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A long-standing rivalry is renewed for one of this year's March Madness Sweet 16 matchups. On Friday, the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils will take on bitter rivals, third-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, in the Birmingham Regional 2 semifinals in a battle for an Elite Eight spot.
The two programs had different experiences in their second-round national tournament fixtures, but both have reached this stage. On Sunday (Mar. 23), Duke came out of a nip-and-tuck affair against the tenth-seeded Oregon Ducks, winning by six, 59-53. Meanwhile, UNC fended off the sixth-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers distinctively by 11 points, 58-47.
With both teams looking to avoid being eliminated at this point from the winner-take-all tourney, fueled by the rivalry between their schools, let's take a look at how this hotly contested fixture will shape up.
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Duke vs. UNC prediction
The Blue Devils (28-7) seemed to have run into some issues against the Ducks, a lower seed than the Tar Heels's second-round opposition. UNC (29-7) looked poised in its triumph over the Mountaineers, which could have contributed to its success.
Freshman Toby Fournier (441 points) and junior Ashlon Jackson (437 points) lead Duke's scoring charts. Besides them, sophomore Jadyn Donovan has proved to be a vital piece for the Kara Lawson-coached team, given that she leads the squad with 6.5 rebounds per game despite being a guard.
Conversely, the Courtney Banghart-coached Tar Heels are paced by all-around perimeter players Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby - who lead the squad in points (Gakdeng - 11.1) and rebounds (Ustby - 9.4). It seems the UNC game plan revolves around these two, and without a clear X-factor, the team's outcome will depend on the type of outings they put up.
With this, the Tar Heels have shown on multiple occasions that they cannot be stopped for a victory if they are on a roll. But the game will be played under the bright lights of the national tournament, and even though the Blue Devils have relatively less experience, they've shown that they can pull through in the clutch for a triumph. This trait of Duke, then, can be the factor in their taking a win home.
Duke vs. UNC odds
Duke vs. UNC picks
Pick #1: Duke (-5.5)
Pick #2: Under (121.5)
Pick #3: Over (121.5)
Duke vs. UNC head-to-head
The head-to-head record between the long-standing rival programs — Duke Blue Devils vs. UNC Tar Heels — is 56-54 in favor of the latter. But the rivalry has turned new lately, with the former being on top. Their last matchup on Feb. 27 ended in a 68-53 win for Duke.
Where to watch Duke vs UNC
The Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Sweet 16 game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
Duke vs. UNC injuries
Both teams are set to have their full rosters for their Sweet 16 fixture. First-year UNC standout Toby Fournier is confirmed to be playing on Friday even after she sat out her team's second-round victory in this year's March Madness.
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