Point guard: ACC player of the year shoo-in Nolan Smith scored 34 points against North Carolina in the teams' last outing, and the Tar Heels don't seem to have a defender who can stop him. UNC freshman Kendall Marshall has surpassed Smith as the ACC's assist leader, though, and is doing an excellent job getting teammates the ball in places where they can score. Edge: Duke

Shooting guard: Dexter Strickland sounded confident Wednesday night that the Tar Heels would defeat Duke, but he has generally been a quiet combo guard for North Carolina. Strickland is 8-for-31 from 3-point range and averages 7.8 points per game. Duke's Seth Curry had 22 points and five assists on Feb. 9 against North Carolina and has averaged 10.1 points over his last seven games. Edge: Duke

Small forward: It's difficult to award an edge at this position. Senior Kyle Singler is one of Duke's five top career scorers. He defends well and plays hard every game. But he is in a shooting slump, and North Carolina freshman Harrison Barnes may be playing better now. Barnes seems to hit a big shot every game, including the winner Wednesday at Florida State. Edge: UNC

Power forward: Long-limbed North Carolina sophomore John Henson has freakish athletic ability and is averaging 3.2 blocked shots per game. Duke sophomore Ryan Kelly isn't nearly as talented, but he can score from 3-point range at 6 feet 11 and draws a lot of charges. Edge: UNC

Center: Tyler Zeller is North Carolina's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game and does a nice job getting back on defense for a 7-footer. Duke's Mason Plumlee might have more ball skills and raw, physical ability, but he isn't as polished as Zeller. Edge: UNC

Bench: The loss of freshman wing Reggie Bullock to injury leaves UNC short-handed, with Justin Knox, Leslie McDonald and Justin Watts coming off the bench. Duke's options off the bench include high-energy big guy Miles Plumlee, slumping shooter Andre Dawkins and defensive-minded freshman point guard Tyler Thornton. Edge: Duke. KEN TYSIAC