The UNC-Duke basketball rivalry is always a fun one to watch. Saturday’s rematch felt a little different, though.
North Carolina trailed by just five points at halftime, but the Blue Devils overwhelmed them in the second half. The Tar Heels lost, 76-61 and will now look ahead to the ACC Tournament. You may hear the excuses of, “UNC didn’t have Caleb Wilson.” That’s a lame excuse. North Carolina (24-7, 12-6 ACC) hung in there with the nation’s best team tonight, weathering punches, an extremely tough environment and – as always in trips to Cameron Indoor Stadium – a couple of questionable calls/no-calls.
Statistically, the Tar Heels played a fairly even game with Duke (29-1, 17-1 ACC). UNC outshot the Blue Devils, 45-42 percent overall and 38-31% from deep. In a rarity this season, North Carolina shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, while Duke only made eight of its 15 free throws.
The Tar Heels struggled immensely with ball security, though, turning the basketball over 14 times. The Blue Devils took full advantage of this, turning those UNC mishaps into 24 points. Duke also out-rebounded North Carolina, 42-29, plus enjoyed a 36-28 points in the paint advantage. Derek Dixon enjoyed a big night on the score sheet, leading the Tar Heels with 17 points. Cameron Boozer was the best player on the court, though, recording a 26-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Hubert Davis has a few days to prepare his players for the ACC Tournament, with a Thursday matchup awaiting 3-seed North Carolina. Take a look at what UNC’s head coach had to say postgame. All quotes are via TarHeel247’s Jarvis Hicks:
On Duke’s 30-6 run to blow the game open
“Well, I mean, it was them. At the beginning of the game I was clear and definitive on things that we had to do better compared to the first time we played them. One of them, number one on the list, was rebounding. We gave up 18 offensive rebounds. That’s just not sustainable. We also needed to do a better job taking care of the basketball. Our 14 turnovers turned into 24 points for them. We were outscored by 20 in terms of points off turnovers. That’s how teams go on runs — giving them second chances and not taking care of the basketball on the offensive end. During that stretch we had a combination of both, and that allowed them to get on a run in the second half.”
On the Caleb Wilson injury
“I found out about it yesterday. Our team will move forward. Our team has moved forward all year. Seth was out for nine games. Caleb has been out for seven. Henri was out for two. It’s nothing different than how our team has reacted and responded throughout the whole season. Obviously there’s tremendous sadness for him. I’ve talked about how special of a player he is, but also how remarkable of a kid and teammate he is. The passion that he has for his teammates, for North Carolina, for being on the floor and playing in games like this. It was a dream for him to play in the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. My heart is broken that he won’t be able to do that. But we’ve finished the regular season and now it’s time to regroup and move toward the ACC Tournament.”
On moving forward and 50/50 balls
“The same way this team has moved forward all year. Tonight, I felt like Malik dominated the game. Obviously Cameron is a gifted player, but Malik’s presence disrupted us on both ends of the floor. Whether it was his post defense, ball screen defense, steals, deflections, his screens, passing ability, being able to rim run and score around the basket — I thought he disrupted us on both ends. Going back to the 18 offensive rebounds, I felt like on 50/50 loose balls they got most of them. In order to win games against teams like this, you have to win that area. We didn’t win it tonight.”
On Duke’s defensive pressure
“They’ve got elite athleticism. They do a really good job not just getting steals but also getting deflections. They went to their small lineup and were switching everything. When teams switch, you have to make them pay. There were times when they had perimeter players on our bigs and we didn’t take advantage of that. But you have to give them credit. The reason they’re one of the better defensive teams in the country is because they have good team defense and really good individual defenders. I thought Sarr was really good tonight getting steals and making plays defensively.”
On half-court offensive struggles
“That was dictated by Duke’s defense — their effort and physicality. Whether we were coming off screens on or off the ball, I felt like they dictated our cuts and our movement. We were starting our offense almost near half court, and you just can’t be efficient doing that. We couldn’t generate anything consistently in the post. In the second half, I’m not even sure if we shot a free throw. For us, dominating the paint goes hand-in-hand with getting to the free throw line. When you do that, it allows you to set your defense. We weren’t doing that. We were always in transition defense because we were missing. So give credit to them. We’ll regroup and be ready to go in Charlotte.”
