Top-Ranked Duke Hosts No. 17 UNC in Rivalry Clash

Saturday, March 7

Durham, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

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Maliq Brown - 2025-26 Duke Men's Basketball

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Top-Ranked Duke Hosts No. 17 UNC in Rivalry Clash

3/6/2026 3:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Opening Tip

Saturday features a top-20 rivalry matchup between No. 1 Duke and No. 17 North Carolina.
Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Saturday marks the 267th meeting in the rivalry's history.
Duke has won the outright ACC regular-season championship in back-to-back years.
The Blue Devils have finished the regular season with at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001.
The Blue Devils have won 31 consecutive home games, including 18 straight against conference opponents, while posting a 62-3 (.954) home record under Jon Scheyer.
Scheyer has matched Brad Stevens for the most wins (117) by a Division I coach in their first four seasons.
Duke is No. 1 in NET rankings and owns 14 Quad-1 wins, tied for most in the country. (Mar. 4)
Duke has secured 10 top-25 victories, the most in the regular season in ACC history.
The Blue Devils are the top-rated defense in the nation. (KenPom)
Duke is the only team ranked in the top-four nationally in both offensive efficiency (128.8, 4th) and defensive efficiency (88.0, 1st) ratings. (KenPom)
The Blue Devils lead the nation in scoring margin (+20.6).
The Blue Devils rank third in the nation and first in the ACC in scoring defense (62.5 ppg).
Duke tops the conference and ranks sixth in the country in rebounding margin (+10.4).
Cameron Boozer is the nation's seventh-leading scorer with 22.6 points per game, and tops the ACC in rebounding (10.0 rpg), is eighth in steals (1.6 spg), 13th in assists (4.0 apg) and third in field goal percentage (.583).
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 30 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
Isaiah Evans ranks second in the ACC in free-throw percentage (.888), and is the ACC's 13th-leading scorer in conference play, averaging 16.5 points per league game.
Caleb Foster has distributed 23 assists with just two turnovers in Duke's last five games.

About the UNC Tar Heels

Saturday marks the 267th meeting in the rivalry's history.
North Carolina is Duke's most-frequently played opponent, ahead of Wake Forest (264) and NC State (259).
The last 100 games in the series favors Duke, 54-46.
The Blue Devils swept the rivalry series last season, including a 74-71 victory in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
The Tar Heels commit the fewest fouls (14.5) and second-fewest turnovers (9.5) per game in the ACC.
North Carolina is second in the conference and 19th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (+1.69).
UNC leads the ACC in free-throw attempts per game (22.9).
North Carolina ranks fourth in the league and is 27th in the nation in defensive rebounding, averaging 27.4 per contest.
Henri Veesaar is second in the ACC in double-doubles with 13, averaging 16.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Seth Trimble, who averages 14.5 points per game, has averaged 19.7 points in the Tar Heels' last three victories.

On This Date - March 7

Duke has a 10-6 record on March 7.
The Blue Devils have won four straight on March 7 since 1998.
Duke is 3-2 against North Carolina on this date, with three consecutive victories, including the 1999 ACC Tournament championship game.
In Duke's only meeting with UNC at Cameron Indoor on this date, the Blue Devils secured an 89-76 win over the Tar Heels in 2020.

