Duke vs. North Carolina: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

One of the best rivalries in all of sports will be renewed tonight when the Duke Blue Devils travel to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The ACC's two best teams will meet for the first time this year in hopes of separating themselves from the pack that includes Florida State and Virginia as well.

These two teams don't just have plans to win the ACC, they're both legitimate NCAA title contenders.

Tonight will be a good test for Tobacco Road's most dangerous teams.

Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

When: 9:00 p.m. ET, February 8, 2012

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3

Betting Line: UNC - 6 (according to Scores and Odds)

Key Injuries (according to StatFox)

Harrison Barnes, F, UNC—Probable (Ankle)

Dexter Strickland, G, UNC—Out for Season (Knee)

What's At Stake?

Bragging rights, ACC standings and Top 25 poll.

This game has a little bit of everything. The bragging rights are secondary for the teams, but the fanbases cannot stand to lose to one another.

The No. 5 Tar Heels hold a one game lead on the Blue Devils in the ACC and a win would obviously give them more breathing room. Duke cannot afford to drop another game.

What They're Saying

Andrew Carter of the News Observer writes:

"

Bench production. Unexpected, strange things are likely to happen in any game, but they seem to happen more often in rivalry games. And one of the x-factors tonight could be production off the bench.

For North Carolina, now would be a good time for freshman P.J. Hairston to break out of his extended shooting slump ... 

The Blue Devils don’t have many on-paper advantages tonight but they will bring the stronger bench into the Smith Center. Miles Plumlee (senior) and Seth Curry (junior) are both veteran players and their experience can only help in games like this.

"

Bench points could easily decide this game.

Most Important Player to Watch: Harrison Barnes, UNC

The sophomore forward is one of the best players in the country, a likely top 10 pick in the NBA Draft but he is injured.

He's battling with a sprained ankle and it will be very interesting to see how effective he can be. Barnes will likely be tasked with dealing with freshman guard Austin Rivers who never stops moving and is always attacking.

If Barnes can't score tonight, or defend, it would be a huge blow for the streaking Tar Heels.

Key Matchup: Duke defenders vs. UNC scorers

The Blue Devils are one of the few teams that can throw some size down into the paint with the Tar Heels. UNC leads the country in scoring and rebounds and is fourth in assists because they have a number of players that can score both inside and out.

Duke's big men—the Plumlees and Ryan Kelly—aren't far off from John Henson and Tyler Zeller in size.

If Barnes is unable to be the player we typically see, this game could come down to which UNC backcourt player can rise to the occasion and score some points.

Prediction: UNC 87, Duke 81