North Carolina at Duke

[Old School]

UNC -4.5 this morning at 2 recommended sbk's

North Carolina (20-3) at Duke (18-5) February 7, 2007

By Jimmy Sirody
Don Best senior writer

Who would have thought that North Carolina and Duke would both be coming off a loss when they meet for the first time this season Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium? And who would have dreamed that both teams desperately need a victory to keep pace with Boston College and Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title chase?

The Tar Heels, overwhelming favorites to bring home the league crown, watched North Carolina State shoot 76.5 percent in the second half Saturday at the RBC Center, while losing to the Wolfpack by four points. With two straight losses coming at the buzzer when Duke missed good looks at the basket, the Blue Devils are close to being backed into a corner as the ACC stretch run looms.

That means that Duke and North Carolina will be even more motivated when the fiercest rivalry in college basketball resumes.

Wednesday's contest pits the ACC's top scoring defense (Duke) versus the top scoring offense (North Carolina). The Blue Devils rank eight nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 57.1 points per game. The Tar Heels are second in the nation in scoring offense at 88.1 PPG.

The Blue Devils haven't lost three consecutive games or two in a row at home since 1996. They have also won 16 of their last 20 games versus the Tar Heels, including eight of 10 games in front of the Cameron Crazies. But in order to continue that trend Wednesday, they are going to have to figure out a way to close out a game when they are in a position to win.

Duke will have to keep the pace of the game slow to contend with North Carolina's depth, and Josh McRoberts will need help inside against Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright.

Hansbrough and McRoberts are two of the top big forwards in the nation. Hansbrough is the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year, having scored 13 or more points in 21 of 23 games and recorded six double-doubles. McRoberts has come on as a sophomore after serving as an understudy to Shelden Williams last season, to scored 13.2 points per game and yank down seven rebounds.

Duke's five losses this season have all come against teams with a high-quality backcourt. North Carolina certainly fits into that category with its starting duo of Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

Lawson is as fast with the basketball as anyone in college since T.J. Ford. He is also a capable long-distance shooter and has been at the front of a devastating defense. But his free throwing shooting is below par for a top point guard. He is the guy the Blue Devils should foul if they're trying to catch up late in the game. In UNC's last three road games-Wake, Arizona and N.C. State, Lawson has scored 54 points, dished out 20 assists and turned the ball over just five times and converted 21-of-39 from the field.

The Blue Devils have won 14 of 16 at home but are just 8-7 against the spread. UNC has been one of the better bets on the board, getting the cheddar in 14 of 19. The Tar Heels have cashed four of six on the road.

SAG NUMBERS
use as you see fit..

North Carolina VS top 25 [ 6-0]
North Carolina VS top 50 [9- 2]

Duke VS top 25 [4-3]
Duke VS top 50 [6-5]

will add more as I find it..

good luck to all...

 

[Old School]

Rivalry Week Tip Sheet
February 7, 2007
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com


North Carolina at Duke**

--North Carolina (20-3 SU, 14-5 ATS) saw its five-game winning streak (both SU and ATS) snapped Saturday in Raleigh when North Carolina State collected an 83-79 upset win as a 16 ?-point home underdog.

--Duke (18-5 SU, 12-10 ATS) will be looking to avoid its third straight loss following Sunday?s surprising 68-67 defeat to FSU as an 8 ?-point home ?chalk.? The Blue Devils lost Thursday at Virginia by a 68-66 count as two-point favorites.

--Duke is 4-0 ATS in its last four games as a home underdog.

--UNC is 5-2 ATS as a single-digit favorite.

--The underdog is 10-1 ATS in the last 11 Duke-UNC games.

--The ?under? is on an 11-4 run for the Tar Heels.

--ESPN will provide television coverage at 9:00 p.m. Eastern

 

[Old School]

CONF. REPORT
USA TODAY

DUKE


GETTING INSIDE
Though an NCAA bid for Duke has become almost automatic, coach Mike Krzyzewski is taking nothing for granted with his Blue Devils.

