No.1 Duke and No. 8 North Carolina tip off tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 9 p.m. (EST) on ESPN (or stream it here) in the 249th edition of one of college sports’ best rivalries. Here’s a look at what’s at stake and who some of the key players are. ANDY KATZ'S RANKINGS: Don't miss the latest Power 36 Duke’s projected starting lineup G — Tre Jones (Fr. ): 6-2, 183 pounds; 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists per game F — Zion Williamson (Fr. ): 6-7, 285 pounds; 22.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game F — Cam Reddish (Fr. ): 6-8, 218 pounds; 13.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game F — RJ Barrett (Fr. ): 6-7, 202 pounds; 22.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game C — Marques Bolden (Jr.); 6-11, 250 pounds; 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists per game North Carolina’s projected starting lineup G — Cameron Johnson (Gr. ): 6-9, 210 pounds; 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game G — Coby White (Fr. ): 6-5, 185 pounds; 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists per game G — Kenny Williams (Sr.): 6-4, 185 pounds; 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game F — Luke Maye (Sr.): 6-8, 240 pounds; 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game F — Garrison Brooks (So. ): 6-9, 230 pounds; 8.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game When Duke has the ball The Rivalry ➡️ Big facts. Most Meetings as Top-10 Teams Duke/UNC: 46 NCSU/UNC: 14 Most Top-10 Matchups Between Coaches All-Time Coach K/Dean Smith: 17 Coach K/Roy Williams: 12#DukeMBBStats pic.twitter.com/emDmKrvbnO — Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 19, 2019 Expect one of the Blue Devils’ four star freshmen to take the shot. Jones, Williamson, Reddish and Barrett have combined to take just more than 77 percent of Duke’s shots so far this season. Barrett accounts for nearly 30 percent himself. And keep an eye on Reddish and Barrett on the perimeter. Close to two-thirds of Reddish’s shots have been 3s and more than a third of Barrett’s have followed suit. Duke (23-2, 11-1 in ACC) averages 86.4 points per game, which in part is why it leads its conference, with a 20.3 average scoring margin, and has hit 48.6 percent of its shots from the field. If the Blue Devils don’t turn the ball over, they’re second in the ACC in turnover margin, and hit 3s, which they only does a less than stellar 31.3 percent of the time, watch out. The latter is key because in a 95-91 loss against Syracuse in mid-January Duke shot just 9-of-43 on 3s. PREVIEW: Predicting Duke vs. North Carolina Don’t sleep on junior forward Jack White or Bolden, either. White has hit 17-of-21 free throws at an 81-percent clip for a team that shoots the second-most free throws in the ACC yet owns the second-worst percentage at the line. In the final few minutes, whether or not that trend holds could be the difference in deciding if Duke wins its 112th game against UNC. When North Carolina has the ball Expect the three-pronged attack of Johnson, White and Maye to attempt to wear out Duke’s defense. The trio combine for just more than 51 percent of the Tar Heels’ shots this season and each, led by Johnson, has shown an ability to hit 3s. Williams, Brooks and freshman forward Nassir Little will also be players to watch. They’ve helped ensure the Tar Heels can boast of six different players who average more than eight points per game. North Carolina (20-5, 10-2 in ACC) averages a conference-best 87.5 points per game and has hit 47.5 percent of its shots. The Tar Heels don’t get to the free-throw line as often as the Blue Devils but they do shoot much better, 74.2 percent compared to 68.3 percent, and aren’t as predictable as to who might be trying to get there. PODCAST: Don't miss the latest episode and its special guests Coach Roy Williams is relying on a much more experienced roster as he tries for UNC’s 138th win in the series against Duke. And he’ll need it on the road when he faces Mike Krzyzewski. The history of Duke vs. North Carolina First meeting: Jan. 24, 1920 — UNC 38, Duke 25 Record: UNC leads 137-111 Longest win streak: UNC — 16 (1921-28)<doc-sep>Many talented Duke basketball players have taken the Cameron Indoor floor to face North Carolina over the years, from Shane Battier to J.J. Redick to Jayson Tatum. Few had the hype freshman sensation Zion Williamson brought to the storied rivalry Wednesday night. But in the first minute against the Tar Heels, Williamson suffered a knee injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. That setback seemed to stun Duke, and North Carolina rolled to an 88-72 victory. ZION RULED OUT: Duke's Zion Williamson suffers injury against UNC Tar Heels center Luke Maye led the way with 30 points to go with 15 rebounds, while wing Cameron Johnson added 26 points. Despite shooting just 2 for 20 from behind the 3-point arc, North Carolina controlled the game the whole way. Duke, forced to respond to Williamson's injury, faltered from the field, finishing 25 for 72 (34.7 percent) overall. Sporting News provided live coverage of the action. Here's how North Carolina won: UNC vs. Duke results: Score, highlights 11:10 p.m. — Final: North Carolina 88, Duke 72. 11 p.m. — This has turned into perhaps the finest performance of Maye's life. He has 30 points and 13 rebounds. 10:46 p.m. — Duke is running out of time. The Blue Devils are down 17 with 5:10 on the clock. 10:34 p.m. — With 10 minutes remaining in the game, North Carolina leads 67-52. 10:28 p.m. — Duke is still getting almost no production from its secondary players. Tre Jones, in particular, has struggled, shooting 1-for-8 from the field and turning the ball over three times. 10:19 p.m. — Up 59-37 with 15:54 left to go, North Carolina is positioned to run away with this game. 10:13 p.m. — The Tar Heels have ballooned their lead to 15 three minutes into the second half. Maye now has 22 points. 10:09 p.m. — The second half is underway. 