It’ll be Duke basketball vs. UNC for a spot in the championship game of the 2025 ACC Tournament.
The top-seeded Blue Devils (29-3) and fifth-seeded Tar Heels (22-12) play Friday (7 p.m., ESPN) in the first semifinal at Spectrum Center.
The Tobacco Road rivals are meeting in the postseason for the first time since playing in the 2022 Final Four. As for the ACC Tournament, Duke has a 14-9 record against UNC.
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Each program has won five ACC Tournament titles in Charlotte, with the Blue Devils beating the Tar Heels in the 2019 semifinals before cutting down the nets at Spectrum Center. Duke rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Georgia Tech in Thursday’s quarterfinals, but the Blue Devils could be without two of their top players against UNC.
Cooper Flagg, the ACC Player of the Year, sustained a left ankle injury and Maliq Brown re-dislocated his left shoulder against the Yellow Jackets. Flagg and Brown were among the Blue Devils’ top contributors in Duke’s regular-season sweep of UNC.
Here’s a preview, some players to watch and a score prediction for Duke vs. UNC.
Kon Knueppel as Duke basketball’s go-to player after Cooper Flagg injury
Flagg is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, so it can sometimes be easy to forget fellow freshman Kon Knueppel is also predicted to be a high selection in late June. Knueppel scored a career-high 28 points with eight assists against Georgia Tech in Duke’s ACC Tournament opener. He was also the top scorer in Duke’s regular-season wins against UNC, averaging 19.5 points on 66% shooting, including 50% from 3-point range. This is a good opportunity for Knueppel to show he’s more than capable of running the show for Duke.
Ven-Allen Lubin, Khaman Maluach matchup in Duke vs UNC
Duke’s 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach and UNC’s 6-foot-8 center Ven-Allen Lubin will likely be matched up with each other in Friday’s semifinal. Both are coming off strong performances in the ACC Tournament. Lubin posted a double-double in back-to-back tournament games, averaging 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in Charlotte. Maluach had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in his ACC Tournament opener.
RJ Davis, Isaiah Evans 3-point shooting for Tar Heels, Blue Devils
In Duke’s first two wins against UNC, the Blue Devils shot 48% from 3-point range. The Tar Heels made 35% of their shots from beyond the arc in the regular season against Duke. Through two ACC Tournament games, UNC is shooting 41.4% from long range. The Blue Devils missed 23 of their 30 shots, making just 23.3% of its 3-pointers at Spectrum Center on Thursday. Isaiah Evans made four of Duke’s seven treys against Georgia Tech, so he’ll be among the players in the spotlight against UNC. Evans made one 3-pointer in two games against the Tar Heels. RJ Davis is coming off a season-high five 3-pointers against Wake Forest in Charlotte. Davis had 20 points in the regular-season finale against Duke. He’s made at least three treys in six straight games.
Duke vs UNC score prediction
Duke 75, UNC 70: It’ll be an adjustment, but the Blue Devils have plenty of talent and experience to beat the Tar Heels in what should be the closest game of the season between the blue blood rivals.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].
