THE rivalry, Take 2: How to watch, stream Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels men’s basketball

As is tradition, rivals Duke and North Carolina meet on the final night of ACC regular-season play.

For the second year in a row, the Tar Heels enter with uncertainty about their postseason future.

A year ago, UNC beat the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium to solidify an NCAA tournament at-large berth. That ultimately allowed the Tar Heels to reach the Final Four, and beat Duke again in the national semifinals before falling to Kansas in the national championship game.

Saturday night, at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, the bubble-bound Tar Heels once again need to beat the rival Blue Devils to strengthen their case for inclusion in the NCAA tournament field.

Ranked No. 1 when the season started, the Tar Heels (19-11, 11-8 ACC) have won their past three games to put themselves back in position to play in the NCAA tournament. Duke (22-8, 13-6) enters riding a five-game winning streak.

The Blue Devils have won eight of their past 10 games, including a 63-57 win over UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 4.

Currently in fifth place in the ACC standings, Duke needs a win to have a chance at a top-four seed and a double-bye into Thursday’s ACC tournament quarterfinals. If the Tar Heels win on Saturday, Duke will be the No. 5 seed and play Wednesday afternoon.

UNC will play on Wednesday at Greensboro, with a seed ranging from No. 6 to No. 8 depending upon its result against Duke and other league games on Saturday.

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. UNC

Teams: Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Where: Smith Center, Chapel Hill

Date: Saturday, March 4

Time: 6:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Series history: Duke and North Carolina will meet for the 260th time with the Tar Heels holding a 143-116 all-time edge. Duke won, 63-57, on Feb. 4 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In 37 previous games played at the Smith Center, UNC holds a 20-17 edge. The rivals have split their last 10 overall meetings.

Pregame reading

• UNC basketball’s ‘Lockdown’ Leaky Black makes most of fifth year, to Tar Heels’ benefit

• Why UNC basketball may need more than win over Duke to make the NCAA tournament field

• How Tyrese Proctor’s intense attention on defense keyed Duke basketball win streak

• Duke men’s basketball may be ACC’s hottest team, with March tournaments drawing near

• How Duke basketball’s ugly loss at Miami earlier this month fueled a winning streak

• What Duke basketball’s hot-shooting day at Syracuse showed about its March potential

• Kyle Filipowski embodied the resiliency Duke basketball needs to collect wins

• Duke basketball’s Coach K makes his Cameron return — as a fan, to help honor Mike Brey

• ‘I’m angry still’: Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer remains upset over missed call

• Duke basketball must move on after Virginia controversy: ‘We need a quick response’

• If Duke basketball wants to play deep into March, here’s one area Blue Devils need to fix

• Passive and disconnected in loss at Miami, where does Duke basketball go from here?

• In new era for Duke-UNC rivalry, Jon Scheyer passes first test and takes a victory lap

• How Duke basketball turned weakness into strength to beat UNC in the final minute

• Duke basketball continues to get better, just in time for Blue Devils’ biggest test yet

• Duke basketball is transforming its offense into a potent weapon at just the right time

• Why Duke basketball needs Cameron’s energy as much as ever this season

• Long way from home: Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor settles in with the Blue Devils

• Duke basketball team’s plane diverted after loss to Kansas. Where it went, and why
  
  

• With deep breath and cold shower, new era begins at Duke with Jon Scheyer’s first win

• Jon Scheyer wants Duke’s defense to be great as new era begins for Blue Devils

• Duke coach Jon Scheyer on former Blue Devils guard Kyrie Irving and antisemitism

This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "THE rivalry, Take 2: How to watch, stream Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels men’s basketball."

Steve Wiseman

The News & Observer

919-419-6671

Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.