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Revised: They LOST again!! Dook has now lost 3-straight to top #25 ranked teams this season sir!

I generally like Coach K , but he went full fledged wuss on the college kid reporter. Just give the stock answer, I have to review the film, and then we will reevaluate things and move forward. The feel empathy for me schtick is weak.

 
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I generally like Coach K , but he went full fledged wuss on the college kid reporter. Just give the stock answer, I have to review the film, and then we will reevaluate things and move forward. The feel empathy for me schtick is weak.

Agree should have just said exactly what you posted and been done with it. For someone who's viewed as such a high moral Authority he's not looking very good this year in multiple fronts.
 
I generally like Coach K , but he went full fledged wuss on the college kid reporter. Just give the stock answer, I have to review the film, and then we will reevaluate things and move forward. The feel empathy for me schtick is weak.

I agree. IMO K lost his way somewhat over the past decade (or so) compared to his previous years. He’s become a little more snarky and preachy like the reaction to that benign question.

I assume the student reporter will get one of those half hearted apologies in the next few days (followed by qualifiers of I was just trying to defend my team....these kids work so hard....unprecedented times...) and maybe a PR photo shot with K at practice.
 
And, yet, somehow, the sun still rose this morning.

North Carolina and Duke are tightly grouped in the top data-based rankings, including KenPom (UNC at No. 32 and Duke at No. 35 after Tuesday's wins). Based on what you saw Tuesday and before Tuesday, which team is better right now and which has the higher ceiling?
play
0:28
Tar Heels' Leaky Black sends it down with authority
North Carolina guard Leaky Black breaks away for a powerful one-handed jam.
Medcalf: I think North Carolina is the better team right now, proved by its recent wins over the middling ACC squads that Duke couldn't beat prior to Tuesday's win over Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels still have youthful, inconsistent guard play, but they're clearly improving.

I still think Duke has the higher ceiling. I think Matthew Hurt-Jalen Johnson have the potential to carry Duke down the stretch the way they did against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, going 13-for-22 combined. And DJ Steward, who has finished with 14 or more points in the team's past four wins, could anchor the trio in the coming weeks. North Carolina has played 16 games; Duke has played 11. After 11 games this season, UNC was 7-4 after weathering a 2-4 stretch. Duke should continue to improve as the NCAA tournament approaches. And if that growth comes, the Blue Devils will have the edge over the rival Tar Heels.

Borzello: I jumped off the Duke bandwagon in early December (the last time I voted for the Blue Devils in the AP poll was Dec. 7) and haven't looked back. I thought the Blue Devils had some serious issues early in the season, most notably a real lack of identity, and that hasn't changed. They don't shoot it well; they've had inconsistent guard play; and they're unimposing defensively. We'll see if the win over Georgia Tech sparks anything, but I'm going to be cautious.

On the other hand, I think North Carolina is starting to figure things out. The Tar Heels have won six of their past seven games; they're beginning to get the balance they've missed for most of the season; and they've cut back on turnovers -- a huge problem early on. Caleb Love wasn't great on Tuesday, but he turned it over just once. Kerwin Walton has added perimeter pop since moving into the starting lineup eight games ago. RJ Davis and Leaky Black have been solid. Garrison Brooks isn't playing at the level he was last season, but Brooks, Armando Bacot and Day'Ron Sharpe are still as good a post trio as you'll find in the country. Carolina is better than Duke now and should be better than Duke in March.

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Gasaway:
I'll second what my colleague Mr. Borzello said. With Duke in 2021, it's unclear how the Blue Devils expect to win. At least with North Carolina it's plain that the Tar Heels, per usual, want to crash the offensive glass and force misses in the paint. Brooks and Bacot combined to score 37 points on just 21 shots against Pitt, and Sharpe might be the best pure rebounder on the roster. To be sure, this UNC team is still figuring things out, and, even after it won six of seven, the numbers for shooting from both sides of the arc in ACC play are, well, unsightly. But at least the Heels are moving in the right direction, and finishing two or three games above .500 in the conference appears well within reach. Not too many people at the end of December would have guessed we'd be saying as much.