9:55 p.m. — Duke is probably fortunate to only be down 10 all things considered. The Blue Devils were shaky defensively without Zion, and outside of Reddish and Barrett, the team shot 2-for-14. Halftime: North Carolina 42, Duke 32 9:52 p.m. — North Carolina ends the half with a breakaway slam. 9:46 p.m. — Maye hits North Carolina's first 3 of the contest, giving him a game-high 17 points. 9:45 p.m. — North Carolina is still ahead despite shooting 0-for-12 from deep. The Tar Heels have used their dominance inside to build an advantage. 9:36 p.m. — Zion will not return, according to ESPN. That's obviously a huge blow for the Blue Devils. 9:33 p.m. — Coach K takes a timeout. North Carolina is ahead 30-17, and Maye has 14 for the Tar Heels. There's no word yet on Zion's status. 9:27 p.m. — At the midway point of the first half, North Carolina leads 24-17. Luke Maye has 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting. 9:19 p.m. — Duke seems shellshocked following the Zion injury, and its interior defense has been lacking. North Carolina leads 16-9 with 13 minutes left in the first half. 9:13 p.m. — North Carolina is now ahead 10-3 after a putback layup by Garrison Brooks. 9:09 p.m. — Zion broke his shoe skidding to the floor on the play he was hurt. He's headed to the locker room with North Carolina up 4-3 in the early going. Zion is too strong for his shoes. pic.twitter.com/hhVgAs6xoJ — Sporting News (@sportingnews) February 21, 2019 9:07 p.m. — Zion is down injured. Appears to be his right knee. 9:06 p.m. — Duke controls the tip. We're underway. 9:03 p.m. — There are some pretty big names in attendance at Cameron Indoor. Barack is in the building. pic.twitter.com/QcIWsTGr7c — Sporting News (@sportingnews) February 21, 2019 8 p.m. — UNC is here.<doc-sep>Chris Seward/Associated Press Duke and North Carolina's two yearly meetings—and sometimes more—are the biggest games on the men's college basketball calendar and two of the biggest dates on the sports calendar, period. This year, the stakes are only raised, with the nation's most exciting player, Zion Williamson, lining up for the loaded Blue Devils. And if you want to watch the No. 1 Blue Devils host the No. 8 Tar Heels in this ACC matchup on Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, well, you might not be able to pay rent for a few months. Seriously, the tickets are selling for astronomical levels: Duke vs. North Carolina is a regular-season college basketball game featuring amateur players. To put these prices into perspective, Super Bowl tickets are generally sold in that range. As SeatGeek.com noted: "Generally speaking, the average Super Bowl ticket costs between $2,500 and $3,000, but that price varies depending on the particular matchup and when the tickets are purchased. Super Bowl XLIX between the Seahawks and the Patriots was an exception to this rule, with tickets averaging $4,314."<doc-sep>Duke freshman forward Zion Williamson injured his knee early in Wednesday night's game between the top-ranked Blue Devils and the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. After Williamson blew out his shoe 30 seconds into the first half he left the game and did not return. After the game, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski called it a "mild knee sprain," but couldn't offer any specifics. He did say, however, that the knee is stable. He's expected to undergo further testing, and results should come in on Thursday. Williamson immediately clutched his right knee after blowing through his shoe on the play. He hobbled off the court moments later after an official timeout, shoe in hand, and went straight to the locker room. He did not return to the game and was shortly thereafter ruled out for the night. On the ensuing possession, North Carolina scored to take the first lead of the game and never trailed. The Tar Heels won 88-72. It's their first win at Duke's house since 2016.<doc-sep>
Former President Barack Obama was in attendance for Wednesday night's upset by the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels of the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke University officials had increased security with the likelihood that Obama would be in attendance, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports earlier Wednesday. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Obama was video-taped pregame by ABC11's Mark Armstrong high-fiving fans and later was captured by ESPN cameras. The former president even had a front-row view at Zion Williamson's bizarre knee injury, which was the result of the Duke star freshman's shoe blowing apart when he planted. After taking in the contest, which resulted in a big UNC win, Obama took to Twitter to wish Williamson well. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the game that Williamson had suffered a "mild knee sprain," but said his star's knee was otherwise "stable." Obama was the talk of Tuesday's news conference with the teams, with Duke's R.J. Barrett thrilled about the possibility of the former president possibly attending. "If he comes, I'm going to be very excited," Barrett told reporters. "This is a legendary game. Many people want to watch. It's going to be a great game." The Tar Heels (20-5, 10-2) are looking to upset the heavily favored Blue Devils (23-2, 11-1) in the first of two clashes in the next three weeks. Behind Barrett and projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Williamson, Duke is currently the top overall No. 1 seed in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology. North Carolina is a projected No. 2 seed. Obama has close ties to UNC coach Roy Williams and often favored the Tar Heels in his NCAA tournament picks while he was president. “I never know who is coming,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters Tuesday. “I try not to let that be what I’m thinking of. Look, anybody can show up here because it is a bucket-list thing. It’s a bucket-list just to come to a game in Cameron. But Duke and Carolina at Cameron is one of those great sporting events. So we can expect anything here." Tipoff for the game is 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, and tickets were nearing the price of Super Bowl tickets.