"Nobody gives you an NCAA berth," said Krzyzewski, who has put his team in the national field 11 consecutive years and 22 out of the 23 seasons he has been at Duke. "You have to earn it and you have to earn it in the conference. And we have the toughest conference schedule this year. It just worked out that way."

Duke lost its first two conference games but got back into the league race by winning its next five outings.

That streak ended when the Blue Devils couldn't hold onto a 13-point first half lead at Virginia and lost an overtime contest to the Cavaliers 68-66, which doesn't exactly put their NCAA hopes hanging by a thread. A thinner thread yet after the one-point home loss to Florida State on Feb. 4.

Still, it would take a collapse of biblical proportions for the Blue Devils not to make the tournament field.

As solid as Duke's defense had been during the recent winning streak, back-to-back losses in which Duke surrendered 68 points to Virginia and Florida State proves Duke needs to step it up on the offensive end to avoid spoiling its season.

Riding a two-game losing streak is no way to arrive at the point on the schedule in which North Carolina ? angry after its own loss to N.C. State ? visits Cameron Indoor.

Duke, fifth in the ACC entering play on Feb. 5, faces UNC and first-place BC in the next 10 days. Krzezewski is certain to remind his Duke team that nothing, not even an NCAA invite, is guaranteed.

NOTES, QUOTES
?Duke last season averaged about 81 points per game last season while giving up 68, a difference of 13 ppg that led to a 32-4 record. The Blue Devils this season have put their hammer down on foes and are giving up only about 57 ppg, or about 11 under last season's average. But they are scoring at about a 70 ppg clip. The result looks to be a wash, but it's worth noting that their scoring in conference games is about 71 ppg while ACC opponents are averaging in the low 60s, closing the gap to under 10 ppg.

?The Blue Devils led Virginia by 13 points in the first half and seemed to have an answer for about every challenge from Virginia in the second half. But after outscoring the Cavaliers 10-2 over a 2 1/2-minute span late in the second half to assume a 59-51 advantage, the Blue Devils didn't hit another field goal, even in the five-minute overtime. The Blue Devils were 0-of-4 in the rest of regulation and 0-of-5 in the overtime, including a three-point try by Greg Paulus at the buzzer that bounced off the back of the rim.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's a great win for them and a really tough loss for us. That's the way it is in the ACC." ? Coach Mike Krzyzewski, after Duke's defeat at Virginia.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
David McClure, who hyperextended his knee in the win over Boston College the previous outing, was doubtful going into the Virginia game but played 27 minutes, grabbing seven rebounds to go along with this four points. He also had a key block on a layup attempt by J.R. Reynolds with a minute left in the game and the scored tied at 66.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Josh McRoberts, F Lance Thomas, G Jon Scheyer, G DeMarcus Nelson, G Greg Paulus. Key Subs ? F David McClure, C Brian Zoubek, G Gerald Henderson.

GAME REVIEW:

Duke 75, Boston College 61

Virginia 68, Duke 66 (OT)

Florida State 68, Duke 67

GAME PREVIEW:

vs. North Carolina, Wednesday, Feb. 7.

at Maryland, Sunday, Feb. 11.

at Boston College, Wednesday, Feb. 14.

KEYS: Duke will have to keep the pace of the game slow to contend with North Carolina's depth, and Josh McRoberts will have to get help inside against UNC's Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright. Maryland also presents a double threat up front in James Gist and Ekene Ibekwe.

ROSTER REPORT:

?After averaging 15 points through the first seven conference games, Jon Scheyer had an off-night against Virginia. He was only 3-of-9 from the field and scored only seven points.

?Greg Paulus was the only player on the floor for both teams for all 45 minutes of the overtime game at Virginia, and though he had five assists against only two turnovers, he was only 3 of 11 from the field, including 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. Interestingly, coach Mike Krzyzewski had criticized Paulus for taking a 3-pointer at the end of the Virginia Tech loss with the Blue Devils down by only two points, but with one second left against Virginia, the in-bounds play and McRoberts' pass to just past midcourt left Paulus with no other choice than to throw up a 3-point attempt against the Cavaliers. He got it off in time under no defensive pressure when the defender looked to go for the steal, but the extra-long, off-balance 3-pointer was slightly off line.

