North Carolina guard R.J. Davis, having won three times at Duke in his career, was ticking off a checklist Thursday of how to get it done one last time at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

There has to be the right mindset, Davis said. The Tar Heels must first believe they can win and will win Saturday before going to Durham to face the No. 2 Blue Devils.

“You have to be mentally ready to play there,” Davis said.

Next, he said, is the need to take it “possession by possession” during what should again be a game of the game-time emotion that accompanies the ethos of two proud basketball programs that have been so entwined.

“Basketball is a game of runs and especially against Duke,” Davis said. “In the years I played them, it’s always been like a back and forth game with an exchange of buckets. So every possession matters, whether a great shot or a great defensive stop.”

A third element, Davis said, is “staying together.” The Cameron Crazies will try everything they can to have the Tar Heels come unglued, to make Cameron into a cauldron. Poise will be a must.

“You’ve got to have kind of blinders on because of the environment, because of the rivalry, right?” Davis said. “There’s a lot of anticipation that gets built up for these games, a lot of pressure, with the fans and just overall bragging rights of teams on both ends wanting to win.

“You’ve got to ignore all that, at the same time. Just go out there and play basketball like you’ve been doing for 20 games.”

The Tar Heels have not always been at their best in the first 20 or so games, going 13-9 overall and 6-4 in the ACC. So many games have been tight, and while the Heels have won five of nine “one-possession” games, UNC finds itself at a point where making the NCAA tournament this year – without winning the ACC tournament, always a last resort – has become problematic, given the losses and the upcoming schedule.

After Duke comes another game with Pittsburgh, which beat the Heels on Tuesday. Then, in a quick turnaround, it will be on to Clemson.

The Heels were No. 41 in the NET ratings on Thursday and 1-8 in Quad-1 games. That’s very thin ice when it comes to getting in the NCAAs.

That’s the big-picture view, although Davis said the Heels can’t over-inflate the importance of this one game and be overly emotional when it’s played. He said it must be treated as “another game on the schedule,” as odd as that might seem or sound.

“Obviously we know the background behind (the game) and the history between both teams, but you’ve got to look at it as another team to play, another opportunity for us to get better,” he said.

“Yes, we’re playing Duke and, yes, it’s a rivalry game. But don’t treat it and make it something bigger than what it is. Treat it as a game like we’ve been doing. Our preparation has to be the same.”

UNC coach Hubert Davis said Thursday that it will be important for the Heels to make the simple play, the routine plays, and minimize its turnovers against Duke, adding, “We don’t need home runs. We just need singles.”

That said, the Tar Heels did have a home-run hitter last season in Cormac Ryan, whose 31 points keyed UNC’s 84-79 victory that clinched the ACC regular-season title. Ryan, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, nailed six 3-pointers at Cameron.

Davis said Thursday that he did not have an update on the availability of injured center Jalen Washington, who missed the game at Pitt. Washington tweaked his knee last weekend in the win over Boston College at the Smith Center and was held out of the road game, but could practice Thursday, the coach said.

R.J. Davis said his coach has used the phrase “planting our feet, this is where we draw the line” with his team. It might have reached that point with this UNC team, this season.

In 2022, the Heels used a win over Duke to propel it toward a NCAA Final Four appearance. It was Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game at Cameron before his retirement, with all that was packed into that night, and UNC won, 94-81.

The Heels beat Duke again in the Final Four, ending Coach K’s storied career, before falling against Kansas in the national title game. Once 12-6 that season, UNC closed 29-10.

“In 2022, our backs were against the wall,” R.J. Davis said. “That got us over the hump and allowed us to make that run. What I feel about this team, people are counting us out. We’re having a hard time finishing out games strong.

“But I see it. I see the vision for this team, how we can be great. … We could literally have a flip of switch for this season.”