No player on Duke basketball's roster has played in the UNC rivalry game more than Tyrese Proctor. Here's why Proctor could be an X-factor.

With Duke and UNC trending in opposite directions, you had questions before the first meeting of the rivals this season on Saturday.

Even so, Brown, currently leading the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0) with his 1.5 steals per game while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a workmanlike spark plug off the bench across his 15 outings to date, made another positive stride on Wednesday.

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis chose to downplay the significance of his team's Saturday showdown at No. 2 Duke following the Tar Heels' dispiriting 73-65 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. The defeat was UNC's third in its last four games and raises the stakes of the upcoming rivalry game for a team that is scrambling to assemble an NCAA Tournament resume.

UNC basketball is on the road battling the Pitt Panthers (13-6, 4-4 ACC) on Tuesday night, as the Tar Heels (13-8, 6-3 ACC) look to respond to their recent two-game losing skid with a second straight win.

Here's a look at how the ACC's 18 men's basketball programs stack up heading into Saturday's Duke-North Carolina game:

UNC basketball's Jalen Washington missed the game at Pitt. Will Washington play at Duke? Here's an update from head coach Hubert Davis.

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels sorely need to build on their recent successes in Durham.