North Carolina vs Duke Preview

The Tar Heels have won four of the last five in the series and are looking for another signature win.

Rob Kinnan/USA Today Sports

For the first time in 43 years, neither Roy Williams or Coach K will be on the sidelines for the installment of North Carolina and Duke.

Both teams enter the matchup unranked and in need of another marquee win for their NCAA Tournament resume.

Duke sits at 16-6 overall and at 7-4 in ACC play in the first year of the Jon Scheyer era.

Freshman Kyle Filipowski is the catalyst for the Blue Devils, leading the way with a team-high 15.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The 7-footer has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games this season and has recorded a double-double in five of the last six contests.

Jeremy Roach, who is in his third season in Durham, continues to get healthy and provides a steady presence in the backcourt. He leads the Blue Devils with 3.1 assists per game and is second on the roster with 12.2 points per contest.

Duke has four players to average between 8.1 and 9.1 points per game, but the emergence of Dereck Lively II has been immeasurable over the last few weeks.

The former five-star recruit had struggled to get it going and still has recorded just one game with double figures in scoring. 

As of late however, he has turned into a stalwart on defense, averaging seven rebounds over the last four games. Lively has also tallied a combined 13 blocks and steals over that span, turning into a disruption in the passing lanes and around the rim.

Freshman Dariq Whitehead has missed the last two games with a lower body injury after exiting early in their loss to Virginia Tech. He will also be absent for Saturday's tilt as the Blue Devils will miss his offensive production.

The Blue Devils maintain the No. 2 scoring defense in the conference, allowing just 63.7 points per game. They also lead the league in rebounding with 39.7 per game and allow the fewest to opponents at 30.6 per contest.

For North Carolina, they pace the ACC in defensive rebounds at 28.5 and will help create a pivotal matchup on the boards.

Coming off of one of their worst offensive performances of the season, the Tar Heels are in danger of falling towards the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The good news for the boys in Carolina blue is the health status for tonight's contest. For the first time all season, North Carolina will have every rotation player available and healthy.

Puff Johnson will return from a knee injury and R.J. Davis is expected to participate without any cover on his shooting hand.

Armando Bacot is a favorite for the ACC Player of the Year and remains the leading scorer and rebounder for the Tar Heels.

With his consistency and ability to produce, the key to victory for North Carolina is the performance out of their backcourt.

Prior to Wednesday's loss to Pitt, R.J. Davis, who played with an injured shooting hand, had been consistent from all three levels on offense.

Caleb Love was the team's leading scorer in the defeat and despite the shooting struggles this season, has the ability to get hot on a moment's notice. Love also tends to perform his best against the Blue Devils, scoring 18 or more points in four of his five career matchups.

As they enter Cameron Indoor Stadium with a full roster, the Tar Heels appear to be hitting their stride on the defensive end.

While they have struggled on offense at times, North Carolina has held their opponents under 70 points for seven consecutive games.

They enter as winners of four of the last five in the rivalry and can improve to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in conference play.

Coach K and Roy Williams are gone, but the rivalry remains the same.

It's Duke vs. North Carolina.