Saturday's matchup between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels could not look more different than it did in the 2023-24 season. In both rivalry matchups last year, North Carolina claimed victory over Duke by just a handful of points in a set of high-scoring showdowns. With similar records and AP Poll rankings, the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels were close to evenly matched before the Tobacco Road showdowns last year. But as the first of the fated games this season fast approaches, Duke finds itself at No. 2 in the country and riding a 14-game winning streak, while North Carolina has completely disappeared from the polls. One can never truly know, however, what will happen when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils meet.

Six-foot graduate student RJ Davis has been a mainstay for the Tar Heels since before most of Duke's current squad graduated high school. A rare occurrence of an accomplished NCAA player sticking out the length of his eligibility, the White Plains, N.Y., native's greatest strength may be the leadership he provides to the North Carolina squad. Davis, however, seems to be slowing down. The guard's shooting percentage is lower than usual this season, at .393 overall and .295 from beyond the arc -- clocking in with an accuracy lower than the majority of that of the Duke squad. Extra years on the court can only take Davis so far, especially against the high-scoring, quick-shooting lineup that head coach Jon Scheyer has built for Duke.

This season, sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau seems to be struggling with playmaking ability and holding onto the ball. The West Orange, N.J., native has nearly double the turnovers of any other player on the Tar Heel squad, with a staggering 64. After a narrow victory in overtime against Boston College -- one of the lowest ranked teams in the ACC -- Cadeau was under fire for careless passes that all but gave the Eagles the ball. His troubles have arisen after a stellar rookie season, in which he led North Carolina in assists, with 150.

Freshman Ian Jackson is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get. The 6-foot-4 guard's shooting ability was praised after scoring at or close to the twenty-point mark for seven straight games, including 27 against Notre Dame. Seemingly out of nowhere, however, Jackson found himself in a drought against Stanford and Wake Forest, notching a measly six and seven points, respectively, to contribute to back-to-back Tar Heels losses. Although Jackson redeemed himself with a 19-point performance to pull North Carolina into overtime against Boston College, his inconsistency may prove fatal in a high pressure environment like Cameron Indoor.

Pittsboro, N.C., native Drake Powell seems to still be finding his place on the court. With an average of just 6.8 points per game, the 6-foot-6 guard-forward combo tends to be overshadowed by high scorers such as Davis or Ian Jackson. Powell's wingspan and height help him to stand out defensively, though; he has 14 blocks and 14 steals to his name.