Jon Scheyer’s disappointed face after the loss against UNC is still vivid in everyone’s mind. Just a look of anguish as Seth Trimble sank that jumpshot after receiving the pass from Derek Dixon from the paint. That shot, coupled with the celebration as fans stormed the court, wouldn’t be easy to forget for anyone, let alone Scheyer, who was piling on a 10-game winning streak, and that struck down his ambition of carrying forward his undefeated and undisputed run towards the top.

It couldn’t have gotten any more cinematic as Hubert Davis marshalled Caleb Wilson and Co to cause a major upset in the ACC. However, this time around, the circumstances are quite different as the teams are standing on opposite ends of the spectrum with injury issues that might play spoiler for UNC in a game where they desperately needed an in-form player to deliver.

Unfortunately for Davis, his team will miss out on the services of one of their star players, Caleb Wilson, who starred in their last encounter with 23 points. A fracture in his right thumb during practice has now pretty much ended his season, and thus, Duke will hope to capitalize on that.

Well, it’s no secret that Duke and UNC share some bad blood between them, and whenever these two teams lock horns, a game of high intensity is expected.

Duke vs UNC: Where to Watch

When: Saturday, March 7

Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium — Durham, North Carolina

Network: ESPN

Duke vs UNC: Injury Reports

Duke: Patrick Ngongba is questionable ahead of the UNC game

UNC: Caleb Wilson is out for the season

Duke vs UNC: Probable Lineups

Duke: Cameron Boozer, Dame Sarr, Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, Maliq Brown

UNC: Jarin Stevenson, Henri Veesaar, Derek Dixon, Elijah Davis, Seth Trimble

Prediction: Will Jon Scheyer have his revenge against their rivals?

It’s hard to recall the last time the odds were this lopsided in a men’s basketball game. Duke is not just the favorite to win against UNC, but the Polymarket prediction makes it look as if they have already declared the winner even before the game has happened. Duke is 94-7 against UNC, favored to win, and maybe just maybe, Caleb Wilson’s unavailability has something to do with it.

With Caleb unavailable, UNC’s frontcourt depth has no doubt been compromised, and they have lost the most versatile scorer and rebounder, giving Duke a clear edge in interior play and lineup flexibility.

Cameron Boozer now will be able to play more freely with no one to check him, and that gives Duke quite an advantage.  The rebounding aspect is also lost in the process, but then there’s also Derek Dixon and Seth Trimble, who also played clutch in that last game.

But then there’s a catch. Patrick Ngongba, too, is unsure in the game against UNC, which makes it one key injury apiece, and if that happens, maybe the disparity won’t be that huge. Either way, two very good teams are looking to get their last win in the regular conference, and that should make it a mouth-watering prospect for anyone watching the game, where two teams are willing to throw the kitchen sink at one another.