The Tar Heels seized control early, but Duke settled in and outscored North Carolina by a 47-27 margin in the final 34 minutes.

For the first time in history, Duke and North Carolina will clash in the NCAA Tournament, adding another chapter to one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball. The two ACC powerhouses have met 110 times in women’s basketball, but never with stakes this high.

Thursday night in the Sweet 16 will be the 10th time Caleb Love has faced Duke with seven of those appearances as a member of North Carolina.

In a Tobacco Road Rivalry meeting of epic proportions, No. 2 seed Duke will take on No. 3 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16. Ahead of tipoff Friday afternoon, The Chronicle’s beats give their predictions for the matchup.

The Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry is arguably the best in college sports. Two shades of blue dominate the college hoops hotbed that is the state of North Carolina, and their men's basketball teams have battled it out every year since 1920.

Love has played in nine games against Duke in his career, as the Blue Devils have been his most frequent opponent. While at North Carolina, Love played Duke seven times, six in the regular season and once in the Final Four, and he produced big numbers most of the time even though his production was inefficient.

Duke basketball is no stranger to the Sweet 16, but there's a broader theme of familiarity for the Blue Devils through this March Madness run. After dismantling No. 9 seed Baylor and former Blue Devil Jeremy Roach in the Round of 32,

The men's Elite Eight game between Duke and Alabama will air on both TBS and truTV. It will also stream on Max and on the March Madness Live app. The men's Elite Eight game between Duke and Alabama is scheduled to tip off at 8:49 p.