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Showdown II: UNC, Duke battle for first
ACC regular season title on the line at 4 p.m.
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Published: March 8, 2009
The best has been saved for last.
The ACC's regular-season title will be decided today, the final day of more than two months of fierce conference play.
And settling the question will be the ACC's flagship programs, Duke and North Carolina, at 4 p.m. at the Smith Center.
UNC needs a win to take the title outright. Duke needs a victory to force a tie for first place, which would then be broken by the ACC's tie-breaker rules to determine which team will be the No. 1 seed for next week's ACC Tournament.
Senior center Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina said he wasn't in a sharing mood regarding the regular-season title.
"We don't want to split it," he said. "We want to have it to ourselves."
Duke Forward Gerald Henderson said he wants to deny North Carolina outright possession and run his team's winning streak to six games.
"We're not so much worried about ruining their day," Henderson said. "We're more worried about winning."
UNC is 26-3 overall and 12-3 in the ACC. Duke is 25-5 and 11-4. The game will mark the 13th time that both teams have had a shot at winning at least a share of the title heading into the regular-season finale.
The situation has favored Duke recently. Duke has won four of the past five games with at least a share of the title at stake in the teams' final game. UNC can't fall lower than the No. 2 seed for the tournament, but Duke could finish 1, 2 or 3 depending on how the final standings fall..
Adding to the intrigue will be UNC's Senior Day. Hansbrough, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor and Mike Copeland of Winston-Salem, along with three walk-ons, will play their last games in the Smith Center.
UNC spoiled Duke's Senior Days in Durham in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. If gaining a share of the regular-season title isn't enough spark for Duke, it can call upon the matter of issuing some serious payback.
"I'm sure they're looking for revenge, especially after we beat them earlier in the season," Green said. "I'm sure they're coming out with a chip on their shoulder. We feel like we need to play with a chip on our shoulder as well."
Neither Henderson nor forward Jon Scheyer would say that Duke will be out to get revenge for past Senior Day losses.
"I think we play with a chip on our shoulder regardless of anything that they've done in the past," Henderson said. "I think there's enough on the game with the ACC championship, and that being one of our goals, for us to have a chip on our shoulders."
UNC has beaten Duke in five of their past six games and in six of the past eight. Duke has won seven of its past 10 games in the Smith Center, however. The programs will be meeting for the 41st time when both are ranked in the top 10 of the national polls, and the previous results are split evenly.
The X factor belongs to Duke because of Elliot Williams, a 6-4 freshman guard who has helped spark the late-season run.
Williams didn't play in the first game in Durham on Feb. 11, which UNC won 101-87. Coach Mike Krzyzewski put Williams into the starting lineup five games ago after a loss at Boston College. Duke hasn't lost since, although Williams ceded his starting spot last Tuesday for a game against Florida State on Duke's Senior Day.
Williams and Scheyer share the point guard duties in the starting lineup. Williams will likely defend frequently against Ty Lawson, the UNC point guard who scored 21 points after halftime in Durham and finished with 25 in leading a comeback win.
Williams will have only one responsibility when defending Lawson.
"I've got to keep him in front of me," Williams said. "I'm going to have a lot of help, but I've got to keep him out of the paint."
Lawson expects Duke to form its defense around the lane and make him shoot from the outside. He heard after the game in Durham that Henderson said he was not a good outside shooter and that driving is the strength of his game.
"If they give me a shot I'm going to take it. I'm going to wait for my opportunities," Lawson said.
Krzyzewski said his team deserves a piece of the title for the hard work it has done this season. Lance Thomas, a 6-8 forward, practiced again yesterday for Duke on his sprained left ankle and is considered probable to play.
Green, Hansbrough and UNC's other seniors helped the team overcome a 0-2 start in ACC play to move into first place. Green said they do not want to be denied, after coming back so far in their last UNC seasons.
"I break my career up into different chapters," Green said. "Overall the story looks pretty good coming down to the end of the season. The book itself seems nice so far. Hopefully it ends with a happy ending."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
Game day
Duke at UNC
• Site, time: Smith Center, Chapel Hill; 4 p.m.
• TV/radio: WFMY Ch. 9 (CBS); WTHZ 94.1; WIST 98.3
• Of note: North Carolina's seniors, led by Tyler Hansbrough, will play the final home game of their careers. North Carolina can clinch first place in the ACC outright with a win. Duke can clinch a share of first by winning. North Carolina has won five of its past six games against Duke, but Duke has powered its way to seven wins in its past 10 games in Chapel Hill. Hansbrough needs 70 points to become the ACC's all-time scorer and 23 rebounds to become North Carolina's career leading rebounder.
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