Duke-North Carolina Basketball: Five Questions for the Rematch

Despite being less than a week away from the conference tournament, nothing seems certain in the ACC.

Two weeks ago, North Carolina looked like the clear favorite to win the conference as the Tar Heels were in the midst of 10-game winning streak, highlighted by a convincing road win over Duke.

The Blue Devils, on the other hand, had lost four of six games, and appeared to be in the middle of another late-season breakdown.

But two weeks is a long time in college basketball.  

The Tar Heels' winning streak came to an end when they gave up a 16-point second-half lead in an overtime loss at Maryland.  Duke, meanwhile, shook up its starting lineup (again) and sparked an impressive four-game conference winning streak against some of the top teams in the ACC.

With the second matchup between Tar Heels and Blue Devils quickly approaching, and with a share of the ACC regular season title on the line, what once looked clear has become anything but.  

Only questions remain, and below are five that will determine the outcome of Sunday's matchup (depending on the answers, of course).

5. Can anyone stop Duke's Gerald Henderson?

Since the beginning of ACC play, Henderson has emerged as Duke's definitive star. He is averaging 20.2 points per game and playing with remarkable confidence and consistently. Henderson has become the go-to guy for big shots in the closing moments of tight games.  

If Henderson plays like the legitimate ACC Player of the Year candidate he has shown himself to be, Duke will definitely be in a position to win on Sunday.

4. Can anyone stay in front of UNC guard Ty Lawson?

Lawson is the quickest guard the ACC has seen in a long time.  

When UNC beat Duke last month, Lawson took control in the second half, getting into the lane and scoring at will.  Duke put everyone not named Zoubek on him, but it did not matter.  No one could slow him down, let alone stop him.

If Lawson can penetrate like he did against Duke in February, UNC will win.  Period.

3. Will Duke's new lineup hold up?

Since moving Jon Scheyer to the point guard spot and inserting Elliot Williams into the starting lineup, Duke has looked much more explosive on both ends of the court.

However, with recent injuries to Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas, Duke's starters have logged some intense minutes over the last few games.  If either Smith or Thomas is unavailable on Sunday, exhaustion could take its toll on the Blue Devils.

2. Does size matter?

This may come as a surprise, but the Blue Devils' starting lineup is actually taller than the Tar Heels' lineup.  Nevertheless, the Tar Heels are much more capable of pounding the ball inside and controlling the boards than Duke.  

But the last time these two teams played, UNC only outrebounded Duke by three boards, and Duke actually had more offensive rebounds than the Tar Heels.  

If Duke can hold its own on the glass, look for a very tight game.

1. Karma?

Tyler Hansbrough ruined J.J. Redick's (Duke's all-time leading scorer) final game at Cameron Indoor in 2006.

Now, the Blue Devils have a chance to turn the tables by ruining Hansbrough's (UNC's all-time leading scorer) final game in Chapel Hill.

No one can deny how eerily similar the situations are, and history does have a way of repeating itself.  

Maybe Redick can help with the Coach K's pre-game pep talk.

Both Duke and UNC have looked like the team to beat in the ACC at some point in the season, so which shade of blue will solidify its reputation as the ACC's finest on Sunday?

That's the ultimate question.