And one: Duke's all-around prowess shines in defeat of North Carolina

After each Duke men's basketball game, check back here for the Player of the Game and more. The Blue Devils cruised past North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the first of this season's rivalry contests. The Blue Zone breaks down the 87-70 victory:

One player: Cooper Flagg

Another week, another stellar performance from Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Although the Newport, Maine, native did not lead the Blue Devils in scoring — his explosive game was just one point shy of fellow freshman Kon Kneuppel’s 22 — Flagg had the most contributions on both sides of the court for Duke. Indeed, the freshman forward’s team-high tally of eight rebounds and seven assists showcased his all-around ability of being a team player, which helped the Blue Devils to roll over the Tar Heels with ease. Flagg’s highlight of the game came at the end of the first half, where he spun an incredible 180 degrees around North Carolina guard RJ Davis to sink a jumper at the buzzer. These heroics gave Duke an unassailable half-time lead of 47-25, from which the Tar Heels never recovered. The reigning ACC Player of the Week’s only statistical blemishes were a couple of missed free throws and turnovers, but he made up for them with two blocks and three steals to demonstrate his defensive prowess. Flagg was so confident in his game against North Carolina that he was simply bound to add his name to another night of this legendary rivalry between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels.

One word: Dominant

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis’ starting lineup of four shorter guards against the tallest team in the nation meant players were effectively undersized and quickly outclassed. Duke exploited the height advantage, especially 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach, who grabbed four offensive boards. The Tar Heels also struggled to guard the other four Blue Devils starters, who all managed double digits on the scoresheet. In particular, Sion James tied his season-best tally of 13 points, including a dunk 10 seconds into the contest to open the scoring for the home team. The game was pretty much already decided when Duke breezed past North Carolina with a 16-0 run early in the first half and never looked back, even leading the Tar Heels by 27 points at one stage. The 17-point margin of victory is also the largest win in the rivalry by the Blue Devils at home since head coach Jon Scheyer's senior night, when Duke won 82-50 in 2010. Simply put, the Blue Devils were unstoppable this Saturday.

One stat: 14 North Carolina turnovers

North Carolina had more turnovers (nine) than field goals in the first half after shooting just 8-for-27, which translated to Duke converting 11 points off those turnovers. While this is certainly impressive from a perspective of the Blue Devils’ efficient counter-attack, a solid defense shined even more. Duke effectively locked down the Tar Heels’ offensive output by suffocating production at the basket and guarding players man-on-man with a superior height difference. The Blue Devils’ defense was also drastically improved with the return of junior forward Maliq Brown from injury, who immediately made an impact upon introduction by stealing the ball from North Carolina center Jalen Washington. In total, Duke managed to rack up 10 steals, its most in a game against an ACC opponent  this year. If the Blue Devils can keep up their defensive form and force opponents into errors, their next match against Syracuse Wednesday evening should not pose too much of a problem.