Last Time Out

No. 1 Duke defeated NC State, 93-64, at the Lenovo Center on Monday. With the win, the Blue Devils secured their second consecutive outright ACC regular-season title.
Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 26 points, while also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and distributing six assists.
Dame Sarr put up 16 points, including 14 in the first half, fueled by three triples, which matched his career high. The freshman also grabbed eight rebounds, also matching his career high. Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II rounded out Duke's double-digit scoring with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Caleb Foster stuffed the stat sheet with six points, four rebounds and seven assists, giving the junior back-to-back games with at least six assists for the first time in his career.
As a team, Duke dished 24 assists on 32 made field goals and outrebounded NC State, 44-32.
On defense, the Blue Devils limited the Wolfpack to 7-of-29 (.241) from beyond the arc, their second-lowest shooting percentage from deep all season.
With the win, Duke clinched the outright ACC regular-season championship, its second outright regular-season title in as many seasons. This is the 22nd time the Blue Devils have earned at least a share of the ACC regular-season crown. This is the first time Duke has captured back-to-back ACC regular-season championships since winning five in-a-row from 1996-2001.
Head coach Jon Scheyer improved his head-coaching record to 117-24, matching Butler's Brad Stevens for the most by a Division I coach in their first four seasons.
The Blue Devils moved to 28-2 to start the season, their best stretch to open a season since beginning the 1998-99 campaign at 29-1.
Duke held the lead at halftime, 47-30, its 15th consecutive game holding a lead after 20 minutes - Duke's longest such stretch since the 2014-15 season. (Stats Perform)
The Blue Devils dished 24 total assists, their 10th game this season with at least 20 dimes and second in the last three games.
The Wolfpack entered Monday's game averaging 84.2 points per game, but were held to 64, 20.2 below their season average. Duke's defense has held all but two of their 30 opponents below their scoring average. NC State was held under 70 points for just the third time this season.
Entering Monday, Duke topped the ACC and ranked sixth nationally for rebounding margin (+10.3). The Blue Devils outrebounded NC State by 11 (43-32) and have finished with a positive margin on the glass in 26 games this season.
Duke began the game leading the league, and ranked second nationally, for scoring margin (+20.3). The Blue Devils defeated NC State by 29 points, outpacing their season average for scoring margin. The 29-point win is Duke's largest in the Lenovo Center and the largest in the overall series since winning by 39 (99-60) on Jan. 28, 1967.
NC State entered Monday ranked 13th in the country for 3-point shooting percentage (.386). The Blue Devils defense stifled the Wolfpack shooting from deep, limiting the hosts to just 7-of-29 (.241) from beyond the arc. 24.1 percent is NC State's second-lowest percentage from beyond the arc this season.

ACC Regular-Season Champions

With Monday's win, Duke clinched the ACC regular-season championship and will be the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
The 2025-26 campaign is the 22nd time the Blue Devils have earned at least a share of the regular-season title, and the second consecutive outright regular-season crown under head coach Jon Scheyer.
The Blue Devils have finished the regular season with at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship in back-to-back seasons for the first time since winning five straight in 1996-2001.

Duke at No. 1 in Top-25 Polls

On Feb. 23, after defeating top-ranked Michigan, Duke jumped two spots to the top of the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches top-25 polls.
The Blue Devils have now been ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation (AP poll) for 149 weeks, more than any other program in the country. (as of March 2 poll)
Saturday will be Duke's 296th game played as the No. 1-ranked team, ahead of UCLA's 257 games for the best total all-time (since 1949), with the Blue Devils posting a 253-42 record.
Since 1998, the Blue Devils have played 193 games as the top-ranked team, more than twice as many as the next best tally (84 by North Carolina).
Last season, Duke moved to the top of both the AP and Coaches polls on March 10, 2025, and remained in the top spot on March 17, 2025, after winning three games in Charlotte to capture the ACC Tournament title, right through to the Final Four.
The No. 1 ranking on March 10, 2025, was the first time the Blue Devils were positioned atop the Associated Press poll since Nov. 29, 2021.

