By Andrew Jones
FOXSportsSouth.com
March 4, 2011
With Saturday's epic showdown for the ACC regular season championship between Duke and North Carolina before us, it makes sense to examine these juggernauts well into their numbers.
The general consensus is that UNC is trending a bit northerly while Duke has stalemated. That's true when you consider the continued development of John Henson and Harrison Barnes, despite his shooting numbers. But Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry have played their best basketball since the beginning of February as well, and while they don't exactly cancel out the two Tar Heels, their ascent somewhat dispels the notion Duke isn't getting better.
Saturday night's primetime, network TV matchup will be just the fifth time the final regular season game between Duke and UNC has had an ACC title on the line. Carolina beat Duke in Durham in 2008 the last such time this game mattered as much, spearheaded by a 16-point, 15-rebound performance by Tyler Hansbrough.
On the surface, a slight edge goes to UNC (23-6, 13-2 ACC) because it's at home and it has more offensive weapons. But it's only a very slight edge.
Duke (27-3, 13-2) has two seniors with significant experience. Kyle Singler was the Most Outstanding Player at last April's Final Four, and recently Mike Krzyzewski said he's one of the top five players he's coached at Duke. Nolan Smith will easily win the ACC's Most Valuable Player honor this year and land on the first-team All-American list.
The following are some comparisons to whet your appetite for another clash in the greatest rivalry in major American sports. Note that these numbers don't go any further back than nine games, as it includes only games played since the beginning of February. The range of last seven games occasionally noted includes only games beginning with the first meeting between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels:
*Duke has converted 45.3 percent of its shot attempts from the field in the last nine games, including 44.6 percent in its last seven contests.
UNC, on the other hand, is at 44 percent in its last nine and 39.6 percent in its last seven. However, if you remove the numbers post by freshman Reggie Bullock, who is now out for the season after reinjuring his right knee, Carolina is at 45.2 percent in its last nine and 41.4 percent in its last seven games.
*Duke is averaging 13.1 assists and 11.3 turnovers in its last nine games. UNC is averaging 15.8 assists and 11 turnovers in its last nine games.
*Both teams are 8-1 during the nine-game stretch, and both are 6-1 in the last seven games. Duke won the first meeting 79-73 in Durham.
Player Comparisons
(All numbers based on the last nine games)
Nolan Smith vs. Kendall Marshall
Smith: 21.9 ppg; 44.3 percent shooting, 43.4 from 3-point range; 4.3 assists to 2.7 turnovers per game
Marshall: 9 ppg; 48 percent shooting, 40 percent from 3-pint range; 7 assists to 3 turnovers per game
Seth Curry vs. Dexter Strickland
Curry: 11.6 ppg, 47.6 percent from the field
Strickland: 6.1 ppg, 33.3 percent from the field
Kyle Singler vs. Harrison Barnes
Singler: 16.1 ppg; 40.4 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range; 8 rebounds per game; 15 total assists to 20 turnovers.
Barnes: 16.8 ppg; 46.4 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from 3-point range; 6.4 rebounds per game; 12 total assists to 12 turnovers.
Ryan Kelly vs. John Henson
Kelly: 5.2 ppg; 4.1 rebounds per game.
Henson: 11.6 ppg; 12 rebounds per game; 3.4 blocked shots per game.
Mason Plumlee vs. Tyler Zeller
Plumlee: 9.2 ppg; 9 rebounds per game; 14 total blocked shots.
Zeller: 16.3 ppg; 7.4 rebounds per game; 8 total blocked shots.
Bench
