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Jasmine Thomas seems to save her best for the toughest teams on No. 6 Duke's brutal schedule.

She'll probably need to keep that up if the Blue Devils hope to bounce back from their first ACC loss in of one of college basketball's fiercest rivalries, regardless of gender.

When first-place Duke (18-4, 6-1) hosts No. 9 North Carolina (16-5, 4-3) today, there figures to be more desperation than usual for both teams, and the matchups of playmaking guards -- Thomas against the Tar Heels' Cetera DeGraffenreid or Italee Lucas -- could provide a fitting sequel to those Lindsey Harding-Ivory Latta duels from a few years ago.

That ought to suit Thomas just fine. Three of the Duke junior's six 20-point games this season have come against teams currently in the top 15.

"When you talk about all of her talents, there are many: her ballhandling, her IQ, her skill set, her shooting," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "But to me, the ultimate thing Jas has, and brings to the table, is an unbelievable focus. This is a very, very lightning quick, dynamic guard that is laser-focused when it comes to competition."

While the Blue Devils were losing at Boston College, the Tar Heels were being knocked off at Miami. For the first time since 1997, both teams enter their matchup after defeats.

"You like to see where you measure out and you also see what you need to do for your team to get your team up to those standards," Thomas said.