Paulus remained aggressive in the Florida State loss. He led Duke with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

?Josh McRoberts had only two rebounds against Virginia, nearly seven under his average in conference play going into the game. He did score a team-high 19 points, nearly seven points over his per-game average in his previous seven league games.

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NORTH CAROLINA


GETTING INSIDE
People may talk about how talented North Carolina is, but North Carolina State came out and showed the Tar Heels their reputation simply makes them a bigger target.

The Wolfpack, on the strength of phenomenal 13-of-17 shooting in the second half, knocked the Heels off their first-place ACC perch with an 83-79 victory Saturday.

"I don't know that I've ever had a team shoot 76 percent in the second half against us before," coach Roy Williams said afterward. "I have no answers. They had more passion for the game than we did, and I don't understand that. I never will understand that. They dominated us."

The Tar Heels' effort left Williams frustrated, which he noted after congratulating first-year Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe.

"I told Sidney how happy I am for him," Williams said. "I told him I was ticked off about how we played, but I didn't say 'ticked off.' I'm ticked off, but I admire the way they played. I think the game they played the other night at Virginia Tech had a very big impact on how they played today."

The Wolfpack had defeated Virginia Tech in its previous game.

The Tar Heels' defeat put them a half-game back of Boston College and Virginia in the ACC standings. The Eagles and Cavaliers are both 7-2, the Heels 6-2 in league play.

NOTES, QUOTES
?Interestingly, North Carolina has one game each against Virginia and Boston College, the two teams that they now technically chasing in the standings, in the 16-game conference schedule. The Tar Heels already own a victory over the Cavaliers but have to play at Boston College on Feb. 17. The Heels get a rematch with the Wolfpack in Chapel Hill on Feb. 21.

?North Carolina trailed 38-36 at halftime against the Wolfpack when Gavin Grant drove the length of the floor following Ty Lawson's tying free throws with 5.7 seconds left. His team's defensive lapse infuriated coach Roy Williams, who called it "not very bright."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're too fat and sassy right now. We thought we could win just by showing up, and you can't do that. Every team in this league is good." ? Coach Roy Williams, after the Tar Heels lost at N.C. State.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
North Carolina's much-heralded depth didn't make much of an impression on N.C. State. The Tar Heels had seven players come off the bench, but they combined for only six points, eight rebounds, and three assists. The Wolfpack had only two subs in the game, and they scored only two points.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Reyshawn Terry, F Brandan Wright, C Tyler Hansbrough, G Ty Lawson, G Wayne Ellington. Key Subs ? F Danny Green, G Bobby Frasor, G Wes Miller, G Marcus Ginyard, G Quentin Thomas.

GAME REVIEW:

North Carolina 92, Arizona 64

North Carolina 105, Miami 64

North Carolina State 83, North Carolina 79

GAME PREVIEW:

at Duke, Wednesday, Feb. 7.

vs. Wake Forest, Saturday, Feb. 10.

vs. Virginia Tech, Tuesday, Feb. 13.

KEYS: The Tar Heels are going to have come out with more intensity because Duke is likely to be fired up after seeing its five-game winning streak snapped at Virginia. The Tar Heels will want to push the pace while the Blue Devils will push for patience. Wake Forest can't match up with the Tar Heels.

ROSTER REPORT:

?Reyshawn Terry had a forgettable game against the Wolfpack. He played only 15 minutes before fouling out and had only two points and no rebounds. Terry was averaging just under 10 points and six rebounds a game.

?Ty Lawson followed up his 5-of-8 performance in the rout of Miami by going 8-of-12 from the floor against N.C. State. He also had seven assists and a steal against one turnover.

?Tyler Hansbrough came off a double-double (22 points, 13 rebounds) against Miami to lead the Tar Heels in scoring with 24 points against N.C. State. He missed a double-double when he was held to eight rebounds.

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