Despite the absence of national rankings and a lack of fans in attendance, North Carolina and Duke played up to their rivalry’s reputation with another classic on Saturday night. Caleb Love scored a career-high 25 points and Leaky Black made two free throws with 7.2 seconds to play to help UNC hold off Duke for a 91-87 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Tar Heels’ 91 points and their 66.7 percent shooting from 3-point range were both season highs, while their 53.1 percent shooting was their second-best effort. UNC shot 51.6 percent in the first half and 54.5 percent after halftime, giving Roy Williams’s squad six halves of 50 percent shooting or better in their last nine opportunities.
The Tar Heels built double-digit leads in both halves only to have the Blue Devils erase both deficits. UNC led 60-48 with 14:10 to play but that lead vanished when Matthew Hurt’s jumper tied the game at 77-77 with 4:43 to play. Love scored seven of UNC’s next nine points to secure a working margin and then Black put the game away with three free throws in the final 15 seconds.
Six Tar Heels scored in double figures, marking the first time that’s happened since UNC defeated Tennessee Tech on Nov. 16, 2018. Armando Bacot (16), Garrison Brooks (12), Leaky Black (12), Kerwin Walton (12) and Day’Ron Sharpe (11) joined Love in double figures. Wendell Moore led Duke with 15 points.
Duke shot 53.7 percent from the floor, but was outrebounded, 38-31, and was outscored in points off turnovers (28-20) and in fast break points (27-15). The teams tied in points in the paint (36-36) and second-chance points (15-15).
Capitalizing on Turnovers
The first half paired 31 made field goals with 18 turnovers between the rivals, many of the former coming courtesy of live ball versions of the latter. Duke committed turnovers on its first three possessions and UNC needed little more than four minutes to build a 17-7 lead with an 11-0 edge in points off turnovers.
The Blue Devils countered with a 12-3 edge in points off turnovers over the next 11:48 to take their first lead at 32-30. The Tar Heels closed the half the way they began and entered the halftime locker room with a 21-14 advantage in points off turnovers. Both teams committed nine turnovers in the opening half.
UNC finished the game with a season-high 28 points off 15 turnovers, while Duke totaled 20 points off 16 turnovers.
Hot from Deep
UNC turned in its best 3-point shooting half of the season to open the 254th meeting in this rivalry, making 6-of-9 attempts from behind the arc. The Tar Heels were equally as efficient in the second half and finished the game at 10-of-15 shooting from deep. Love was 4-of-5 from three, while Walton was a perfect 4-of-4.
The 10 3-pointers tied a season high for the Tar Heels (Florida State).
Highlight Play
Caleb Love with the and-1 slam ?? pic.twitter.com/VlwV8rC8z7
— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2021
Stat of Note
Saturday’s matchup ended a streak of 153 consecutive UNC-Duke games with at least one team ranked in the AP poll. The last time that happened was Feb. 27, 1960. Roy Williams was nine years old, while Mike Krzyzewski had just turned 13.
Up Next
UNC has a quick turnaround as Miami (7-11, 3-10 ACC) comes to Chapel Hill on Monday night for a 7 p.m. tip (ESPN). The Tar Heels defeated the Hurricanes, 67-65, on Andrew Platek’s buzzer-beater in Coral Gables on Jan. 5.
