In the midst of recruiting, some people have forgotten that a.) it’s Duke/UNC tonight and b.) it’s a game that matters for the first time in many years.

The demise of Duke was greatly exaggerated, and the surging Blue Devils stroll into this one with one loss and ranked third in the nation, just behind the Tar Heels.

It’ll surely be the Duke/UNC games we were used to four and five years ago, when both teams were stacked and wanting like hell to beat one another. I’m not sure what the spread is on this one — betting on college basketball is absolutely insane — but I’m guessing it can’t be much more than a couple of points.

It’s in Chapel Hill, which leads you to believe Tyler Hansbrough will put up 25 points and go to the stripe every time he’s brushed, but the Tar Heels most important player, Ty Lawson, was on crutches yesterday, and you don’t go from crutches to sprinting in 24 hours.

My prediction?

UNC 86, Duke 82