No. 21 North Carolina should be in for Duke’s best shot when the Tobacco Road rivals get together in Durham on Thursday night. The Heels have won two in a row over the Blue Devils, and will be favored to make that three wins on the trot — but despite a host of injuries and a poor 3-6 record, Duke has hung tough against better teams all year.
North Carolina–Duke, Utah–Arizona State: Start times, live streams, TV schedule, and things to know for Thursday
A pair of games involving ranked teams graces our Thursday night viewing schedule.
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Despite losing early in the year, North Carolina has quietly put together a strong season, and a worthy follow-up to its breakout 2015 season. At 7-2, the Heels have a strong shot to finish at 10-2, but could be kept out of the ACC title game by virtue of their loss to Virginia Tech. They’ll have to take care of Duke before anything gets sorted out, however, and Duke has proven itself to be a pesky out.
The Blue Devils are 3-6, 0-5 in ACC play, and they’ve lost three straight games. Despite those ugly numbers, they’re far from a pushover. Their last two losses have come by three points, and their biggest loss of the year was by only 14 points. They held Louisville in check for much of the night before losing, and hey, they beat Notre Dame.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: North Carolina | Duke
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: North Carolina is favored by 11 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Tar Heel Blog for North Carolina fans and Duke Basketball Report for Duke fans.
Three big things to know
1. Duke's defense has held Lamar Jackson and Jerod Evans to subpar games over the past few weeks, so it will be interesting to see how it performs against Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky is less of a running threat than either Jackson or Evans, but he has thrown for over 2,700 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only two interceptions so far in nine games, so this will be a challenge.
2. The advanced stats like North Carolina quite a bit here. The Heels are the No. 23 team according to S&P+, while Duke is all the way at No. 65.
3. North Carolina’s defense has been the weak point for years under Larry Fedora, but it has quietly made progress. It was No. 89 in Defensive S&P+ last year, and currently stands at No. 54 for 2016. That may not be terribly impressive in a vacuum, but when the defense has the cushion UNC’s offense affords it, that’s a significant jump.
And for the late game, No. 15 Utah travels south to tangle with Arizona State. Arizona State has won four of the five games between these teams since Utah joined the Pac-12, but Utah won big last year, and comes in again as the better team.
Two weeks ago, the Utes took undefeated Washington to the end before losing on a punt return for a touchdown. They still stick to their traditional formula of running the ball and playing imposing, physical defense. Four players have over 70 carries on the season, led by Joe Williams, who is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has six touchdowns.
Arizona State, meanwhile, has lost three games in a row, including a loss to the worst Oregon team in years. Quarterback Manny Wilkins has been dinged up all year, but he is back after missing last week with a shoulder injury. Dillon Sterling-Cole started in his place last week against Oregon.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FS1
Radio: Utah | Arizona State
Online streaming: Fox Sports Go
Spread: Utah is favored by 5.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Block U for Utah fans and House of Sparky for Arizona State fans.
Three big things to know
1. The contrast between the two defenses is stark. Utah has made defense its calling card under Kyle Whittingham, whereas Arizona State really can’t stop anyone. The Sun Devils are No. 106 in Defensive S&P+, and can’t be counted on to put a game away. If Arizona State is going to win, it’s because it doesn’t stop scoring.
2. If Arizona State can get out to an early lead and make Utah play catch up, it will be at a substantial advantage. Utah’s offense is not built to throw the ball a lot, and quarterback Troy Williams has only nine touchdowns compared with five interceptions on the year. That’s not the game it wants to play, and that’s exactly what Arizona State likes to do.
3. Utah needs to keep winning if it wants to keep pace with Colorado in the Pac-12 South race. It has a date with the Buffs to end the regular season in Boulder, and the Utes can jump them with a win. Otherwise, they would need to win the rest of their games or hope for some help.
See More:
