

As if Carolina needed any extra motivation to take down their rivals, as their legendary nemesis makes one last trip to the Smith Center, a win over Duke, would have people believing again in the Tar Heels.