Lunardi: If Duke and Carolina played a best-of-seven, it would go the distance. If they were the last two teams in front of the NCAA selection committee for a tournament spot, North Carolina would get the nod. The Tar Heels have better wins and have been more consistently above average. Hardly a ringing endorsement for two of the game's giant programs. Duke might yet have more upside, but we've yet to see it.
 
North Carolina and Duke are tightly grouped in the top data-based rankings, including KenPom (UNC at No. 32 and Duke at No. 35 after Tuesday's wins). Based on what you saw Tuesday and before Tuesday, which team is better right now and which has the higher ceiling?
play
0:28
Tar Heels' Leaky Black sends it down with authority
North Carolina guard Leaky Black breaks away for a powerful one-handed jam.
Medcalf: I think North Carolina is the better team right now, proved by its recent wins over the middling ACC squads that Duke couldn't beat prior to Tuesday's win over Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels still have youthful, inconsistent guard play, but they're clearly improving.

I still think Duke has the higher ceiling. I think Matthew Hurt-Jalen Johnson have the potential to carry Duke down the stretch the way they did against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, going 13-for-22 combined. And DJ Steward, who has finished with 14 or more points in the team's past four wins, could anchor the trio in the coming weeks. North Carolina has played 16 games; Duke has played 11. After 11 games this season, UNC was 7-4 after weathering a 2-4 stretch. Duke should continue to improve as the NCAA tournament approaches. And if that growth comes, the Blue Devils will have the edge over the rival Tar Heels.

Borzello: I jumped off the Duke bandwagon in early December (the last time I voted for the Blue Devils in the AP poll was Dec. 7) and haven't looked back. I thought the Blue Devils had some serious issues early in the season, most notably a real lack of identity, and that hasn't changed. They don't shoot it well; they've had inconsistent guard play; and they're unimposing defensively. We'll see if the win over Georgia Tech sparks anything, but I'm going to be cautious.

On the other hand, I think North Carolina is starting to figure things out. The Tar Heels have won six of their past seven games; they're beginning to get the balance they've missed for most of the season; and they've cut back on turnovers -- a huge problem early on. Caleb Love wasn't great on Tuesday, but he turned it over just once. Kerwin Walton has added perimeter pop since moving into the starting lineup eight games ago. RJ Davis and Leaky Black have been solid. Garrison Brooks isn't playing at the level he was last season, but Brooks, Armando Bacot and Day'Ron Sharpe are still as good a post trio as you'll find in the country. Carolina is better than Duke now and should be better than Duke in March.

College Basketball on ESPN+

Stream live games all season from conferences across the country, including Big 12, The American, C-USA, A-10 and more. Sign up now to stream college basketball on ESPN+

Gasaway:
I'll second what my colleague Mr. Borzello said. With Duke in 2021, it's unclear how the Blue Devils expect to win. At least with North Carolina it's plain that the Tar Heels, per usual, want to crash the offensive glass and force misses in the paint. Brooks and Bacot combined to score 37 points on just 21 shots against Pitt, and Sharpe might be the best pure rebounder on the roster. To be sure, this UNC team is still figuring things out, and, even after it won six of seven, the numbers for shooting from both sides of the arc in ACC play are, well, unsightly. But at least the Heels are moving in the right direction, and finishing two or three games above .500 in the conference appears well within reach. Not too many people at the end of December would have guessed we'd be saying as much.

Lunardi: If Duke and Carolina played a best-of-seven, it would go the distance. If they were the last two teams in front of the NCAA selection committee for a tournament spot, North Carolina would get the nod. The Tar Heels have better wins and have been more consistently above average. Hardly a ringing endorsement for two of the game's giant programs. Duke might yet have more upside, but we've yet to see it.
32 and 35? So, what you’re saying is, they’re basically the same.
 
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