North Carolina and Duke is still college basketball’s premier rivalry. The two teams’ first meeting this season happens on Thursday, when the Tar Heels travel to Duke for a ranked matchup.
North Carolina vs. Duke 2017 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online
The rivalry starts up again this season. Here’s how you can catch it.
Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Duke hasn’t been the preseason No. 1 that they were voted ahead of the season, but at 18-5 and ranked No. 18 in the country, they’re definitely not a slouch. They’ve won three in a row, including a victory against No. 20 Notre Dame, with a top-15 offense led by Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard. The Blue Devils have to be optimistic about Jayson Tatum, too, an acclaimed freshman who scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the win against the Irish on Jan. 30.
The Tar Heels should be the favorite here, however. Ranked No. 8 in the AP poll with a 21-4 record, North Carolina has college basketball’s seventh-best offense led by Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II.
You have to imagine Duke feels a boost from the return of Coach K, who sat out for a month after undergoing back surgery. He returned last Saturday and looked much more comfortable than he did during the first month of the season, pre-surgery.
We’ve seen these two teams face off against each other with more at stake or with higher rankings at play, but these are still two of college basketball’s best going at it with a storied rivalry swirling around them, too. You have to love that.
HOW TO WATCH
DATE: Thursday, Feb. 9
TIME: 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: ESPN
HOW TO STREAM: WatchESPN
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