Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Who has the mental edge going into this Carolina-Duke game?
Paolo Banchero, the freshman first pick in the 2022 NBA draft, was right in the middle of the Blue Blood rivalry in his one year at Duke. He did not have much to say after the Blue Devils spanked the Tar Heels, 87-67, at a hushed Smith Center on February 5, 2022, and he had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It was a different tune after Carolina stunned Duke in Coach K’s last home game, running away with the 94-81 victory over the last 12 minutes. Banchero made no secret of his desire to meet, and beat, the Heels in the ACC Tournament, but that never happened as Virginia Tech defeated UNC in the semifinals before upsetting Duke in the championship game.
Banchero and his teammates did get their shot at revenge in the Final Four, where Carolina bested the Blue Devils again in a much closer game that went down to the final minute. Banchero was spectacular with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the 81-77 loss.
Like most one-and-doners, Banchero turned his attention to the draft where Orlando tabbed him with the first pick. However, with the Magic playing at Charlotte the night after the first Duke-Carolina game this season, Banchero was at Cameron with several fellow pros including his current teammate Cole Anthony, the one-and-done Tar Heel from 2020.
After that game, which was not played as well as any of the three last year, Banchero said the 63-57 win gave him “closure.”
Whaaat? Whaaat? I guess if Leaky Black’s 3-pointer went in from the corner with 1:05 left and UNC down 59-57, closure would have had to wait.
So, the question looms, do Jon Scheyer’s almost all-new Blue Devils still have an old score to settle Saturday at the Dean Dome? Sure, a regular season sweep for the Dukies would even the series at three apiece over the last six meetings, but this one does give Duke the chance of knocking the archrival out of the NCAA Tournament. For them, that might be a real sense of vindication.
Carolina can only bruise the Blue Devils’ egos by winning the home rematch since Duke is already a lock for the Big Dance with a middling seed. But it just might keep Banchero from true closure even if the leader for NBA Rookie of the Year will have absolutely nothing to do with it.
This isn’t standard hype for the “greatest rivalry in college basketball” but still has ESPN’s Game Day setting up shop at the Smith Center at 10 a.m. Seven-plus hours before two “sort of soft” teams of different vintages decide which can be tougher, the experienced one or the one with more raw talent.
Featured image via Todd Melet
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines