ESPN College GameDay picks Duke vs. UNC over John Calipari, Arkansas vs. Kentucky

The Saturday, Feb. 1 college basketball slate is loaded with marquee matchups, including Florida at Tennessee, North Carolina at Duke and John Calipari bringing his Arkansas team to Rupp Arena to take on Kentucky. ESPN College GameDay had no shortage of intriguing games to choose from, but the show will be at Cameron Indoor Stadium for Duke-UNC, it was announced on Saturday.

College GameDay has passed on the chance to be at Rupp Arena for John Calipari making his return to Kentucky.

College GameDay made the announcement during Saturday’s show at Auburn, and Duke also sent out a release sharing the news.

This will be the 14th trip to Duke for College GameDay, which is the most of any school. Host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, Andraya Carter, Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams and Pete Thamel will all be at Cameron Indoor Stadium to preview the rivalry matchup between North Carolina and Duke.

College GameDay on Feb. 1 will begin at 10 a.m. and be televised by ESPN.

Duke is one of the top teams in the country as the Blue Devils are currently 16-2 (8-0) entering Saturday’s game at Wake Forest. As for North Carolina, the Tar Heels have underachieved this season and are 12-8 (5-3) ahead of Saturday’s game against Boston College.

The Arkansas vs. Kentucky game also has one team that will likely be heavily favored as the Wildcats are ranked No. 9 after getting off to a 14-4 (3-2) start. Arkansas has struggled under Calipari so far this year and is 12-7 (1-5).

Even with North Carolina not playing to its potential at times this year, you can bet that the Tar Heels will be at their best to face Duke with College GameDay in town.

Cooper Flagg admits he has a ‘pinch me’ moment every week at Duke

A big reason for Duke’s strong start to the season and added attention, including from College GameDay, is the play of freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

He was the No. 1 player in the 2024 recruiting class and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Even so, he has to remind himself what a journey this season has been with Duke. Flagg is enjoying a ton of success early on, most recently against Boston College.

At one point every week, Flagg has a moment he describes as “pinch me” to put things into perspective. Playing at this level is something he has been working toward his entire life. Now that it’s finally here, Flagg wants to make sure he embraces it all.

“I think I have a ‘pinch me’ moment almost every week at this point,” Flagg said. “I mean, this was my dream growing up, my entire life, to be in the position I’m in right now. I’m just trying to enjoy it and stay in the moment.”