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DURHAM — Jon Scheyer knows that it doesn’t matter that Duke is ranked No. 4 and is rolling on a 10-game win streak. The third-year Duke coach has been around the rivalry for enough years to know that the Blue Devils’ 21–1 record will be irrelevant when his team arrives at the Smith Center for Saturday night’s 6:30 game (ESPN) against No. 14 North Carolina (18–4, 5–3 ACC).
CHAPEL HILL — Hubert Davis has spent the week trying to keep North Carolina’s preparation like any other game ahead of Saturday’s showdown with No. 4 Duke, even when everyone around the program knows “the circus” is coming. Davis, who has lived the rivalry from nearly every angle imaginable, acknowledged the unique spotlight that comes with the matchup and the challenges it creates.
North Carolina’s recent defensive growth hasn’t been about reinventing the Tar Heels’ approach but making adjustments. After some recurring struggles for much of the season, especially with giving up too many open shots from outside the arc, No. 14 UNC has made clear strides in how it defends ball screens.
Coby White is coming home to North Carolina. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday afternoon that the Chicago Bulls have traded White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round draft picks.
CHAPEL HILL — After coming a win away from back-to-back trips to Omaha, North Carolina coach Scott Forbes has once again rebuilt a roster that looks capable of competing on the national stage, even after losing seven starters and the national pitcher of the year.
CHAPEL HILL — It all seemed to be coming together for North Carolina before it nearly fell apart. With a 32-point lead, the No. 14 Tar Heels slipped into cruise control with 10 minutes left, lost focus and put the brakes on most of what they had done to build the lead.
RALEIGH — North Carolina had enough answers at convenient times and that gave the Tar Heels a memorable outcome Monday night.
Carolina jumped two spots to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 men’s poll after rolling to a 91–75 victory at Georgia Tech on Saturday in its only game last week.
Caleb Love keeps stacking good games in his rookie season in Portland, including one of his most efficient nights of the season on Sunday.
Elliot Cadeau capped the biggest week of No. 3 Michigan’s amazing season with one of the best performances of his career. Meanwhile, Ian Jackson had a solid game, Ven-Allen Lubin remained consistent, and Teonni Key returned from injury.
Here’s a look at Monday night’s home game for Carolina against Syracuse.
Carolina’s NET ranking edged up to 25 after the No. 16 Tar Heels’ 91–75 victory at Georgia Tech on Saturday. UNC (17–4, 5–3 ACC) was at 23 after the big win at Virginia but had fallen to 26 during their week off. They now will have a quick turnaround before trying to avoid a damaging Quad 3 loss when they host Syracuse (13–9, 4–5; NET ranking of 73) at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
ATLANTA — Henri Veesaar didn’t need to be reminded of what happened at Virginia. A week after turning in season lows of seven points and one rebound, No. 16 North Carolina’s big man answered with one of his most complete performances of the season Saturday, posting 20 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and two steals in the Tar Heels’ 91–75 win over Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion.
It might be time for the Los Angeles Lakers to call up RJ Davis to the NBA. Davis followed up scoring 30 points in a triple-double on Thursday with a career-high 45 points in only 35 minutes on Saturday in the South Bay Lakers’ dominant 146–104 home victory over the Salt Lake City Stars at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, Calif.
ATLANTA — Seth Trimble’s recent surge of success on strong drives to the basket hasn’t come out of nowhere. It has come from patience, repetition, and a clearer head, literally and figuratively, as the senior guard has become more efficient.
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