ACC rivals will meet for the third time this season with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Duke and NC State split their two matchups earlier this year, with the Wolfpack winning the last game in the ACC Tournament. Who will take the third game and punch their ticket to the Final Four?
The Blue Devils find themselves after defeating a shorthanded Houston team on Friday. Cougars’ guard, and one of their best players, Jamal Shead only played 13 minutes before being sidelined with an ankle injury. Duke went on to win 54-51. They struggled to find offense against an elite Houston defense. Only two players recorded double digit points in Kyle Filipowski (16) and Jeremy Roach (14). Filipowski did go 3-5 from behind the arc, accounting for half of his team’s makes from deep. Duke will have to get more consistent play from their backcourt in this game, which they are certainly capable of doing. Roach and Jared McCain combined for 37 points in the Blue Devils’ 15 point win over NC State in the regular season.
NC State is still dancing after another upset win in the Sweet 16. They certainly won’t be intimidated by their in-state rivals after beating them 74-69 in the ACC Quarterfinals. They will have the size advantage down low with big DJ Burns. He’s not as tall as Filipowski, but he does have about 30 pounds on Duke’s center. They will also have Mohamed Diarra to spell the big man. He is smaller than Burns, but he is a very physical presence underneath. The key here will be the defense of the Wolpack’s backcourt. They limited McCain and Roach to just 13 points on 3-12 shooting in their recent win. They will likely need to duplicate that performance again this go-round. If NC State wants to keep their improbable run alive, they will need to play a physical game and make Duke’s elite scorers uncomfortable.
