Ty Lawson has been hampered all week by a sprained ankle and  was a game-time decision. Prior to the game, a source reportedly said that Lawson will play but they did not know whether it would be starting or coming off the bench. Well they lied. Lawson did not play as the #3 Duke Blue Devils outstroked #2 North Carolina Tarheels to win 89-78. Greg Paulus led Duke with 18 points that ...

Of all nights for my DVR to let me down, it had to be this one. I was over at a friend’s apartment tonight, screaming my lungs out while watching the Duke-North Carolina basketball game. He’s got a DLP front-projector that blasts a 9-foot HD image on the wall, so his living room is crowded during games… Anyway, at halftime, I asked if we could switch over to the USA v. ...

I don’t ever want college basketball to get to the ridiculous level of a “signing day” like college football had yesterday. This is clearly among the first steps that create these huge egos that walk around on college campuses today. –No. 2 Duke 89, No. 3 North Carolina 78 . Wayne Ellington’s 3 attempt with about three minutes to go that rattled in then rattled ...

  Ty Lawson has been hampered all week by a sprained ankle and he was a gametime decision. Before the game, A source reportedly said that Lawson will play but they did not know whether it would be starting or coming off the bench. Well they lied. Lawson did not play and The #3 Duke Blue Devils outstroked #2 North Carolina to win 89-78. Greg Paulus led Duke with 18 points that came ...

Yes, North Carolina missed Ty Lawson in more ways than one. His replacement, Quentin Thomas , came out nervous and turnover prone (he would eventually calm down). The Heels offense looked bogged down and struggled to find out where they wanted to go with the basketball. It was a rare sight to see the Heels in a fast break tonight. He also hurt defensively, as Duke point guard Greg Paulus hit ...

I can't remember being so infuriated after a win. Maryland got sweet revenge on Boston College, kicking them to the ground in a 70-65 win . Again, it was close at the end, but the Terps pulled away in a close one, and Gary Williams earned his 600th win against his old team (delightful irony). Maryland now sits at a decent 5-3 in the ACC. None of that is why I'm angry. I was planning on ...

Who could forget last season's matchup with the incident that left University of North Carolina men's basketball star Tyler Hansbrough looking like a masked phantom for the ACC tournament by Gerald Henderson? Henderson (Duke's shooting guard) ended up taking his elbow to Hansbrough's nose trying to block a shot at the end of UNC's 86-72 victory.   The ultimate rivalry, the longest eight ...

Dicky V is back! Finally! I know there are mixed feelings on Dicky V. Many of us appreciate his banter, his wit, and above all his voice. There are also some who are waiting for the day he stops calling games. I, for one, am happy for his return. Say what you will, college basketball is not the same with out hearing Dicky V say “baby” at some point. So later tonight, ...

What to watch after you show up to vote and wonder why your polling place is closed ... • College basketball: Connecticut at Syracuse (7 p.m., ET); Duke at North Carolina (9 p.m., ET). Hope they can fill the place up for that second one. [ ESPN ] • College basketball: Texas at Oklahoma (7 p.m., ET). D.J. Augustyn is Survivorman . [ ESPN2 ] • Soccer: U.S. men's national ...

Rivalries reign tonight in college basketball as Connecticut travels to Syracuse (7 p.m., ESPN); Texas goes to Oklahoma (7 p.m., ESPN 2) and North Carolina hosts Duke (9 p.m., ESPN). Another rivalry in another sport, men's soccer -- Team USA...

Even though our guys are falling apart and college basketball mostly exists right now solely to make us sad, it's impossible not to be fired up by a fiery North Carolina-Duke game when both teams are in the top five. And Vitale's back tonight too. They should have eased him in with a Gonzaga game or something. Duke Basketball Report says today is like Easter Sunday, but we'd go with ...

Mike Patrick and Dick Vitale will likely be spending too much time discussing Coach K and Duke basketball to give any attention to the North Carolina bench, but reserve forward Danny Green has been putting on quite a show this year. Green has played well enough to start at many times this season, which leads me to believe he'd rather not. He's got some dancing to do before ...

Drew Barnette gives us a rundown of tonight's action, and takes a look back at some of the meaningful games from last night. Duke and North Carolina, the two biggest rivalries in NCAA basketball, resume that rivalry tonight in a game that will help decide who gets the #1 seed in the Charlotte region. Texas and Oklahoma do battle in a huge Big Twelve Rivalry. All that, and much more. ...

Tonight, the perfect convergence of elite Atlantic Coast Conference programs with all-encompassing coaches will occur in Chapel Hill, North Carolina . There will be die hards pulling for either the Blue Devils or the Tar Heels. I, however, consider this a match where I scream, “Let’s go, meteor, let’s go!” This is not designed for any particular offense of ...

It’s the perfect storm for ESPN tonight as the # 2 and #3 teams in the nation battle it out to see who is… well, #2 I guess. And what could be better than a plain old 2-3 match up in the middle of February? When the 2 and 3 ranked teams in the nation are Duke and North Carolina! We all know about the storied history of the two schools so forgive me if I don’t start ...

We're not dedicating much of the day to the upcoming Duke/UNC game today. We'd kind of perfer to talk about it after the dustup is over. However, if you're looking to speak your mind (I'm looking at you, Corn. And you, Digital Headbutt), the comments are coming fast and furious on this morning's College Basketball Closer over at Deadspin. Visit and mouth off - nobody even cares if you use ...

8:57 AM - Not many events get me this distracted, this psyched, this loopy, this eager at this age. However, rest assured North Carolina vs. Duke is one of the few, if only. And I can understand those who find this to be just another Red Sox/Yankees rivalry machine that was once great, but has since become a watered down media induced event. We can thank ESPN for that one, but let's not take ...

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 SEC GAME OF THE YEAR, 6 WINNERS INC DUKE- UNC & 4 WISE GUY PLAYS There is no legitimate debate that GodsTips is the best sports service on the planet—that is if long-term domination means anything. Tonight is a huge night. Get six winners including the SEC Game of the Year, the marquee Duke-North Carolina winner. Six winners in all includes an NBA ...

The College Basketball Closer is written by the gang at Storming The Floor . Partisans of other teams might want to argue that their rivalries are at least as good as Carolina/Duke. If a complete break with reality has occurred, those imaginary people might even claim theirs is better . But I'm here to tell you that this blue on blue crime, perpetrated twice each season, is the ...

The BEST ACC Basketball Coverage!!! A Tribute to Coach Bob Knight: John Feinstein: Knight's Best Was the Best Getting your mind right: Duke v. Carolina Part I, TONIGHT! Peace reached before storm : "Tyler Hansbrough is OK with Gerald Henderson. Hansbrough thinks it's funny students might show up wearing masks to make fun of Henderson when No. 2 Duke (19-1, 7-0 ACC) visits No. 3 North ...