Despite the lack of national rankings and a lack of fans in attendance, North Carolina and Duke lived up to the reputation of their rivalry with another Saturday night classic. Caleb Love scored 25 points in his career 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 shoot from a 3-point range were both season highs, while their 53.1 percent shoot was their second-best shot. UNC shot 51.6 percent in the first half and 54.5 percent after halftime, giving Roy Williams’ squad six halves of 50 percent or better in their last nine chances.
The Tar Heels built double digit leads in both halves to make the Blue Devils clear both shortages. UNC led 60-48 with 14:10 to play, but that lead disappeared when Matthew Hurt’s jumper leveled the game at 77-77 with 4:43 to play. Love scored seven of UNC’s next nine points to secure a working margin, then Black put the game down with three free throws in the last 15 seconds.
Six Tar Heels scored in double digits, the first time that has happened since UNC defeated Tennessee Tech on November 16, 2018. Armando Bacot (16), Garrison Brooks (12), Leaky Black (12), Kerwin Walton (12) and Day ‘ Ron Sharpe (11) joined Love in double digits. Wendell Moore led Duke by 15 points.
Duke shot 53.7 percent from the floor, but was outrebounded, 38-31, and was surpassed in points on turnovers (28-20) and in quick break points (27-15). The teams scored points (36-36) and jump-off points (15-15).
Profit from sales
31 field goals were scored in the first half with 18 turnovers between the rivals, most of which came from live ball versions of the latter. Duke made sales on his first three holdings and UNC took just over four minutes to build a 17-7 lead with an 11-0 lead in points on sales.
The Blue Devils countered with a 12-3 point lead on sales in the next 11:48 and took their first lead at 32-30. The Tar Heels closed midway through the start and entered the locker room with a 21-14 point advantage over turnover. Both teams made nine sales in the first half.
UNC closed the game with a season-high 28 points from 15 sales, while Duke had a total of 20 points from 16 sales.
Hot from the deep
UNC handed in its best three-point shooting half of the season to open its 254th game in this rivalry, with 6-of-9 tries from behind the arc. The Tar Heels were equally efficient in the second half, finishing the game with 10 of 15 from the depth. Love was 4-of-5 of 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 en-1 strike ?? pic.twitter.com/VlwV8rC8z7
– ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2021
Note
Saturday’s matchup ended a run of 153 consecutive UNC-Duke games with at least one team ranked in the AP poll. The last time that happened was February 27, 1960. Roy Williams was nine years old, while Mike Krzyzewski had just turned 13.
Next one
UNC has a fast turnaround when Miami (7-11, 3-10 ACC) comes to Chapel Hill on Monday night for a 7:00 pm tip (ESPN). The Tar Heels beat the Hurricanes, 67-65, on Andrew Platek’s buzzer beater in Coral Gables on Jan. 5.