Harrison Barnes: Containing UNC's Star Forward Will Be Duke's Top Priority

The Duke Blue Devils are not as good as the North Carolina Tar Heels.

We all know it's true. Even Duke fans know it deep down. Duke has its share of talented players, but North Carolina has as much talent as any squad in the nation.

One player stands out from the pack, and he's a player the Blue Devils are going to have to worry about on Wednesday night: sophomore forward Harrison Barnes.

On the bright side for Duke, Barnes is coming into Wednesday night's clash at less than 100 percent. He sprained his ankle over the weekend, and he's been limited in practice ever since.

According to the Boston Herald, Barnes will play. No big shocker there.

Wounded ankle or no wounded ankle, Barnes is a matchup nightmare for Duke. The Blue Devils had Kyle Singler to throw on Barnes last year, but nobody on their current roster is perfectly suited to the task of guarding Barnes one-on-one.

When Barnes is on the perimeter, Duke may be forced to use guards on him, as the last thing Duke wants to do is sacrifice one of its big players. That would make things way too easy for the Tar Heels inside, where John Henson and Tyler Zeller will be roaming.

Because there is no easy solution and because Duke doesn't have one guy who can match up with Barnes, one wonders if Mike Krzyzewski might go to a zone defense. If that's what it will take to contain Barnes, so be it.

Yes, North Carolina's other starters can score too. Zeller is as good as they come in the paint, Henson has really upped his offensive repertoire this season, Kendall Marshall is an elite distributor and Reggie Bullock is one of the better perimeter shooters in the country. Even if Duke does contain Barnes, it will still have its hands full.

But Barnes is the difference-maker. If he does what he wants to do offensively against Duke, the scales will be tipped dramatically in North Carolina's favor. Barnes will be scoring at will, and his success will open things up for his teammates. If Barnes is winning, Carolina is winning.

If Duke finds a way to lessen Barnes' impact on the game, the playing field will be leveled in a significant way. Carolina's offense won't be nearly as dangerous, giving Duke a chance to stay in the game. They're not as prolific as the Tar Heels, but the Blue Devils can score.

It's still going to be difficult for the Blue Devils to win the game, but winning this game will be next to impossible if Barnes is having his way with Duke's defense. Beating North Carolina at home with its offense clicking on all cylinders is a lot to ask of any team, much less an imperfect squad like Duke.

So Barnes first, everyone else second. If Duke can manage that, this game might just turn into an upset alert situation.