Projected No. 1 pick Flagg, Duke battle historic rivals UNC Saturday on TSN
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Cooper Flagg makes his much-anticipated debut in the Tobacco Road rivalry when the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday night.
Flagg, the projected first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has led the Blue Devils to an 18-2 record this season, including a perfect 10-0 start in conference play.
The 18-year-old guard is averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 48.7 per cent shooting through 20 games played in his freshman season.
Duke comes into the matchup having won each of their past 14 games, the longest current streak in Division I collegiate hoops.
However, the Blue Devils have struggled to a 2-4 record against UNC in their past six meetings, including a devastating 81-77 Final Four loss in 2022 that served as legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game with the team.
The Tar Heels swept both meetings against their heated rivals last season, but come into Saturday having lost three of their past four contests after dropping conference games to Stanford, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh.
Sitting at 13-9 this season with a 6-4 ACC record, North Carolina sits in seventh place in the conference and are in need of a big win as they look to improve upon their chances for a March Madness berth.
Fifth-year guard RJ Davis leads UNC in scoring at 17.6 points per game.
The 23-year-old holds a career 6-3 record over Duke in his time at Chapel Hill, and will look to continue the winning trend as he makes his last trip to Durham