It took his most stoic face, but Greg Paulus left the court exactly the way he had walked onto it more than two hours earlier. He stopped, if only for a second, and offered applause for the Cameron Crazies that had exploded when he was introduced in the starting lineup, giving him the rowdiest ovation of any player.
Cloistered from his fans in the locker room, though, Paulus was visibly shaken.
The senior point guard slumped in a fold-up chair and dutifully answered the questions he hoped he could avoid, but not before sitting in pregnant pauses of silence.
Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green cemented their undefeated legacy in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but their accomplishment translated to Paulus never beating the Tar Heels at home.
"We come to Duke to win these games," Paulus said. "It hurts. It really does. And now I don't get another chance to do it at home."
Despite winning two games in Chapel Hill-and having a chance to add to that number later in the season-Paulus saw plenty of opportunities to celebrate in Cameron in four games. And Wednesday night's loss may qualify as the one he'll remember most, especially given the way Duke played in the first half, when Paulus combined with Nolan Smith to help lead a Duke offense that played some of its best basketball all season.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski implicitly acknowledged his players' frustration, especially that of Paulus, the true senior who will graduate without attending a victory bonfire after a win over North Carolina.
"I want to thank our fans-they were unbelievable," Krzyzewski said. "And our kids are disappointed, obviously, because they really wanted this one more for our students and fans than even themselves."
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said he never could have envisioned taking four in a row behind enemy lines. But then Hansbrough, as a freshman, spoiled J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams' senior night. The next year, the Tar Heels ran past an inexperienced Duke squad, and last season, North Carolina closed the game on a 10-0 run to ruin DeMarcus Nelson's last game in Cameron.
Suddenly, it was Hansbrough's class that didn't want to see its last time in Cameron end in a loss Wednesday.
"Everything is possible, but I certainly didn't count on it by any means," Roy Williams said of the winning streak. "I did challenge our guys. I say one thing.... 'The streak is going to stop, but let's just put it off for another year.'"
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