In another memorable chapter in the Tobacco Road rivalry, the No. 15 North Carolina men’s basketball team fell in overtime, 92-90, to No. 4 Duke Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

***Listen to the story***

Carolina built a ten-point second half lead with 3:51 to play to stun the Cameron Crazies, but the Tar Heels were unable to seal the deal in the closing minutes. The Blue Devils took full advantage of UNC miscues to force overtime at 81-all and ultimately complete the comeback victory.

With the loss, the Tar Heels dropped to 18-8 overall and an 8-5 mark in ACC play while the Blue Devils improved to 23-3 on the season with a 10-3 record in the league.

“It’s tough for this game to always live up to the hype,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski says. “But I think tonight’s game exceeded it.”

This topsy-turvy edition of the Battle of the Blues was played at a feverish, hectic pace and saw a number of players on both sides rise to the occasion, but it was Duke guard Tyus Jones who shone the brightest on this night, delivering the goods in the clutch and finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds.

Tyus Jones talks with Coach Mike Krzyzewski, a former point guard himself. (The Herald-Sun)

Tyus Jones talks with Coach Mike Krzyzewski, a former point guard himself. (The Herald-Sun)

Duke’s Quinn Cook also had an outstanding game, contributing 22 points of his own while playing a whopping 45 minutes of the grueling contest that forced millions of viewers to stay up well past their bedtimes.

Notably, one UNC player was surprisingly quiet. Marcus Paige, normally an offensive catalyst for the Tar Heels, struggled to get open against the disciplined defense of Jones and when he did get shots off, he missed the mark completely, only managing to tally five points on 2-11 shooting.

“My teammates came to battle. They played fantastic the whole game. And I didn’t really give them anything,” Paige says.

In Paige’s place, a supporting cast of Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson and J.P. Tokoto was forced to take a starring role. The trio handled the promotion well, playing with an intensity and focus rarely seen so far in their careers.

Meeks and Johnson finished with 18 points apiece while Tokoto supplied 15 points that included a couple electrifying dunks that silenced the hostile crowd briefly each time.

But ironically, it was normally exquisite passer Meeks, whose carelessly tossed pass actually turned the tables late in the game and paved the path for a Duke rally.

“If you just care about college basketball then you had to enjoy that part of it. But I happen to love North Carolina, so it’s not as agreeable with me,” UNC head coach Roy Williams says.

***Listen to Roy Williams’ postgame remarks***

Duke sped out of the gates with a fury, staking a 13-4 lead with 16:41 on the first half clock. UNC appeared nervous in the opening minutes but settled down quickly to survive the Blue Devil storm.

Paige couldn't get much going Wed. night (Photo Courtesy ESPN)

Paige couldn’t get much going Wed. night (Photo Courtesy ESPN)

The Tar Heels battled hard and received contributions from a variety of players to cut the devfcit down to 40-36 after a Joel James layup with 4:12 to play before intermission.

At the halftime buzzer, Duke held a 49-42 advantage thanks to early hot shooting.

The start of the second half was dominated by the guys in Carolina blue. The Tar Heels got their offense flowing with crisp passing and unselfish ball movement. What’s more, their defense was suffocating. In full flight, UNC was something to see. The scoreboard reflected the spike in play too with Carolina sporting a 77-67 advantage with 3:51 to go.

But down the stretch, careless mistakes started to creep in. Missed foul shots didn’t help matters any either. Duke, meanwhile, turned up the defensive intensity and suprised Carolina by not settling for three-pointes when falling behind by double-digits.

Instead, the Blue Devils raised their toughness level and began driving straight to the basket, finishing the shots around the rim and often, drawing a foul.

The overtime period was tight throughout, but it was clear who had all the momentum. With the Cameron crowd in a frenzy, it was hard to imagine a scenario where UNC emerged victorious. But still, the Tar Heels had plenty of chances. But in the end, Duke snagged the all-important rebound to seal the deal off an intentional Carolina free throw miss.

In a lighter moment, before the game, Coach Krzyzewski and Coach Williams embraced while teammates from both squads put their arms around each other at midcourt for a poignant moment of silence to honor the late Dean Smith. The silence in Cameron Indoor was breathtaking – almost like a cathedral. Some fans even wore T-shirts in Duke’s color scheme and lettering that read DEAN in place of the usual DUKE.

Outside of the final outcome, an emotional Coach Williams says he was pleased with his team’s fight.

“For the most part, I really enjoyed the toughness and the poise of my team. Yes, we missed some free throws and wide open shots, but that’s college basketball. It’s 18, 19, 20, 21-year-old kids. We’ve been through a tough stretch. I am really proud of my team,” Coach Williams says.

Will UNC’s spirited effort against its rival serve as fuel to the fire going forward or will it represent a last gasp, of sorts, to a season that hasn’t been going in the right direction lately?

The answer will begin to reveal itself this weekend. The Tar Heels will return to action Saturday for a high noon meeting in the Smith Center with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

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