Durham, N.C. — As Duke prepares for its first meeting of the season with rival North Carolina, its coach and players are assuming that the Tar Heels will be at full strength.

UNC point guard Ty Lawson sustained a high sprain to his left ankle against Florida State Sunday and said afterward that he doubted he'll play Wednesday, but the Devils think he'll be running UNC's dangerous fast-break.

"I would expect him to play," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I just think it's tough to keep any kid out of this game from either side. And he's quicker than anybody in the country at getting the ball north-south on the court."

Krzyzewski said that with Lawson and All-America candidate Tyler Hansbrough manning the post, the Devils will face two of the nation's best players at their respective positions.

"They have two really unique guys," Krzyzewski said. "They have a lot of good players, but Hansbrough and Lawson are the best at what they do in the country and it's difficult (to guard them).

"So we prepare for (Lawson) being 100 percent, and the other thing is they're not really going to try to change their system if his minutes are limited or he wouldn't be (playing). They have a senior point guard who will try to simulate that. We have to prepare for that."

That senior is Quentin Thomas, who played 36 minutes in relief of Lawson in UNC's overtime win over the Seminoles.

"He's obviously one of the quickest guys in the country the way he pushes the ball up the floor — easy offense for them, transition (points), and he makes a lot of plays for other people," Greg Paulus said of Lawson.

Duke's main challenge, regardless of Lawson's status, will be stopping Hansbrough, who enters Wednesday averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Hansbrough pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds Sunday.

All season, undersized Duke has rebounded by committee, and Krzyzewski knows everyone will have to contribute on the boards against Hansbrough and the rest of the Tar Heels.

"The games we get out-rebounded, a lot of times our perimeter forgets (to rebound)," Krzyzewski said. "(Our) stat line (of) offensive and defense rebounds, especially defensive rebounds, is huge, including (those by) our point guard. So it's been a point of emphasis for us all year, and as a result it's becoming a little bit more of a habit."

Senior forward DeMarcus Nelson, who stands 6 feet 4 inches, averages a team-high 5.9 rebounds, and five other Devils grab at least three boards a game.

"That's something that we've been trying to build on from the beginning of the year," Paulus said. "At the start of the year, we had a lot of the big guys on the boards. We realized through film that the guards gotta rebound.

"We don't need to waste those couple seconds (receiving an outlet pass). We can just get it and go. It's something we've focused on since we started getting up and down, once we realized that we're gonna be a little bit smaller this year. But I think it is a big part of keeping big guys out of foul trouble and obviously getting out in transition."

As far as guarding the 6-9, 250-pound Hansbrough, Kyle Singler said it will be a team effort. The 6-8 Singler doesn't consider himself a post player, yet he has matched up against post guys much of the season.

In fact, just about every Devil — even the 6-1 Paulus — has found himself guarding a bigger, stronger player. In Duke's win over Maryland, Nelson frequently took on 6-9 James Gist and 6-8 Bambale Osby.

"Throughout the whole season, I've been guarding people a lot bigger than me, so I've got a lot of experience in that, a lot of practice so far," Singler said.

Of Hansbrough, Singler added: "I'm not going to try to guard him by myself. It's definitely going to be team defense. We're going to have a game plan, and we just have to execute it to the best of our ability."

One thing the Devils don't mind is physical play. Singler said that he has sustained a team-high 23 stitches this season — all but three on his face. Paulus also has a scar from an elbow he took early in Duke's win over Miami Saturday.

After the incident in which Gerald Henderson broke Hansbrough's nose at the end of last season's second game — the last time the teams met — the Devils know Wednesday's contest will be a typical ACC battle.

"I think obviously we're smaller than most teams, so for us we really need to scrap inside and make plays like that (getting loose balls)," Scheyer said. "So that's one of the things that's happened I feel like every game, guys getting stitches."

Whether Lawson plays and the game's a track meet or he doesn't and the Tar Heels go at a slightly slower clip, Krzyzewski predicts Wednesday's game will be another classic in what he calls the "most unique" — and best — rivalry in all of American sports.

"It's usually a great game," Krzyzewski said. "You have really good guys playing their butts off, good kids, both teams are really well-coached and (run) fun systems. We're not going to hold the ball. They won't hold the ball.

"I think there'll be a lot of points scored on Wednesday night at the kind of an up-and-down pace."