Duke basketball is preparing for its first regular season matchup against North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 7.
The No. 4 Blue Devils (21-1, 10-0) will head to Chapel Hill to take on the No. 14 Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3 ACC) at the Smith Center. It will be the 266th all-time meeting between the two programs, with UNC leading the series 145-120. Momentum favors Duke, which has won the last three and is 6-4 against UNC in the last 10 meetings.
Ahead of Saturday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer met with the media to preview the game. Here’s some of what Scheyer had to say:
On the competitiveness of the rivalry
“You understand in this game, rankings go out the window. Records go out the window. Whether you’re playing home or away, it doesn’t matter. I think you really learn to appreciate each game, and it’s isolated. I think that’s the thing as a competitor I think we’ve done well. Anytime you have success, it makes the other person want it even more. For us, it’s completely about this year’s group. It’s a 0-0 mentality. I do think that speaks to the fact of why it’s a rivalry, because each game is precious and it’s difficult to win.”
On freshman experiencing rivalry for the first time
“I want them to understand, God willing, you can play in more games moving forward where people care. And there’s spotlight and there’s noise and there’s attention. And what comes with that is an amazing opportunity. But you also want to handle it really well where you understand it’s about the preparation and about the focus. I don’t try to diminish the fact that the noise is great, the attention is great. If this is what you wanted, this is the good part in all of this. But there’s a sacrifice that needs to be made and attention to detail with the preparation that our guys have done up until this point and you have to do for this game.”
On Caleb Wilson
“I was fortunate to spend some time around Caleb at the U-18 trials as well. He’s a terrific talent. Seen him for a couple years, he’s really progressed. Saw him play with Cam and Cayden on the Night Riders team that they had for their great Peach Jam run and Peach Jam championship. Really great competitor. Obviously he’s an explosive athlete. He’s dynamic. He can do a lot of different things on offense and defense. But, the competitiveness I think has been high level. The ability to impact winning in a bunch of different ways has been really impressive watching him on film.”
On what the rivalry means
“I think there’s no denying the fact when you think about the ultimate success of both of these programs. I know what it means around here but I also know what it means because I didn’t come from the state of North Carolina. Growing up, watching these games, what it means and what this game stands for for college basketball. I think people can be jealous of how much this game means. But ultimately, it’s a hell of a thing to be a part of and grateful that it still means a lot.”
Moments that stand out about rivalry
“I have a lot of them. Obviously there’s so many moments in this rivalry, good and bad that you remember them both. For me, the last time I played in this rivalry it was my senior night. We won 82-50, that was my last game I ever played here which was meaningful. … My first time in it as a coach was meaningful. You could go down the line. I think what you cherish in those moments, you understand the heartbreak you have when you lose. It goes both ways. I think that’s what you have to be willing to take when you put yourself in position to be in this game.”
On UNC backcourt
“Those guys are really good and I think part of what’s difficult is the fact that they’ve had multiple guys in the backcourt, you can’t just key in on one guy. Each one of those players you mentioned, Trimble obviously we have known and he’s had a really good career. … Those other guys you have to be careful when guys come off the bench. Whether they come off the bench of not, they have really good depth there. The discipline to not be hugged up to anybody but to also know where they’re at because they’re all capable. They have good perimeter depth which is I think trickier in some respects as opposed to just one or two players that you have to key in on.”
Challenges with UNC
“They put a lot of pressure in the paint. They post up, transition, offensive boards, they get to the free throw line. They’re also capable from 3, they’re a better shooting team no question than last year. I think that ability to put pressure in the paint and space better. They have two really good players in Wilson and Veesaar in that frontcourt. They’re versatile. They can go inside and out. I think just their length and size inside out is a big strength, it’s different. It’s kind of the way I’ve known them, how we’ve always competed against them.”
