Final:Duke 92 , North Carolina 90(OT)

*****News and Record writers and Raleigh-area reporters picks have been added and still looking for the Frank Mickens pick.*****

North Carolina at Duke tonight at 9pm and this ought to draw a large viewing audience and with the way the weather has been, what else can you do, but sit back and watch WFMY TV 2….

Dick Vitale has been pulled from announcing this game for ESPN and they will go with just Dan Schulman and Jay Bilas on the call and Dickie V has been forced to the sit this one out by the big brass at ESPN and maybe they feel Vitale is getting too old and worn out to call these fast-paced, high-level NCAA college basketball games, or maybe they feel Dick Vitale leans too much toward Duke…That is what some experts are saying is behind this decision…

There is a certain part of the crowd that may be leaning toward North Carolina tonight….With many fans still feeling the loss of Coach Dean Smith, there are those that will not want to see the North Carolina Tar Heels lose tonight and they will be pulling for UNC, out of respect for Coach Smith…

Lots of ways to slice this one and if you have Duke at home, it is hard to cut them out of the picture, you have to favor the Duke Blue Devils on their home court, inside Cameron……

The “Battle of the Blues”, as they are calling this one now and it all gets going this evening at 9pm on WFMY TV 2 and not sure who the broadcasting team will be for Raycom/Jefferson Pilot tonight, but maybe we will hear Tim Brandt and Mike Giminski, or maybe it will be Steve Martin and Dan Bonner, that’s a real good group of announcers right there….

9pm tonight and there’s not much else going on but Duke vs. North Carolina on this Wednesday night….

7 thoughts on “Final:Duke 92 , North Carolina 90(OT)

  1. ACC Network will have Tim Brando and Dan Bonner on the call tonight. The “G Man” Mike Gminski was supposed to join Brando, however his fiancé passed away this past weekend. Prayers to him and the entire family.

  2. All four of the News and Record writers(http://www.news-record.com) taking Duke over North Carolina tonight….Can North Carolina pull this upset off???

    Ed Hardin
    Duke has recovered from its January malaise and is putting together an NCAA resume for another No. 1 seed. UNC has some issues.
    Duke 79, Carolina 71

    Powell Latimer
    Duke is a better team and has a much more balanced offense. Carolina has the length and size to give Duke trouble and make it a close game, but Duke has too many ways of scoring.
    Duke 81, Carolina 71

    Jeff Mills
    Is it just my imagination, or is Quinn Cook remarkably better (16.6 points per game, 15 assists, 4 TOs) in five games since Rasheed Sulaimon’s dismissal? He’s become a difference-maker.
    Duke 77, Carolina 72

    Joe Sirera
    Carolina has struggled to defend against teams that don’t score at lot of points (Pitt, Virginia, Syracuse). Offense has not been Duke’s problem. That could be a problem for the Tar Heels.
    Duke 84, Carolina 73

    *****After these endorsements you have to take Duke right? I always take Duke at home and North Carolina at home…Go with the home team in this series and you can’t lose right???? What do we say, Duke 80, North Carolina 74….I did/made that pick without looking at the newspaper men and you must have a score, if you make a pick right???*****

    Wonder who Frank Mickens is taking???

    +++++Jeff Mills hit on a key point, the Quinn Cook/Rasheed Sulaimon factor.+++++
    (Duke is (5-0) since that Sulaimon-cycle kicked in/kicked off.)

  3. from the people down around Raleigh and in the Triangle at http://www.wralsportsfan.com:
    (Mark Thomas from 99.9 The Fan and 620 The Buzz is only person picking North Carolina to win this game tonight at Duke)….Some of our panelist chose to leave scores, others did not…..

    WRAL-TV
    Jeff Gravley
    Duke

    Ken Medlin
    Duke 81, UNC 75

    Mandy Mitchell
    I am picking Duke for a couple of reasons.

    1 – The Blue Devils are at home, and I have a very hard time picking against the home team in this rivalry.
    2 – Duke seems to be hitting its stride while North Carolina is coming off a very emotional week and a tough loss at Pittsburgh.
    Duke and no score…..

    Jared Fialko
    While Carolina may hold the edge on the inside and may make it difficult on Jahlil Okafor, the Heels are simply too beat up at this stage of the season. Duke gets another strong effort from Quinn Cook, who is truly one of college basketball’s unsung heroes this year, and the Blue Devils take round one of the Battle of the Blues.
    Duke 73, UNC 67

    Bob Holliday
    I am picking Duke. I expect an up-tempo game, and at this point Duke is the ACC’s best transition team.
    Duke

    99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio/620 The Buzz
    Adam Gold
    In most years it seems that North Carolina has a significant size advantage around the rim and uses that to control the boards, get second-chance baskets and keep the Blue Devils out of the lane. This does not appear to be one of those years.
    Duke 78, UNC 65

    Joe Ovies
    North Carolina might pose a problem in the front court, but I think this game will be won on the perimeter.

    Considering how Duke’s backcourt of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones have come together nicely, this doesn’t bode well for North Carolina.
    Duke

    Mark Thomas
    Duke doesn’t have a lot of flaws. The only one that is glaring is giving three-point shooters open looks. UNC only has one guy that can hurt you from deep, Marcus Paige – who is due for a 30+ game. That’s why UNC is winning this one.
    North Carolina 76, Duke 72

    Mike Maniscalco
    The Blue Devils have a distinct advantage in having Jahlil Okafor in the paint. Okafor is coming off a dominant second half against Syracuse. The Blue Devils also know that someone besides their center is going to provide offense, a luxury that the Tar Heels haven’t had this year.
    Duke 82, UNC 75

    WRALSportsFan.com
    Caulton Tudor
    There was a time earlier this season when UNC had enough depth and functional big men to consider an attrition strategy, but both sides basically are down to 8-player rotations at this point. That should work to Duke’s advantage, especially in Cameron.
    Duke 77, UNC 72

    Aaron Schoonmaker
    Both UNC and Duke can score and rebound. Each also has issues defensively and features a shorter bench now than when the season started. I see scoring and I see bench play becoming important Wednesday – and Duke has the slight edge in both areas.
    Duke 81, UNC 70

    Erin Summers
    The Tar Heels are coming off a brutal loss in Pittsburgh, but there’s really not much a team can do when the other is shooting lights out for an entire game. The light blue should be able to shake that off as a fluke and come into Cameron ready to play.

    Duke has proven to be the more solid team, more often and on their home court, I expect that this one to fall in their favor.
    Pick:
    Duke

  4. UNC Tar Heels 86
    Duke 83

    Three at the end from somebody in blue and that would be Super UNC Blue. This one is for Coach Smith.

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