Blue Devils Efficient at Both Ends of the Floor

Duke is the only team ranked in the top-four nationally in both offensive efficiency (128.8, 4th) and defensive efficiency (88.0, 1st) ratings, according to KenPom.com.
The Blue Devils are the nation's No. 1-rated team, according to KenPom, with an overall rating of 40.79, the second-highest rating in KenPom history, behind the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils (43.01). Michigan, who the Blue Devils defeated, is second at 39.64. (March 5)
The 2024-25 Blue Devils achieved the best offensive efficiency rating (130.1) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season).
Duke finished the 2024-25 season with the second-highest overall rating (39.29) in KenPom history, trailing only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils (43.01).
Last season, Duke was the only team in the country ranked among the top-five in both offensive (130.1, 1st) and defensive (90.8, 5th) adjusted efficiency (KenPom).
Duke has boasted a top-20 defense in all four seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer: 16th (93.9) in 2022-23; 16th (95.2) in 2023-24; 5th (90.8) in 2024-25; and currently 1st (88.0) in 2025-26.

Tracking Blue Devil Deflections

Through 30 games, the Blue Devils have accumulated 521 deflections, an average of 17.4 per game.
Duke amassed a season-best 32 deflections versus Niagara (Nov. 21), topping the previous high of 30 against Indiana State (Nov. 14).
Maliq Brown, described as a "defensive menace" by head coach Jon Scheyer, tops Duke with 158 deflections (5.3 avg.), as the senior has registered more than 30% of the team's deflections.
Brown, who was selected to the 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 71 steals as a sophomore at Syracuse, recorded 12 deflections against Niagara (Nov. 21), the most by a Blue Devil this season.
Brown has the best steal percentage (5.39%) in the ACC and ranks second nationally, according to KenPom (percentage of possessions a player records a steal while on the court).
Brown joined teammate Cameron Boozer as one of 15 players selected to the 2025-26 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award watch list, announced Feb. 27.

Cleaning the Glass

Duke tops the conference and ranks sixth in the country in rebounding margin (+10.4), outrebounding its opposition by an average of 40.0 to 29.6 boards per game.
The Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponent in 26 games this season.
Duke has outrebounded seven opponents by 20 or more boards, including a season-best rebound margin of +34 (55-21) against Lipscomb, +22 (49-27) at Notre Dame, and a +21 (47-26) versus Louisville.
Duke has limited three opponents to two points or less in second-chance points, including a pair of shutouts (Lipscomb, Georgia Tech).

Strength of Schedule

Duke has secured 10 top-25 victories - the most by any team this season - with wins over No. 1 Michigan, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 11 Virginia, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
The 2025-26 Blue Devils are the first team in the history of the ACC to win at least 10 regular-season games against ranked opponents.
Duke has posted five double-digit victories over ranked teams this season, the most by Duke since the 2001-02 campaign. (ESPN Research)
Duke, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA's NET rankings (March 4), has played 16 Quad-1 games with a 14-2 record in those contests. The Blue Devils' 14 Quad-1 wins are tied for the most in the country.
Eight ACC teams are among the top 40 of the NCAA's NET rankings (as of March 4). Duke (1), Virginia (13), Louisville (15), North Carolina (24) and Miami (29) rank among the top 30.
Four ACC teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll (March 2): No. 1 Duke, No. 13 Virginia, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 22 Miami.
Duke's 2025-26 non-conference lineup features eight opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Texas (Nov. 4; Charlotte, N.C.), Kansas (Nov. 18; New York, N.Y.), Arkansas (Nov. 27; Chicago), Florida (Dec. 2; Durham), Michigan State (Dec. 6; East Lansing, Mich.), Lipscomb (Dec. 16; Durham), Texas Tech (Dec. 20; New York, N.Y.) and Michigan (Feb. 21; Washington, D.C.). Of those teams, five advanced to the Sweet 16, with three reaching the Elite Eight.
The Blue Devils play 10 games against teams ranked in ESPN's preseason top 25: No. 2 Florida, No. 6 Louisville (twice), No. 8 Michigan, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 22 Kansas, No. 24 NC State and No. 25 North Carolina (twice).

