Rapid Reactions: Carolina 88, Duke 72

  1. What a completely unpredictable, incredibly fun game in Durham. How in the world did Carolina just do that? It was a decisive 88-72 victory in which Carolina never trailed.
  2. Sometimes, it helps to have seniors. Luke Maye had a mammoth 30 points and 15 rebounds, and Cameron Johnson had a “quiet” 26 points and seven rebounds. Four of Maye’s five career 30-point games have now come against other Triangle schools.
  3. Say that again: Maye just put up 30 against top-ranked Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. There will be time to appreciate his incredible career in a few months, but for now: wow. Admittedly, Zion Williamson leaving the game 34 seconds in changed the matchups, but Maye mostly did whatever he wanted in his 38 minutes.
  4. And what about Johnson, who came to Chapel Hill largely as a three-point shooter and just scored 26 points against Duke without making a three.
  5. But Duke had two scorers in Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett who matched Maye and Johnson almost shot for shot. The difference in the game was that Carolina had more than just that duo. Garrison Brooks made six of his seven shots and scored 14 points, Seventh Woods added five big points, and Coby White scored nine in an off performance.
  6. The game was decided under the basket. The Tar Heels had the edge on points in the paint by a whopping 62-28 margin, and Carolina also won the rebounding battle, 46-41.
  7. Both these teams have generated a considerable amount of offense on second chances. Although Duke had more offensive rebounds than the Tar Heels (13-10), there were many more offensive rebound opportunities for the Devils, as they missed 47 shots compared to just 37 misses for the visitors. Carolina was also more efficient with their offensive boards, as they had a 14-10 second chance points edge.
  8. It didn’t feel like this watching the game—possibly because every Tar Heel turnover felt like a crisis—but Duke actually had 20 turnovers to Carolina’s 15. And the Heels turned those 20 miscues into 19 points. Reddish and Barrett had nine of Duke’s 20 turnovers, while Maye and Johnson combined for two.
  9. All those times Roy Williams talks about the importance of getting the ball inside, all those times he preaches about the value of tough post play…it’s because of nights like this. The Tar Heels shot a miserable 2-for-20 from the three-point line, but somehow won the game. Johnson, Maye and Brooks combined to shoot a blistering 60 percent on two-point shots (30 for 50).
  10. The Tar Heel freshmen won’t put this one in a time capsule. White had six turnovers and never got on track offensively, and Nassir Little wasn’t effective in his 11 minutes, getting just one rebound and committing three turnovers.
  11. But even without Leaky Black and Sterling Manley, Carolina somehow had enough to overcome an off night from both freshmen and the team-wide bad perimeter shooting. A big reason for that was the willingness of everyone who played to put themselves in harm’s way. Kenny Williams didn’t score until the game’s closing seconds but drew three charges, Seventh Woods drew a charge, and Brandon Robinson nearly lost a tooth for his trouble.
  12. Speaking of Woods, what a great night for the junior. In a game where White wasn’t himself, the junior reserve turned a seven-point lead into a 13-point advantage in his first stretch, took the Heels from up seven to up 10 at the end of the first half, and added another two points to the lead in a key second half stretch.
  13. Roy Williams now has eight wins over a number-one ranked team, the most in college basketball history. The Tar Heels as a program now have 14 wins over the #1 ranked squad, also the most in the country.
  14. Don’t forget that the next two games are against Florida State and Syracuse, the two teams that just so happen to be directly behind the three-way tie at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carolina needs big, rowdy crowds at the Smith Center for the next two games as they continue to battle for ACC and NCAA tournament seedings.
  15. Maybe you’ll see this on national television, maybe you won’t: Carolina has now won three of the last four games against Duke.

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