Triangle hoops tip off the season
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
UNC, Duke and N.C. State's basketball teams all had impressive first showings in what stands to be an intriguing season of college hoops.
State of play: UNC, led by freshman phenom Caleb Wilson's 22 points, beat Central Arkansas 94-54 on Monday.
- In head coach Will Wade's first game Monday, N.C. State stomped N.C. Central 114-66.
- And Duke opened the season last night with a 75-60 win against Texas.
What's at stake: For the Wolfpack, it's all about whether Wade can meet the hype his hiring has brought.
- He's talked a big game and called this season a "red reckoning," and so far in the first game, the tone at Lenovo Center has changed. 114 points is the second most in the history of Lenovo, and it was the first time the season opener has been sold out since 1999.
In Chapel Hill, it feels like a make-or-break year for Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis after the team narrowly made the NCAA Tournament last year.
- He's completely re-tooled his roster this year, adding a potential star in Wilson, a new big man in Henri Veesaar and a former European pro in Luka Bogavac.
In Durham, the Blue Devils have once again juiced their roster with elite talent, most notably Cameron Boozer, the son of NBA and Duke legend Carlos Boozer.
- Head coach Jon Scheyer will look to take another step forward after a narrow loss in the Final Four to Houston.
What's next: UNC hosts perennial contender Kansas in Chapel Hill at 7pm on Friday, one of the marquee games of the early season.
- The Wolfpack will play the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Raleigh on Friday at 9pm.
- And the Blue Devils play their first home game on Saturday against Western Carolina at 1:30pm.
