CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 4 Duke came into the Dean Smith Center on Saturday ready to exact its revenge against No. 3 North Carolina after falling to the Tar Heels in a demoralizing defeat in February.
Indeed, the second installment looked considerably more competitive than the first meeting — at least until the halftime buzzer, when Duke took a two-point lead into the locker room. The Blue Devils (26-5, 14-4 ACC) hung with UNC (26-5, 16-2) even after losing junior Marques Bolden to a left knee injury not even three minutes into the game.
The loss of Bolden was only compounded, of course, by the fact this was the Blue Devils’ fifth game without star player Zion Williamson.
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The reality — and fatigue — of a depleted rotation set in quickly in the second half. The Tar Heels opened the half on a 12-4 run, sparking an excellent showing from its seniors and Coby White, en route to a 79-70 victory. With the win, UNC not only clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title with No. 2 Virginia but also swept the rival Blue Devils for just the first time since 2008-09, a season in which the Tar Heels won the national title.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, showing humor in the aftermath of his team's loss, could only describe White’s performance by saying, “How dare he?” White scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half.
The freshman was fantastic, but it was only right that, on senior night, Kenny Williams put on a show in his final game in the Dean Dome. The guard not only dropped 18 points, he also drew several charges and helped to put Duke’s RJ Barrett into foul trouble.
“He’s a pest and it probably definitely sucks to play against him," Heels guard Cameron Johnson said of Williams. "He’s annoying, he plays hard, he scraps and he does so many little things. (I’m) definitely thankful to have him on my team.”
Williams kept the crowd excited, but Tar Heels fans really erupted after he knocked down a 3 late in the game to give Carolina its biggest lead of the night, a 15-point margin.
The offense wasn't the only thing meshing for the Tar Heels. Their defense held Duke to a season-low 34.2 percent shooting (the Blue Devils' previous low was 34.7 percent against UNC on Feb. 20 at Cameron Indoor Stadium) and 30 second-half points.
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White said his team feels confident going into the postseason, and why wouldn't it, especially after winning seven straight to close out the regular season? The thrill of sweeping Duke — with or without Williamson — won't cause UNC to lose focus as its next task awaits.
After all, the Tar Heels enter the ACC Tournament as a 2-seed behind No. 1 Virginia.
“Through it all, we got to stay humble and stay hungry," White said. "Especially stay hungry and focus on our big goal."