UNC Basketball: Heels' Keys to Righting the Ship, Beating Duke in Rivalry Clash

Wednesday night marks the first time this season that the North Carolina Tar Heels will renew their rivalry with the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC. 

The Tar Heels enter the clash with the hated Blue Devils off a road loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday that few people saw coming. 

The trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of two final opportunities in the regular season for North Carolina to earn a quality win against a ranked opponent. A win over Duke on Wednesday would help solidify the team's NCAA tournament resume and boost it a bit in the ACC standings.

Here's a look at five things the Tar Heels need to do to right the ship and leave Durham with a hard-earned victory. 

Find a Way to Channel Emotion in a Positive Manner

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The Tar Heels came out flat against Pittsburgh on Saturday after an emotional week in Chapel Hill. 

The team was understandably distracted by the goings-on around campus over the last few days, but now it has to find a different way to channel its emotions in a big game.

With the loss to Pittsburgh also driving them to perform, the Tar Heels should bundle up all of their emotions from the last week and take everything out on Duke. 

There will be a ton of pressure on the Tar Heels to revive spirits on campus with a win over Duke. But that may be exactly what the team needs following what many thought to be a meaningless game against an average opponent in Pittsburgh.

Return Kennedy Meeks to the Starting Lineup

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After starting the last two games on the bench, Kennedy Meeks should return to the starting five to deal with Duke's Jahlil Okafor. 

Meeks proved on Saturday that he is worthy of a return to the starting lineup, as he scored 15 points in 19 minutes against Pitt. He was one of two North Carolina players in double digits along with Brice Johnson. 

Not only did Meeks earn a starting spot with his performance on the court Saturday, he also brings a few assets to the table that Johnson and Isaiah Hicks do not have. 

With Okafor commanding the ball in the paint all night, Meeks' size and wide body will be needed to put pressure on the Duke freshman. 

Meeks may not be able to shut down the powerful frontcourt player, but he does have the potential to at least silence him for a few long stretches.

Be Willing to Double Jahlil Okafor at Times

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The big debate that has bothered Okafor's opponents all season is whether to double-team the young stud or not. 

Despite facing plenty of double-teams this season, Okafor has still been able to find success, especially as a distributor. With multiple defenders on him at times this season, the freshman has shown great vision from his position on the block.

Other teams have opted to strictly guard Okafor on a man-to-man basis and concede points to the big man, but not his teammates. 

The Tar Heels should start out with Meeks on Okafor, but they should not be afraid to send a second defender over to the Duke player's side of the paint on occasion. 

Very few of Okafor's opponents this season have switched from man-to-man to a double-team and back, which is why the Tar Heels should throw a variety of defensive looks at him.

If North Carolina finds some success in changing its defensive strategy, it could set a blueprint for itself and other future Duke foes.

Win the Guard Battle

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Winning the guard battle sounds simple on the surface, but besting Duke's guards at Cameron Indoor will be a difficult task. 

We all know Marcus Paige will be up for the big game, as he has been throughout his career at North Carolina. But he will also need Nate Britt to step up alongside him in order for the Tar Heels to have a chance of leaving Durham with a victory. 

Paige will be compared to Duke's Quinn Cook because of the experience both have in the rivalry, but he should be worried about matching up with Tyus Jones.

Jones has been one of the key players for the Blue Devils this season. If he is shut down by Paige, more pressure will be lifted onto the shoulders of Cook to thrive by himself on offense. 

On the offensive side of the court, Paige and Britt will need to find open looks for the players in the paint. If the duo can star in distributing roles as well as in the scoring department, the Tar Heels could easily earn their ninth conference victory.

Commit Less Than 10 Turnovers

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In their last two games against ranked opposition, the Tar Heels have been sloppy with the ball. North Carolina combined for 32 turnovers in the defeats to Virginia and Louisville. 

The turnovers didn't come from one specific part of the court during the back-to-back losses, as Meeks lost the ball six times against Virginia and J.P. Tokoto committed six turnovers against Louisville. Paige also had five turnovers in the loss at the KFC Yum! Center. 

If North Carolina gives the ball up over 10 times again on Wednesday night, Duke could walk all over it in transition.

Transition opportunities also create momentum, which will be a major factor in the rivalry showdown with major seeding implications in regards to the ACC tournament. 

An ideal number of turnovers would be less than five, but the Tar Heels could still win if they commit seven or eight against Duke. 

However, if they continue their recent trend against ranked opposition in conference play, the Tar Heels will most likely suffer their second consecutive defeat. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.