CHAPEL HILL — No. 2 Duke looks to lock up the ACC regular-season title on the road against a hot North Carolina team. After 20 minutes of play in a packed Dean E. Smith Center, the Blue Devils hold a slim 43-42 lead:
State of the race
Rivalry games always matter, but Saturday night’s installment is probably the most significant since 2022’s Final Four showdown. Unlike that day in New Orleans, however, this is not as much about what one has to give up with a loss as what it gains with a win.
A Duke win would secure it a conference-record 19 ACC wins, a No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and further nail down a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A North Carolina win, on the other hand, would be a significant boost to its NCAA Tournament hopes, adding fuel to Duke’s fire to eliminate its rival here and now. The Tar Heels are a wounded animal fighting for their postseason lives while Duke is fighting for immortality. Both teams and the crowd have brought the intensity to match the occasion.
Bridging the gap
The two most glaring weaknesses of Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels last month at Cameron Indoor Stadium was their inability to match Duke’s 3-point clip and overcome the Blue Devil size advantage. The perimeter shooting was vastly improved by the home side Saturday, and while the size advantage remained, it was far less destructive.
All of Duke’s starters stood at 6-foot-6 or taller while only three of North Carolina’s did, but in contrast to the previous meeting, Davis opted to hand starts to Jae’Lyn Withers and Drake Powell, standing at 6-foot-9 and 6-foot 6, respectively. This allowed North Carolina to compete harder on the glass and find more success driving down low, which in turn drew Blue Devil defenders to the post and opened up space outside. Duke was able to run away with a 40-13 lead in the first half of February’s contest because North Carolina couldn’t handle its size, and is avoiding such a deficit this time around because it can.
Threatening in transition
The Blue Devils looked most dangerous in the first half when they were able to turn defense into offense, just as they have all season. Through the first four minutes of play, six of Duke’s eight points came off three North Carolina turnovers. Sion James thrived in the early goings as a result, using his imposing frame and immense speed to get to the bucket fast and draw fouls on backtracking Tar Heel defenders.
Kon Knueppel also had a field day working in transition, finding regular space on the wing to attempt uncontested 3-point looks. Once Tyrese Proctor started attempting shots, he joined the party too — inspiring a 22-9 run that ballooned Duke’s lead as large as 15. To their credit, the Tar Heels found success in transition as the half wore down, capitalizing on nine Blue Devil turnovers to whittle the deficit back to a solitary point.
Lower the Flagg
After Auburn’s Johni Broome dropped 34 points in his team’s overtime loss to Alabama, the college basketball world’s eyes turned to Cooper Flagg to make his case in a rivalry game for the Wooden Award. And though the Newport, Maine, native sank an early three to build a Blue Devil lead, the standout freshman soon found himself on the bench after two fouls in the opening 10 minutes. The night didn’t get any better for Flagg once he reentered with just more than five minutes to play, drawing a charge call under the basket two minutes later that relegated him once more.
How this impacts Flagg’s individual hopes aside, Duke didn’t struggle much without its talisman. With a smaller lineup favoring some combo of Mason Gillis, Isaiah Evans, a healthy Maliq Brown and Proctor alongside James and Knueppel, the Blue Devils found themselves more than able to build a lead. Flagg’s absence was felt more acutely was on the defensive side of the ball. Just as Duke was able to establish an advantage without him, North Carolina was able to crack it courtesy of its own star player in RJ Davis.
Player of the half: Sion James
With Flagg largely out of the picture and Duke’s frontcourt struggling to make an impact on the offensive end, the onus turned to the Blue Devil guards. Proctor and Knueppel each contributed sizable scoring efforts, but the Tar Heels had the most trouble stopping James. Drawing the 6-foot-3 and far slimmer Elliot Cadeau on defense certainly helped the graduate student, who was not given much of a physical challenge in his forays to the rim and was frequently fouled as a result.
James was also crucial on the defensive end of the floor — again matching up with Cadeau as Proctor handled RJ Davis — and was vital on the defensive glass, bringing down a team-leading three rebounds. James, along with Knueppel and Proctor, paced the Blue Devils with 10 points in the half.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.