There were no fans inside the Cameron Indoor Stadium, and neither team was rated for the first time since 1960, but the first version of Duke vs. North Carolina this season maintained the series’ standards anyway. In the end, Tar Heels mounted their best offensive performance of the season after Duke for a 91-87 victory that Tar Heels badly needed.
Duke (7-7, 5-5 ACC) had his highest score of the year as well, but defended defensively against a North Carolina team that was lethal in both painting and perimeter just four days after scoring just 50 points in a loss ugly for Clemson. Freshman guard Caleb Love led the way for Tar Heels (12-6, 7-4) with a career record of 25 points, giving UNC the explosive guard game it has lacked for most of the season so far.
Still, a Duke team that managed just seven points from top scorer Matthew Hurt, stayed on the heels of UNC until the final bell. Freshman striker Jalen Johnson went into the basket with a chance to tie the game, but was whistled for a trip with eight seconds left. From there, North Carolina froze the game on the free throw line.
While a couple of late free throws from Leaky Black ensured the result, a surprising 3-point kick propelled Tar Heels for much of the game. UNC ranked among the worst in ACC and nationally in most 3-point shooting metrics, but did 10 out of 15 from beyond the arc, with Love and Kerwin Walton combining to do 8 out of 9 to fight Duke’s 11 25 nights in the 3-point interval.