CHAPEL HILL – Can lightening strike twice in the same place?

Can the Tar Heels strike oil once again like they did three years ago sparking a memorable run that almost ended with a national championship?

The similarities between where North Carolina is heading into its game at Duke with what it faced in 2022 are enough to spark conversation about a repeat of the magic that was sparked that night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

A UNC team needing more on its resume for inclusion into the NCAA Tournament went to Duke for the last regular season game, but it was more than just a game. It was one of the biggest events in the history between these fabled rivals. It was Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game and the universe expected a Blue Devils rout.

Instead, the Tar Heels won going away 94-81 after scoring 55 points in the second half. A month later, Carolina beat Duke in the Final Four in Coach K’s final game, and a flag was forever planted in the soil by the UNC program.

Right now, UNC has lost three of its last four games, stands at 13-9 overall and 6-4 in the ACC. Second-ranked Duke is 18-2 and 10-0. On paper, this is a mismatch, but so was the game three years ago. But that didn’t matter.

“Going into that game in 2022, our backs were against the wall,” said RJ Davis, who scored 21 points and had 5 rebounds and 4 assists that night. “People didn’t believe in us but we believed in ourselves and that’s what got us over the hump. That allowed us to make that run.

“And that’s the same way how I feel about this team right now. I feel like people are counting us out. People are not really believing in us. We’re having a hard time finishing out games strong, but I see it. I see the vision for this team and I see how we can be great and how we can overcome this little obstacle that we’re going through.”

That was an older UNC team than this one, and far more experienced. Even though Davis and Caleb Love were sophomores, they had plenty of tread on their tires. Brady Manek was a fifth-year guy, Armando Bacot had come into his own as a junior, Leaky Black was a senior, and the team had a chemistry not matched by many Carolina teams in recent memory.

Davis said the players knew all week they were going to win. The national narrative was all about Krzyzewski and his many former players in attendance. In the meantime, Carolina quietly prepared given no shot to win but did.

“We went to Cameron, that whole week building up to it was like, ‘we’re going to win this game,’” Davis recalled. “We knew within the locker room what we had.”

And he senses somewhat the same thing this time around. The 2022 Tar Heels were clearly much different the moment they stepped on the floor at Cameron than prior to that night. Davis sees this trip similarly.

“We can literally have a flip of the switch for the season,” he said, not smiling but with a look of seriousness on his face.

He would know. Davis is 3-1 inside Duke’s hallowed hall, with the 2022 victory one of the most memorable ever between these teams. But it wasn’t just that game as it triggered a magical run that nearly brought the program another national title.

It wasn’t expected then and isn’t expected now, but at least there’s a recent precedence for it happening.

This club is younger, less, experienced, and hasn’t displayed the grit that marked that team.