No. 5 Duke Erases 13-Point Second-Half Deficit to Defeat No. 9 UNC in Regular Season Finale

For the second time in five days, the ninth-ranked UNC men’s basketball team found themselves on the wrong end of a heartbreaking loss Saturday night.

Holding a 13-point lead over No. 5 Duke early in the second half, the Tar Heels let it all slip away as the Blue Devils rallied for a 74-64 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

It wasn’t a crushing buzzer beater like the one Miami hit on Tuesday, but all losses to Duke hurt just the same for UNC.

When you add in the fact that the Tar Heels (22-8, 11-7 ACC) seemed to be in complete control coming out of the locker room at halftime, it only twists the knife that much more.

Freshman forward Marvin Bagley III solidified his ACC Player of the Year case for the Blue Devils (25-6, 13-5 ACC), as he tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone—after being held to just three points and four rebounds before the break.

Duke guard Grayson Allen added 15 points on his senior night, while Gary Trent Jr. finished with 13 points and hit a trio of clutch three-pointers in the second half on the way to becoming the third Blue Devil to reach double figures.

It was Bagley, though, that was the difference—making things happen all over the floor as he showed why he’s a candidate to be the top player taken in this June’s NBA Draft.

After the game, UNC head coach Roy Williams spoke at length on just how special the Duke freshman is.

“Six-eleven, athletic as all get-out, long arms,” Williams said, about Bagley. “He’s a heck of a basketball player. I don’t have anybody like that.

“Theo [Pinson] tried to front him, Theo tried to guard him inside,” the coach continued. “But he’s a young man with some great gifts who’s worked awfully hard to use those gifts. There’s not many people like him.”

Much like the first time the teams met this season—when the Tar Heels rallied from 12 points down to win in Chapel Hill—it was truly a tale of two halves.

With both teams struggling to make shots from the floor early on, UNC led by 10 at halftime thanks to 10 missed free throws from the Blue Devils.

As the game wore on, however, the Tar Heel offense stalled out with its leader—senior point guard Joel Berry—struggling to find a rhythm. Berry finished with just six points and was the only UNC starter to not score in double figures.

Cameron Johnson led the team with 16 points, Luke Maye and Kenny Williams chipped in 13 apiece and Theo Pinson added 12 of his own.

As a team, the Tar Heels attempted a whopping 31 of their 70 total shots from behind the three-point line against Duke’s zone defense—but converted on just eight of them.

Freshman Garrison Brooks provided UNC’s only four bench points of the night and the Tar Heels were outrebounded for just the fourth time all season.

All of that put together combined to make the perfect storm for a loss on the big stage.

The Tar Heels’ sloppy second half also cost them a chance to be the No. 2 seed during next week’s ACC Tournament in Brooklyn—meaning they’ll no longer receive a double-bye and must win four straight games to earn the title.

“I think some aliens crawled up in my guys’ bodies during the second half, because that wasn’t the North Carolina team that I’ve seen all year, nor was it the North Carolina team that I love.” Williams said. “But congratulate Duke. They kicked our butt in the second half.”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will enter next week’s ACC Tournament in Brooklyn as the No. 6 seed and will take on the winner of No. 11 Syracuse and No. 14 Wake Forest. That game is scheduled for Wednesday March 7 at 9:30 p.m.

Game Notes:

• UNC attempted just five free throws in the game (4-for-5), compared to 20 for Duke (9-for-20).
• Duke outrebounded the Tar Heels 46-42 and had 34 points in the paint compared to just 24 for UNC.
• The Tar Heels also committed 14 turnovers while dishing out only 15 assists, a far cry from the two turnovers they committed in last month’s win over Duke.

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Cover photo via Ben McKeown (Associated Press)