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Thursday’s Pregame Shootaround: Duke-UNC will finally happen

Marcus Paige

North Carolina’s Marcus Paige (AP Photo)

AP

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 5 Duke at North Carolina, 9:00 p.m.

Tonight’s the night it finally happens.

Eight days after the game was initially postponed due to a snowstorm, the Blue Devils will make the eight mile trek down Tobacco Road to take on the Tar Heels. North Carolina has been playing much better basketball of late, as Marcus Paige has taken over more point guard duties and James Michael McAdoo has become more consistent over the last month.

Duke, however, has looked like a top ten team as Jabari Parker has embraced the aggressiveness that he needs attacking the rim. While Saturday’s battle between Duke and Syracuse has commandeered the hype, it just doesn’t get much better than Duke-UNC.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE DAY: No. 25 Gonzaga at BYU, 11:00 p.m.

You like points? This game will certainly have them. Both Gonzaga and BYU get up and down and put up big numbers on the scoreboard. Neither of them care all that much about defense. BYU desperately needs this win to solidify what is a marginal at-large profile.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET?: No. 13 Michigan State at Purdue, 7:00 p.m.

The Spartans have struggled of late, losing four of their last seven games as they continue to deal with injuries. Keith Appling and Branden Dawson will both be out of this one. Purdue, on the other hand, has beaten Minnesota and Indiana in recent weeks. Can they keep their hot streak alive?

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1) No. 22 Memphis will pay a visit to Rutgers tonight. The Tigers are coming off of a loss to UConn on Saturday.

2) Penn State will pay a visit to Nebraska tonight. The Cornhuskers have played their way onto the bubble, but will success go to their head? They can’t afford a loss.

3) First place in Conference USA is on the line as Middle Tennessee State, UTEP and Louisiana Tech will all be on the road on Thursday night.

4) Weber State, who is in first place in the Big Sky, will pay a visit to rival Montana tonight.

5) Georgetown is still on the bubble, and the one thing that they cannot afford is a loss to a team like Seton Hall. The Hoyas are on the road tonight.

NOTABLES:


  • No. 21 UConn at Temple, 9:00 p.m.
  • USC at Stanford, 11:00 p.m.
  • St. Mary’s at San Francisco, 11:00 p.m.