One of college basketball's biggest rivalries resumes for the 2017-18 season on Thursday night, as No. 9 Duke faces No. 21 North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the first two matchups for the in-state foes. Although Virginia has all but locked up the ACC regular season championship, the game (tipping off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN) is still a huge match-up for two ACC contenders looking to iron out recent struggles before March.
Duke (19-4, 7-3 ACC) is coming off an 81-77 loss to St. John’s on Saturday, it's second in the last three games. Meanwhile, North Carolina (17-7, 6-5 ACC) has dropped three of its last four games, falling to Virginia Tech, NC State and Clemson before earning a victory over Pittsburgh last weekend.