How Duke One-Upped North Carolina Out West

The Duke basketball program (17-1, 6-0 ACC) became the second team to escape the two-game West Coast road trip against Stanford (14-5, 3-3 ACC) and California (14-5, 2-4 ACC) with a 2-0 record since the two schools joined the ACC last season. Wake Forest (11-7, 2-3 ACC) accomplished the feat during the 2024-25 campaign.

Duke didn't deal with too many issues despite the odds being stacked against it, as the Blue Devils defeated the Golden Bears 71-56 on Jan. 14 and the Cardinal 80-50 on Jan. 17.

Jan 10, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Dame Sarr (7) reacts during a stoppage in the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Jon Scheyer's club has now jumped to No. 2 in the NCAA NET Rankings with an 8-1 record in Quadrant 1 and a 6-0 record in true road games—the Blue Devils trail only Michigan in the NET.

Despite Duke leaving The Golden State with two league victories, the same can't be said for arch rival No. 14 North Carolina (14-4, 2-3 ACC), which also faced Stanford and California over the past week.

S/O Duke Nation 💙 pic.twitter.com/rIAJaWKzhG
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 18, 2026

UNC and Duke swapped opponents, as the Tar Heels faced Stanford on Wednesday when Duke faced Cal, and the opposite occurred on Saturday.

Hubert Davis's club is heading home with two losses, falling 95-90 to the Cardinal and 84-78 to the Golden Bears.

Duke and UNC on Different Levels Defensively

Duke had been struggling on the defensive side of the ball as of late, but got back on track against Stanford and Cal.

the best player in the country

the most versatile player in the country pic.twitter.com/MvIvffSiL8
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 18, 2026

UNC surrendered 95 points to the Cardinal, while allowing them to shoot 57% from the field and 57% from three-point range. Stanford star freshman Ebuka Okorie set the Stanford single-game freshman scoring record with 36 points against the Heels.

The Blue Devils didn't allow the same success. Duke held Stanford to 50 points, its second-lowest point total of the season, on 35% shooting from the field and 24% shooting from three. Rookie Dame Sarr put together another fantastic showing as the primary defender on Okorie, limiting the ACC's leading scorer to nine points on 3-of-9 (33.3%) shooting.

This was just the second game this season where Okorie totaled single-digits in scoring.

North Carolina's defensive struggles continued against the Golden Bears, as it surrendered 84 points to the Golden Bears while allowing them to shoot 50% from the floor and 54% from the perimeter. The Heels were down as many as 20 points in the second half.

scary hours when we guard like this 🔒 pic.twitter.com/1ccNiOXTKA
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 18, 2026

Duke held Cal to 51 points on 37% shooting and 22% from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils currently rank fifth nationally at KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency, while UNC sits at 52nd nationally in that metric.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells in the first half as his team fell behind by 10 points in the first half. The Duke Blue Devils rallied from being down nine points at the half to beat Louisville 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rivalry To Kick Off Soon

Duke and UNC are nearing the first of the two heated matchups between the rivals, with the first contest taking place in Chapel Hill on Feb. 7. The Blue Devils have won six in a row, while the Tar Heels have dropped three of their last four.

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