Tarheel Basketball Report: UNC Vs. Duke

It's been built up by many as the greatest rivalry in college sports. Even if you disagree, you can't deny that the yearly matchup between Duke and North Carolina is always exciting. The two teams met this week, both holding top 5 rankings. The Blue Devils came out on top by a score of 89-78. The Tarheels, without their starting point guard, Ty Lawson, didn't have enough to beat the Blue Devils. Here is a recap of the games key points.

UNC's Tyler Hansbrough had twenty-eight points and eighteen rebounds.

Marcus Ginyard scored sixteen points including 8-8 from the free throw line.

Wayne Ellington struggled shooting 3-14 from the field.

Duke shot an amazing 13-29 from behind the three point line.

If you are a Tarheel fan you basically can look at this game on of two ways. One viewpoint says North Carolina got beat by double digits to Duke on their home floor, in a game in which they played poorly. Another viewpoint says, without Ty Lawson, and on a night we struggled shooting, we played with Duke for most of the game. Being a, ' the glass is half full person,' I tend to like the second viewpoint. Ty Lawson is the motor that makes North Carolina run. His presence would have made a huge difference. His speed guarantees North Carolina easy baskets in transition. Furthermore he runs their offense like no one else. Despite not having Lawson, and playing poorly on the defensive end, UNC probably wins this game if they shoot the ball better. Ellington couldn't hit the side of a house in this game. Danny Green struggled off the bench as well. If these two guys shoot like they normally do, UNC pulls this game out.

Losing to Duke does confirm the thoughts of many UNC fans. North Carolina must improve defensively. UNC gave up to many open looks on the perimeter to Duke. Sure Duke is a good shooting team, but the Tarheels needed to extend their defense and make those shots a little tougher. This has been an ongoing problem for the Heels, and one they must correct if they want to make a deep run in March.

Despite this loss North Carolina is still in great shape. I wouldn't make the mistake of giving Duke the ACC title just quite yet either. Although this is a down year for the league as a whole, their are a lot of solid teams that can beat you on a given night. Furthermore, UNC will get at least one more crack at the Blue Devils at the end of the season. Who knows, the two teams may square off again in the conference tournament.