Duke HC Jon Scheyer makes his feelings known on RJ Davis ahead of North Carolina rivalry game

Duke coach Jon Scheyer respects North Carolina star RJ Davis and his team and the Blue Devils will be ready to play up to their full potential and secure the victory in Sunday's rivalry game at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The No. 2 ranked Duke (18-2, 10-0) stake their unbeaten ACC record against the up-and-down North Carolina (13-9, 6-4) in the 263rd meeting between the two teams.

The Tar Heels have a 145-117 advantage in their head-to-head but the Blue Devils are overwhelming favorites this season due to the performance of talented freshman Cooper Flagg.

Scheyer, who is 2-2 in its series against the Tar Heels as a coach, knows the pride at stake in this clash and he's determined to stop fifth-year senior RJ Davis at all costs.

"We've played against or coached against RJ Davis ... How many times? it's been a lot. So I know what kind of player he is. Super talented as good of a backcourt (player) as there is and ton of respect," Scheyer said (9:44).

Davis leads the Tar Heels' offense with 17.6 points per game. This is way below his 21.0 ppg average the previous year but the third-year coach believes the fifth-year guard is capable of scoring more points.

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Jon Scheyer wary of North Carolina's talent

The last time unranked North Carolina surprised top two-ranked opponent away from its homecourt was on December 3, 2013 when the Tar Heels stunned No. 1 Michigan State in East Lansing, 79-65, so it's no surprise for Duke coach Jon Scheyer to take a cautious approach.

"Well you know what the thing that I've learned is it doesn't matter the previous games whether you've won or lost," Scheyer said (9:13). "It doesn't matter what your record is what your ranking is been on both sides of it."

Aside from RJ Davis, North Carolina boasts of freshman Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau. Jackson, Trimble and Cadeau help Davis in North Carolina's offense while Ven Allen Lubin and Jalen Washington provide interior presence for the Hubert Davis-coached squad.

Duke and North Carolina had contrasting results for Week 11. The Blue Devils won over Wake Forest (63-56) and NC State (74-64), while North Carolina lost to Pittsburgh (73-65) despite leading the game 65-64 with 3:21 left.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel will lead Duke's assault in this much-talked-about clash. Flagg, who averages 19.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, leads the team in almost all of the five basic statistical categories except steals.

On the other hand, Knueppel is their resident gunner, making 47 3-point shots this season and is the second-leading scorer for the team at 13.1 ppg. Tipoff is set at 6:30 p.m. ET with ESPN covering the game live on television.