Cameron Claims College’s Central Clash

College basketball’s greatest rivalry rears its riveting head tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium’s home of the Duke Blue Devils. The ACC bragging rights are at stake when the 20-3 home team drops the ball against 21-2 North Carolina. Both blue teams come into the game with identical 7-2 conference records and each wants the prize presented to them tonight. N.C. and Duke have both been ranked in the top 5 this season. The game will be played at the highest level considering the circumstances and meaning of the matchup.
In recent years, the Tar Heels have come out on top, including four consecutive contests. North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, the defending national player of the year, will play his final rivalry game as a senior this evening. Hansbrough has not lost at Cameron in his college career. North Carolina might have the upper hand again this season as the Tobacco Road showdown beckons. They are more well-balanced than Coach K’s Duke crew. The Blue Devils dwell and thrive on hitting the outside shot. Duke banks 35% from the 3 point range and really is a one-dimensional team in that aspect. They do have the home court advantage and are looking to bounce back after two discouraging defeats to the hands of Wake Forest and Clemson. The Devils need to defend against the powerhouse Carolina team. They also should try to control the tempo of the game while keeping turnovers to a minimum. Duke can compete and stay in this game against the strength of the Tar Heels if they are successful rebounding the ball. The Blue Devil’s intense perimeter shooter, Greg Paulus, needs to come up big for Coach K. The entire Duke squad is small and may struggle against Carolina’s Ed Davis and Dean Thompson. Davis and Thompson’s sheer size will impact and dictate the offense for Roy William’s winning team. The senior shooter, Danny Green, and point guards Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson bring their best each and every time out. All three N.C. stars are grinders and Ellington may be the best of the bunch. He has been playing exceptionally well lately. Look for key substitutes, Bobby Frasor and Will Graves to also make a difference for the men in powder blue.
The visiting team faces their own challenges however. The majority of the crowd will be rooting for Duke. I am sure some N.C. faithful will take the eight mile trip to Cameron but the Tar Heels are up against history tonight. Whenever Duke meets N.C., there are bound to be clashes. The 2008/09 Duke team can catch teams off guard with their aggressive attacking style. They are well-coached and have one of the best juniors in the nation in point guard, Jon Scheyer.
With first place on the line in this rivalry-week, a thrilling game is probable. The schools have a hatred for each other unlike any other NCAA basketball rivalry. It’s the rich Duke kids against the N.C. boys. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how close in proximity the institutions really are. They seem worlds apart off the court, even if Coack K and Roy Williams recruit a lot of the same players. That only amplifies the annual game. I always enjoy a heated rival college game and Duke-UNC is as good as February basketball with Final Four implications gets. Both teams are number one seed material, but that will not be the case after tonight’s outcome. The tournament committee will not select two ACC teams as top seeds come Selection Sunday. I’m geared up for a goosebump game-winning, buzzer-beater tonight. Those are the moments that make college basketball special and worthwhile. This game is no rinky dink rivalry; it’s the real deal. Will Hansbrough pull of the UNC senior sweep?

Parting points: It’s nice to see Troy Aikman is going to graduate UCLA with a degree in Sociology. Congrats to my boy Troy.
It’s also nice to see Brett Favre retire…well, we will see how long he will stay retired anyway.