All Tar Heels

UNC Basketball Big Dance Could Begin Against Duke Products

Two former Blue Devil guards are one win away from strategizing for a Round of 64 meeting with the top-seeded UNC basketball team.

Matt Giles

Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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UNC basketball knows its seed, region, location, and time but must await the result of a First Four bout to find out its first NCAA Tournament foe. At 2:45 p.m. ET Thursday (CBS) in Charlotte's Spectrum Center, the No. 1 seed Tar Heels (27-7 overall record) will face either MEAC champion Howard (18-16) or Northeast champ Wagner (16-15).

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Those two No. 16 seeds have the honor of tipping off this year's March Madness with their clash in Dayton, Ohio, at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday (truTV).

If Howard prevails, a hint of rivalry will be in the Queen City air on Thursday afternoon, as fifth-year Bison head coach Kenny Blakeney and assistant Tyler Thornton are Duke basketball alums. They're making their second straight Big Dance appearance and looking for the first NCAA Tournament win in school history.

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The college careers of Kenny Blakeney and UNC's Hubert Davis barely overlapped. Blakeney was a freshman who averaged only 6.0 minutes per game for Mike Krzyzewski's 1991-92 national champions while Davis was putting together his All-ACC senior campaign in Chapel Hill under Tar Heel legend Dean Smith.

As for Thornton, who has been on Blakeney's staff from the get-go, he appeared in nine Duke-UNC battles, a starter in all but three of them, across his 2011-14 career playing for Coach K. He finished 6-3 against Roy Williams' Tar Heels as a player but didn't reach double-digit points in any of those contests.

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Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.

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Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, Duke Blue Devils on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining UNC on SI in 2023, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

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