Duke-North Carolina: Blue Devils Look to Score Rivalry Win on the Road

It's that time of the year again when two of college basketball's most historic and successful programs face-off against one another. Although one team is on a roll of late and the other is on a free-fall, the first meeting between Duke and North Carolina is once again anticipated to be a classic.

The greatest rivalry in college sports, Duke vs. North Carolina, is one marked with tradition, great coaches, outstanding players and hostile moments.

It was just two seasons ago that former Duke player Gerald Henderson and former North Carolina player and ACC all-time leading scorer, Tyler Hansborough, each were aggressively fighting for a loose ball under the basket when Henderson's elbow caught "Psycho T" in the nose, breaking it on contact.

The game was played in Chapel Hill and once Hansborough's nose began to bleed, the crowd instantly started yelling at Henderson and the Duke players, causing the referees to have to separate the two benches before things got out of hand.

There have also been last-second shots, overtime hearbreakers and late comebacks that have made the rivalry what it is today.

Regardless of each team's record coming into the game, you never know what to expect once the horn sounds and the contest begins.

It just so happens that in this season's first meeting between the two schools, one team has nothing to lose and everything to gain, while the other desperately needs to prove that they can win tough games in difficult environments on the road.

The former statement is regarding the defending NCAA Champion Tar Heels, who lost most of their scoring from last season to the NBA and graduation and have struggled to find their way with an inexperienced and talented team.

UNC head coach Roy Williams has always found a way to make his teams win, whether that be by pushing the tempo to force steals, slowing the game down to cut down on turnovers, or by playing great team defense and looking for fast-break possibilities.

This year, however, Williams has yet to find the right line-up and hasn't made the right adjustments to help his Tar Heels become a successful team in the ACC.

The highly-touted freshmen from one of Williams' top classes at North Carolina have yet to produce on either end of the floor, while the veterans and more experienced players from last year's title team have yet to step up and take leadership roles for the Tar Heels.  

A somewhat ineffective bench, to go along with a starting line-up of players who don't want to take leadership when ballgames get close, equals a very challenging rebuilding year for Coach Williams and the North Carolina basketball program.

While they may return to prominence next season, it appears that the Tar Heels may miss the NCAA tournament altogether this season.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have an experienced and talented Duke Basketball team. Led by senior point guard Jon Scheyer, who is having an All-American caliber season and juniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, the Blue Devils have been playing well of late.

Their last contest against Boston College got closer than it should have been towards the end, but Scheyer and Smith stepped it up and each knocked down a pair of free-throws that sealed the road win for the Blue Devils.

At this point in the season, Duke has placed itself in position to be the ACC regular season champions. Other contenders, such as Maryland, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Florida State, will be close in the standings when it is all said and done, but it's hard imagining the Blue Devils faltering down the stretch.

Looking ahead to the first meeting in Chapel Hill between the schools, you may think that because North Carolina has been a non-factor in the ACC to this point, they will put up little to no fight against Duke.

That assumption could not be anymore wrong.

If you look at the first rivalry game that Duke played this season, a January contest where Duke traveled down to Raleigh to face NC State, you will see that the Wolf Pack were prepared to take down the Blue Devils from tip-off.

Each player on Sidney Lowe's roster was pumped up and ready for the game, as you could see it in each of the player's eyes. Not only were the players ready for that game, but so was the crowd at the RBC Center.

NC State compiled their best game of the season on both offense and defense and although Duke tried to battle back down the stretch, the Wolf Pack walked away victorious in a 14-point win.

The Wolf Pack are now the last-place team in the ACC.

Rivalry games always work like that. Any stats or records from each team can be thrown out the window when you face off against your bitter enemy.

That is the case for the first head-to-head meeting between Duke vs. North Carolina. The Tar Heels may have played terrible up to this point against ACC competition, but this one game and possible win could possibly turn around North Carolina's season.

On the flipside, Duke is looking to prove that they can win on the road. They want to make a statement to the rest of the conference that they should not be taken lightly, even if the game is not played in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Look for an up-tempo and entertaining contest when Duke and North Carolina tip-off in Chapel Hill. Sure, the Tar Heels have a horrible ACC record (2-6) while the Blue Devils are on top (7-2), but this game is critical to each team's season.

Who will come out victorious? Who will get in the final word? Which team will overcome adversity and prevail in the end?