UNC Falls To Top-Ranked Duke In Durham, 76-61

DURHAM, N.C. — No. 1 Duke proved too much for No. 17 North Carolina Saturday night in Durham, as the Blue Devils pulled away for a 76-61 victory. After this regular-season finale, the Tar Heels finish the regular season at 24-7, and 12-6 in the ACC.

Derek Dixon led the way for UNC offensively, finishing with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Henri Veesaar added 11 points and nine rebounds of his own.

Carolina Offense Goes Cold in 2nd Half

After making it’s first two shots of the second half to cut the Duke lead to 41-40 with 19:16 to play, it was all downhill from there for the UNC offense. The Tar Heels would go 3-for-their-next-15, sparking a 30-6 Duke run — which included a 16-0 stretch — across the next 13:13 buried the Tar Heels down 25, their largest deficit of the season, with 6:03 to go.

Tar Heels Turn It Over

North Carolina turned the ball over 14 times Saturday night, doubling its total from the first matchup with the Blue Devils in February. The Tar Heels’ ball-security struggles produced 24 points off turnovers, while only registering four of their own off of eight Duke turnovers. In UNC’s first matchup with Duke, the Blue Devils won the battle 9-6, a much more manageable deficit.

Bested On Boards

The Blue Devils had their way with UNC on the boards, snagging 42 rebounds compared to the Tar Heels’ 29. Duke also snatched 18 offensive rebounds to North Carolina’s 5, with such a discrepancy producing a 14-4 gap in second chance points. Across both matchups with Duke this season, the Blue Devils out-rebounded the Tar Heels 80-55, including 28-9 on the offensive glass.

Up Next

The Tar Heels have earned the ACC’s No. 4 seed, clinching a double-bye in next week’s ACC Tournament, and will play the winner of Clemson (No. 5) vs. the winner of the No. 12/13 game Thursday night in Charlotte at 9:30 p.m.