The Duke/North Carolina rivalry has certainly been one to watch regardless of the status of either team. It is always a game to mark on the calendar as the rivalry has extended over a number of years and has always been fun to watch. 2015 will be no different as both teams sit ranked while jockeying for position in the ACC. This is the first matchup between the two teams this season as they both enter with big-named recruits ready to get a taste of the action.
Duke ranks No. 4 in the nation led by a talented group of freshman headline by Jahlil Okafor who is expected to follow in the footsteps of alums like Kyrie Irving and Jabari Parker who were both drafted extremely high. Okafor is considered one of the most complete players in the league right now, but is not totally sold on entering the NBA right away. He currently leads the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He also sits at the top of the ACC with 18.2 points per game on 66.5 percent shooting. He might be the most talented freshman Duke has had in recent years which is a big reason why the team is ranked where they are.
Okafor has 25 games to his college career and has put up double-figures in points in each one of them. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski notes that Okafor is a nightmare matchup at 6-foot-11 and 270 points with quick feet and great ball handling skills. He could make for a very long night for the North Carolina Tar Heels who are coming off a bad loss to Pittsburgh who shot 65 percent in the game. The Tar Heels have lost three of their past four games and need a big win over Duke to secure their standings for the tournament.
North Carolina fell to Louisville, Virginia and Pittsburgh recently despite being the league's best rebounders averaging 42.3 while leading in both offense and defense. North Carolina will rely on points in the paint to get past Duke as they average 38.4 per game and 14.5 second chance points per game.
