Man, what a game. There is no way you can be an ACC fan and not have enjoyed every second of that game. I’m not saying it just because Duke won, I’m saying it because it was a back and forth affair. It was an amazing show of grit by both teams. In the end Duke was able inch out a 2 point victory 92 to 90, and it was every bit a battle for the entire game.
Do I believe these teams are truly evenly matched? No. I do believe Duke is the better team which makes what Carolina did in Cameron that much more impressive. UNC rose to the occasion and took the fight to the Blue Devils and without much help from its leader Marcus Paige who was 2 for 11 for 5 points in the game. Carolina got huge games from other s though. Kennedy Meeks proved a tough match-up for Jahlil Okafor and the rest of the Duke bigs scoring 18 points and 7 rebounds. Brice Johnson also scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds before fouling out of the game. UNC got a great all-around game from forward J.P. Toccata who scored 15 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
Carolina took control of the game in the second half, getting out in transition against a tired Blue Devil team, feeling the effects of a short bench. Duke trailed by 9 points with 2:41 left in the game and by 7 with 90 secs left and was able to tie the game on a Tyus Jones lay-up to force the game into overtime. In the overtime Duke and UNC volleyed back and forth for the lead but Duke was able to get stops in the waning moments to secure the win.
For Duke, Tyus Jones was the Apple Valley Assassin he has been all season. Jones took over when Duke was struggling on the offensive end, attacking the rim. Jones scored 22 points, and was tied for the second highest rebounder in Duke blue with 7. Jones didn’t have his best floor game but did dish 8 assists to 6 turnovers. When it counted though, the freshman was flawless. The freshman scored nine straight points for the Blue Devils, and his lay-up with 27 seconds left tied the game at 81. Tyus Jones’ back-court running mate Quinn Cook also scored 22 points and went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. As a whole Duke shot 10 of 16 from 3 point range.
Freshman Jahlil Okafor did not have a monster game for Duke but did have a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Troubling for the big man is 0 for 6 from the free-throw line. Duke also got double figure efforts from Justise Winslow and Amile Jefferson. Winslow scored 16 points and had 7 rebounds while Jefferson scored 13 and had 6 blocked shots.
UNC dominated Duke on the interior with a 62-40 edge in points in the paint, Duke was also very loose with the ball turning the ball over 16 times which led to a 26-14 edge for UNC in points off of turnovers. UNC also won the battle of second chance points 21 to 13, fast break points 8 to 5 and bench points 32 to 7. Where Duke had a decided advantage was beyond the arc where Duke was 10 of 16 and UNC went 2 of 10. Duke and UNC’s instant classic was witnessed by several recruits including Harry Giles, Dennis Smith, Derryck Thornton & Caleb Swanigan.
