CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — For a few minutes after halftime Saturday night, it seemed like North Carolina had enough momentum — and homecourt advantage — to pull off an upset of No. 2 Duke.
But the Blue Devils proved why they’re one of the top teams in the country, not just coming from behind but pulling away from the Tar Heels to win 82-69 at the Smith Center in the 264th edition of the most storied rivalry in college sports.
Kon Knueppel led Duke (28-3 overall, 19-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 17 points. Cooper Flagg, Sion James and Tyrese Proctor also scored in double figures for the Blue Devils.
In his last game at the Smith Center, fifth-year senior RJ Davis led the Tar Heels (20-12, 13-7) with a game-high 20 points. Only one other Tar Heel, Ven-Allen Lubin, scored more than eight points. He finished with 11 off the bench and also pulled down six rebounds.
Duke only led 43-42 at halftime, leaving the door open for UNC to make a run. The Tar Heels took advantage, with Davis tying the game at 45 with less than a minute into the second half.
UNC’s lead got as high as 56-49 on a Lubin layup with 15:44 left in the game, but the Blue Devils began to chip away. A Flagg free throw tied the game at 59-59 with 11:27 left and a Knueppel layup 44 seconds later gave Duke the lead. The Blue Devils never trailed after that.
The defeat is a blow to the Tar Heels’ hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. Despite riding a six-game winning streak into Saturday night, Davis and company find themselves on the outside of the “bubble” looking in, with many bracketology prognosticators marking them as the second or third team listed in the “first four out” section of their predictions.
But UNC still has a chance to make a run through the ACC Tournament next week in Charlotte. Though seedings have yet to be finalized pending the outcome of the rest of Saturday’s games, the Tar Heels will have a single-bye and start play Wednesday. Duke will have a double-bye and won’t play until the quarterfinal round on Thursday.