Duke and UNC recruits handicap tonight’s rivalry game
Kyrie Irving covers Bounce Magazine
Like we said in Smack this morning, the records don’t matter when Duke and North Carolina get together. College basketball’s most storied rivalry tips off one more time tonight (ESPN, 9 p.m. EST), and while almost every expert would favor the ACC-leading Blue Devils over the struggling Tar Heels, we wanted to get predictions from some of the players who will become part of the UNC/Duke tradition over the next few years.
We caught up with a few of Duke and Carolina’s signed recruits, plus one high-profile undecided recruiting target — essentially a Who’s Who of the top high school ballplayers in the country — to get their take on who will win tonight’s big game:
HARRISON BARNES, Ames (Iowa) 2010, SG/SF, signed with North Carolina: “It will be a great game and both teams will play extremely hard. It should be fun to watch and I’m happy to be going back to North Carolina.”
REGGIE BULLOCK, Kinston (N.C.) 2010, SG, signed with North Carolina: “I think that if we keep the turnovers under 10 for the game and keep the defensive pressure up and push the ball in transition and be smart and score we will win. I’ll say 81-70 Carolina.”
KENDALL MARSHALL, Bishop O’Connell (Va.) 2010, PG, signed with North Carolina: “I’m gonna say Carolina 63, Duke 58. I think we’ll win because it’s Rivalry Week and anything is possible! We aren’t having the best year, but when you get two teams together like Duke and Carolina, everybody raises their level of play.”
KYRIE IRVING, St. Patrick (N.J.) 2010, PG, signed with Duke: “It’s Duke of course! They’re gonna win because they’re more experienced in games like this and they bring it! I can’t give you a score, but it’s Duke.”
AUSTIN RIVERS, Winter Park (Fla.) 2011, PG/SG, being recruited by Duke: “Duke! Just because they’re my team and they play harder! They just want it every game and they have better guards. I say it will be 76-65, Duke.”
JOSHUA HAIRSTON, Montrose Christian (Md.) 2010, PF, signed with Duke: “I say Duke by 15 or more. I think it will be a good, hard and clean game, but Duke’s experience is just gonna be too much for them. Not sure about the score.”
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February 10th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
POPPI GEE says:
North Carolina 75-66 with some Petey Pablo playing for old time sake.
February 10th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Yoooo says:
Taaaaaaaaaaaaar Heeeeeeeeeeeeeels. We’ll probably get smacked by 15 tho. As big a Jersey guy as I am, it pains me to say that Strickland is NOT Tar Heel material. And Drew would be better at a Western Kentucky than UNC. Next year tho… We’re gonna be a PROBLEM
February 10th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Dee says:
Duke is gonna win this game. It will be close, but UNC stinks this year.
Funny how all these recruits picked their own school to win tonights game…you can’t really expect them to pick the rival.
February 10th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
life-p says:
Carolina by 20! Trust me…
February 10th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
T. says:
Duke will win, better guard play. That will be the difference. LONG LIVE BOBBY HURLEY!
February 10th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
PN says:
uconn road upset over cuse. book it.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
spswange says:
BIG UNC fan… its going to be a hard fought game, no doubt. but DUKE’s G’s are more experienced than UNC’s. As much as I hate to say this, duke will win by 4… only b/c UNC will have the chance to tie but will miss and half to foul. DUKE hits FT and goes up by 4.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Ryan says:
UNC tonight in the momentum changer. Next year it’s a toss-up. Can’t root against Kyrie or Dexter. May the best Celtic win.
February 10th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
mirza says:
as much as i love carolina, its saddens me to say that duke will win tonights game, but unc will get them next year