The official Duke-North Carolina game(s) thread

It's never too early to start talking about a Duke-Carolina matchup. But next week there will be two huge games in two nights.

On Wednesday night in Durham, the men's teams play at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On paper it shapes up as a one-side game that the Tar Heels figure to dominate. Anybody who has followed this series knows better. Even in UNC's 8-20 season or in Krzyzewski's bad-back season, both regular-season games were competitive. Yes, UNC has the talent to beat down Duke but I firmly believe that it will be another classic.

Can Krzyzewski control the tempo and keep Carolina from running? Ty Lawson has the quickness to make Greg Paulus look really stupid and now Hansbrough has some help inside against McRoberts in Brandan Wright.

On Thursday night, assuming that the No. 1 Duke women get by Virginia on Friday and Clemson on Monday (neither game should be a problem), they will meet No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It will be a battle of the only unbeaten teams in men's or women's college basketball. The Blue Devils will be pumped up since they haven't beaten the Tar Heels in a while. UNC has positioned itself to have six days of rest before the matchup.

The Ivory Latta-Lindsey Harding matchup should be fun to watch as will the Erlana Larkins-Alison Bales battle inside. Harding is MUCH better than she was last year and if she plays with the same fire she showed in Duke's win against Maryland, it will be entertaining.

 

Lindsey Harding should be getting some looks for national awards. She's the difference for Duke, as her play was how the Devils torched then-No. 1 Maryland at Cameron and Tennessee's inability to contain her penetration and scoring early doomed the Lady Vols.

I think Harding is the one player Latta can't outquick ... about all she can do is out-Drama Queen Harding. I'm sick of Latta and her stupid overacting. Thank goodness Harding is the perfect antidote.

Can't argue with too many of the points with the men's game. Similar to the NCSU matchup on Saturday, Chapel Hill will look to set the tempo at afterburner. How Duke counters that will be crucial.

 

Watched UNC women's team twice this year.
If there's another team in the country better than them, I'd love to be at that game. If you're a basketball fan and you can, put that one on the TV.

 

And remember: Harding had fouled out so she wasn't available to Duke when it lost the national championship game in overtime.

I don't particularly like her showboating, but I love to watch her play. In interviews, she seems like a real good kid. I'm afraid she unwittingly motivates opponents, but she's good enough to beat most of them anyway. I think Harding's size bothers Latta as well.

 

I think Duke is. Should be worth every penny.

Is Chapel Hill moving this one to the Dean Dome like it has in past years? Carmichael Auditorium may not have enough seats to accomodate those interesting in being at this one ...

 

Yup ... on your first point, Maryland hit a shot over 6-7 Alison Bales to send the game into OT. No Harding makes a big difference, as the Terps explored.

I don't like Ivory Latta. Overacts, preens, taunts ... nothing likable about her. I admire her ability, she's quicker than lightning and she's the straw that stirs Sylvia's team. Her crap bothers most players she can outplay anyway. Harding will be a different breed for her. Additionally, most times Latta may get inside, she'll have to deal with Bales. And I DARE Latta to threaten to pick a fight with Bales like she tried to last year ... that could be comic gold.

 

Duke-UNC or Red Sox-Yankees ... I'm not sure which rivalry is worse.

 

Sox-Yanks. I know there's a great rivalry there, but from my perspective, ESPN forces it down our throats. I could be dead wrong.

Many of you could say the same about Duke-North Carolina. I can't make the same judgment because I was immersed in that rivalry when ESPN was still a couple of cheap trailers in the mud in Bristol. On a thread last college basketball season, someone accused Duke-Chapel Hill of being an ESPN product. Obviously, the imbecile wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

I can't tell if you have your Stuart Scott or Gary Williams mask on. ;D

 

I should have guessed it was Gary. He swears more than Stewy, but thankfully doesn't look down on others as much.