Measurable Results

Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 63-6. (College Basketball Report)
Since Thanksgiving 2024, the Blue Devils have achieved a record of 59-4 (.937).
Duke has won 38 of its last 40 games against conference opponents.
The Blue Devils have confronted double-digit deficits in four outings this season, including their largest deficits at Louisville (12) and versus SMU (11), and have rallied to win all four games.
During the past three seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer, Duke has sustained just one double-digit defeat — in the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight.
In that stretch, the Blue Devils have produced 69 double-figure victories, including 47 wins by 20-plus points, 23 by 30-plus and eight by 40-plus.
Since the start of last season, Duke has won 35 games by at least 20 points. That is the most 20-point wins in Division I over this span and nine more than the next closest major conference team (Iowa State, 25). (Stats Perform)
Duke has taken a double-digit lead in 63 of 69 games since the start of last season. The Blue Devils have a 59-4 record in those contests, including 51 wins by at least 10 points. (Devils Illustrated)

Cameron Boozer's Historic Campaign

Cameron Boozer headlines the KenPom Player of the Year Rankings with the highest mark (3.258) since the current format of the rating system was implemented in 2013. No player has finished a season with a rating above 2.800. Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin achieved a 2.794 rating at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.
Boozer also sits atop the EvanMiya Player Performance Rankings at 14.94, leading Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan at 13.09.
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 30 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
Boozer is the only DI player in the last 30 seasons to have 650+ points, 300+ rebounds, 100+ assists and 50.0+ FG% in single regular season.
Boozer is the first Duke freshman to score 35 points or more twice - amassing 35 points versus Indiana State (Nov. 14) and tallying 35 points again versus Arkansas (Nov. 27).
The freshman forward became the first NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to have an eight-game span with more than 175 points, 75 rebounds and 25 assists, 10 or fewer turnovers, and an undefeated record - doing so in Duke's first eight games. (OptaSTATS)
Boozer became the first ACC player with at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a five-game span since Craig Smith of Boston College in March 2006. The freshman forward accomplished that standard in his first five college contests. (Nov. 19)
Boozer is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to collect at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 40 assists through his first 11 career games. (Dec. 17; OptaSTATS)
Boozer amassed 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, connecting on 13-of-16 field goals in a win over Indiana State on Nov. 14, becoming the first major conference freshman to reach 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003 (ESPN), and joined Zion Williamson (2019) and Christian Laettner (1990) as the third Duke player in the past 45 years to score at least 35 points in a double-double performance.
Boozer's nine assists against Florida State were the most by a Blue Devil in the past three seasons (10 assists by Tyrese Proctor against Pitt in the 2023 ACC Tournament).
Boozer needed just 16 career games to record 300+ points, 150+ rebounds and 50+ assists. That is the second fewest needed by any player this century, as LSU's Ben Simmons reached those figures in 15 games 10 years ago in 2015-16. (Stats Perform)
Boozer became the first Blue Devil to score 30 points in consecutive games since RJ Barrett in February 2019.
The Miami native has amassed 25 points or more in 11 games, including 35 points against No. 22 Arkansas, 35 points versus Indiana State, 32 points against Wake Forest, 30 points at Stanford and 29 points against No. 15 Florida.
Boozer's 26-point performance at NC State (Mar. 2) was his 11th game scoring 25 points or more, which ranks third among Duke freshmen all time.
Boozer has led all players in points, rebounds and assists in six games this season, breaking a tie with Tim Duncan (5, 1996-97) for the most by an ACC player in a season over the last 30 seasons.
Boozer has been voted ACC Player of the Week four times (Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 19) and ACC Rookie of the Week nine times (Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 23).
The freshman forward is currently the nation's seventh-leading scorer with 22.6 points per game, ranks 14th nationally with 10.0 rebounds per contest and is tied for ninth with 16 double-doubles, which is tied for the second-most by a Duke freshman.
Among ACC statistical leaders, Boozer leads the league in rebounding (10.0 rpg), and ranks second in scoring (22.6 ppg), eighth in steals (1.6 spg), 13th in assists (4.0 apg) and third in field goal percentage (.583).

