Wednesday marks the rekindling of one of the best rivalries in all of sports.

For the 241st time in history, UNC and Duke will face off in the most-heated rivalry in college basketball.

Carolina holds a 133-107 all-time lead in the previous 240 matchups.

But if the fifth-ranked Tar Heels are going to be able to get a victory over the number 20 Duke Blue Devils in the Smith Center on Wednesday night, head coach Roy Williams says it will be important that Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks are able to match up with talented Duke wings Brandon Ingram and Grayson Allen.

“Brice and Isaiah have to be able to get out on the floor and play the guys and get a hand up on the shot and still be able to play the drive and not get beat on a direct cut,” Williams says. “If you get beat, make them make a banana cut – that kind of motion – then you’ve got an opportunity to get some help for you.”

Williams adds that while it may be difficult for the Tar Heels to match up with the smaller Blue Devil lineup, Duke will have to defend in the post as well.

“We’ve got to do a nice job and make sure that those guys get low position so they can use their size as an advantage when we’re bigger than the other guy and trying to play inside,” Williams says. “It is something that’s been important to us, and we’ve struggled with several times the last couple of years.

“Hopefully we’re better at it now.”

Few people have been directly part of as many Carolina-Duke games as Eric Montross has, first as a player and now as a color commentator for the Tar Heel Sports Network. Montross spoke with WCHL’s Blake Hodge about the emotions leading up to a game like this.

 

Both Carolina and Duke have endured an up-and-down season. The Tar Heels came into the season as the preseason number one team in the country, while the Blue Devils were coming off of a national championship.

But both teams have endured several stretches of less-than-stellar play on the season. Duke even dropped out of the top 25 rankings for the first time in more than eight years in early February.

But with both teams trending in the right direction, Williams says this rivalry has not lost any of its luster.

“It’s still a fantastic rivalry around here, and that’s all we know,” Williams says. “And I think the other people around the country enjoy it too.”

Williams says the intensity of this game is always there, regardless of what has happened with each team leading up to tipoff.

“2011 – 2012 we were really good and at times the last couple of years we haven’t been very good, but still we try to play and try to make sure it comes down to the end,” Williams says. “Last year, in two games we had the lead in the second half of both of them, but we were not good enough to finish it and they were good enough to come from behind and win the game in both places.

“But it’s still a big-time game for us.”

Tipoff is set for nine o’clock and WCHL’s pregame coverage will begin with UNC Health Care Countdown to Tipoff at seven o’clock.

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