THE rivalry: How to watch, stream the Duke vs. UNC ACC men’s basketball game Saturday

Steve Wiseman
Ethan Hyman/ehyman@newsobserver.com

Over the past 15 years, Jon Scheyer has battled North Carolina as a player and as an assistant coach.

On Saturday, for the first time, the former Duke guard calls the shots as a head coach in the fierce rivalry.

Duke and North Carolina clash for the first time this season, this game at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

In his first season as the Blue Devils’ head coach, Scheyer is tasked with ending Duke’s two-game losing streak against coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels.

UNC, in games that will live forever in the rivalry’s lore, beat Duke, 94-81, in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game last March, and then sent Krzyzewski off to his planned retirement by topping the Blue Devils, 81-77, at the Final Four on April 2.

While the Tar Heels return four starters from that team, Duke returns just one, junior guard Jeremy Roach. That, Scheyer said, makes it easier to not remind his team about those losses because most of his players didn’t play in those games.

“It’s such a different team, different circumstances for us,” Scheyer said.

It’s a different circumstance for the rivalry as a whole. For the second time in three seasons, Duke (16-6, 7-4 ACC) and UNC (15-7, 7-4) will play with neither team nationally ranked. Prior to 2021, it had been 60 years since such an occurrence.

Instead of a game with ACC championship ramifications, the teams find themselves tied for sixth place just past the midway point of the league regular season.

Tipoff time + TV channel for Saturday’s game

The game will start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and air on ESPN, which is available on major cable and satellite services such as Spectrum, Dish Network and DirecTV.

How to stream Duke vs. UNC game online

Are you a cord-cutter?

If your preferred method of watching games involves streaming, there are options for that, too.

ESPN is available on Sling, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and YouTubeTV streaming services. Or click here to view on the ESPN app.

Game day details: Duke vs. North Carolina

Teams: Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham

Date: Saturday, Feb. 4

Time: 6:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Odds: Duke opened as a 3-point favorite Friday with the the over-under total at 142.5 points. On Saturday, the line flucutated between Duke by 2.5 and 3.5 points.

Series history: Duke and UNC will meet for the 259th time with the Tar Heels holding a 143-115 edge. The most recent meeting at Cameron Indoor Stadium is famous to UNC and infamous to Duke as the Tar Heels won 94-81 in retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game last March. The rivals met again on April 2 in the Final Four with UNC winning, 81-77, in New Orleans.

Pregame reading

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