Other Notables

The Blue Devils have won their last four conference games by an average margin of 34.0 points.
Duke has a record of 67-3 (.957) when committing 15 or fewer fouls under head coach Jon Scheyer, compared to 50-21 (.704) when the Blue Devils have 16 or more fouls. (@EvanMiya)
Maliq Brown is sixth in the nation and second in the ACC in 2-point field goal percentage (74.7%), having made 59-of-79 shots inside the arc.
Veteran Blue Devil Caleb Foster has proven to be a road warrior this season, establishing new career-highs in points (20 at Louisville), rebounds (8 at Pittsburgh) and assists (8 vs. Arkansas in Chicago) all away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans are the first Duke teammates to each have 350+ points in the team's first 25 games of a season since Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. in 2019-20.
Evans has notched at least 10 points and a made three in 12 straight home games, the longest such streak by a Blue Devil since Brandon Ingram (14) in 2015-16.
Duke has registered 33 kill shots (scoring run of 10+ points) this season, while surrendering just six by the opposition.
Duke's 11-0 start was the best unbeaten open to a season since the 2017-18 campaign, and its 21-1 record was the best start to a season since 2007-08 (22-1).
The Blue Devils' 17 straight ACC regular-season victories (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) is the third-longest ACC winning streak in program history and the longest since 2000.
Duke's eight consecutive ACC road wins (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) tied for the third-longest ACC road winning streak in program history.
Duke has won 14 games in conference play for the fifth straight season. That's the longest streak by an ACC team in conference history. (Stats Perform)
The 55-point margin of victory over Army West Point (Nov. 11, 2025) was Duke's largest road win in program history.
The 100-56 win at Notre Dame (Feb. 24) was the Blue Devils' first time scoring 100 points in a regulation ACC road game since 1999, and the 44-point difference marked the largest margin of defeat for Notre Dame at home since 1898.
Duke posted a record of 36-3 (.923) in 2025, to tie the ACC record for most wins in a calendar year, equaling the 1992 Blue Devils (36-2) and North Carolina in 2008 (36-3).

Duke is Most-Watched Men's College Basketball Team

Duke is the most-watched men's college basketball team this season, according to Nielsen (as of Feb. 8).
No. 4 Duke's 80-71 victory over No. 22 Arkansas at the United Center on Thanksgiving Day averaged 6.813 million viewers for CBS Sports, becoming the most-watched regular-season college basketball game on any network since the 1992-93 season, according to Nielsen. The previous high came on Feb. 21, 1993, when Purdue faced Indiana on CBS (7.225 million).
Duke's victory over top-ranked Michigan on Feb. 21, averaged 4.3 million viewers, peaking at 5.4 million, as ESPN's most-watched game in seven years, and ESPN's seventh most-watched game on record.
The Duke versus North Carolina game on Feb. 7, averaged 3.51 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-watched regular-season college basketball game in four years. The contest peaked at 4.8 million viewers, representing a 53% increase over the 2025 matchup.

The Blue Devils Have Won 85% of Games at Cameron Indoor Stadium

Duke has posted an all-time record of 992-174 (.851) at Cameron Indoor Stadium, including a 62-3 (.954) record under head coach Jon Scheyer with unblemished home records in 2022-23 (16-0) and 2024-25 (17-0).
The Blue Devils have won 31 consecutive home games, including 18 against ACC opponents.
Duke has won more games at its current home venue than any team in college basketball.
Now in its 87th season as the home of the Blue Devils, Duke has averaged 11.1 wins since the venue opened Jan. 6, 1940 -- a 36-27 win over Princeton.

Sellout Streak Still Staying Strong

Duke has sold out 555 consecutive games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The last time Duke did not have a sellout at home was on Nov. 16, 1990, against Boston College.
The sellout figure is the longest current streak (by time) in either men's college basketball or the NBA.
Duke's record at Cameron during the sellout streak is 506-49 (.912).

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