Live Blog: Duke-Carolina I
It’s the rivalry that always delivers, and Duke and North Carolina will pull their Amazon van up to America’s front door again at 6:00 Saturday evening.
The Tar Heels and Blue Devils will serve as the opening act to the Super Bowl this year, although the teams have been less super than in previous seasons. They say you can throw out the records when Duke and Carolina play, and this season, both of them probably wouldn’t mind if you did.
For the first time since February 1960, both teams enter the games unranked, snapping a 153-game streak.
SEE ALSO: What was campus like the last time Duke and Carolina were unranked?
Both teams are also entering the game coming off of a loss. The last time the game had unranked teams who had lost their previous game, it was December 1950.
Duke enters the game 7-6, 5-4 in the ACC and losers of four of the last six. Duke lost at Miami on Monday night, getting shocked by the woeful Hurricanes and leading coach Mike Krzyzewski to rip the team postgame, calling it “soft” and not playing “Duke basketball.”
SEE ALSO: Coach K: We Were Very Soft. I’m Extremely Disappointed
The Blue Devils have likely heard that message during several rough practices this week. DJ Steward said on Thursday that the Blue Devils were going to come out and show the Tar Heels “we aren’t punks.”
SEE ALSO: DJ Steward: “We aren’t punks”
The Tar Heels enter at 11-6, 6-4 in the ACC. The Tar Heels appeared to turn around a 5-4, 0-2 start with a 6-1 January. Tuesday, however, Carolina scored a season low 50 points while losing at Clemson.
Duke: Roach, Moore, Steward, Hurt, Williams
UNC: Black Brooks Love Bacot Walton
Despite Jeff Capel's best efforts to delay the start of the game, Pitt-UVA ends and we are ready to go
UNC already had a size advantage in this game, but for the first time in two seasons, Sterling Manley went through the pregame lineup and layup line
Moore with turnovers on Duke's first two possessions
Roach makes it three straight. Very shaky start for Duke
Heels red hot from three early. Walton is 2-for-2, Black 1-for-1. Heels haven't missed and lead by nine.
At the under-16, UNC is up 14-7. Heels couldn't have asked for a better start to the game. Duke seems out of synch early.
Duke turns it over coming out of the time out, That's four, and Caleb Love dunks and one. Heels up 10
Matthew Hurt has to be able to put it on the floor and drive on Day'Ron Sharpe when he guards him outside the arc. He passed it on his first touch against him
Looked like Sharpe missed his cue on a lob from Love. Rebound is out of bounds to UNC. At the under 12, Heels up 19-14 after four straight Duke points
Hurt also took a quick three from very deep first time Kessler guarded him. Driving doesn't seem to be on the agenda for him tonight
Brooks with a dunk while the screen was tiny, because ESPN decided we'd rather see a cheesy pre-taped interview. He's 4-for-4 for 9 points
Nightmare start for Hurt on both ends. Just picked up his second foul
Walton adding his name to rivalry lore. He's 3-or-3 from three
Leaky Black called for a charge after Jeremy Roach hits a three to pull Duke to within seven, 28-21 as we hit the under 8
Duke currently outrebounding Carolina, due in large part to 7 from freshman Mark WIlliams
Roach hits again to cut the lead to four
Turnovers mounting for UNC. In the last 3 possessions, Platek throws a pick-six to Roach and Bacot travels .
Coleman drives baseline and scores to tie. Misses an and one that would have put Duke up one.
Both teams showcasing the inconsistency that has them unranked. Walton charges to give it back to Duke
Sharpe touches it last out of bounds, and we go to the under four, all tied at 30
13 players have scored in this game, including Joey Baker and Henry Coleman. Names not on that list: Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, Matthew Hurt
Jalen Johnson scores on an OOB play coming out of the time out. Duke leads. UNC turns it over.
Baker with his second three of the game
Back-to-back Duke turnovers lead to dunks by Sharpe and Bacot. Coach K calls time with 40 seconds left in the half. UNC up 41-37
Brooks misses at the buzzer and UNC leads by two at half, 41-39.
Bacot taking all the shots for UNC this half. Heels clearly trying to get it inside
Bacot with back-to-back dunks and UNC is up eight. He'll go to the line for the and-one after the under 16. Heels lead 53-45
Heels rebound Bacot's miss and score. Baker hits another three. He has nine points. Love responds on the other end. UNC up 10
Carolina on the break scores to take the biggest lead of the game, 60-48. Duke calls time
Four-point possession by Duke. Sharpe turns it over at the other end.
Jalen Johnson with a flat-footed three to cut it to seven. He then fouls at the other end. At the under 12, it's 64-57
Matthew Hurt drives for the first time this game and scores for the first time.
Johnson with another flat footed three and suddenly it's a 3-point game
Bacot misses a pair of free throws--UNC is 4-of-11. Hurt for three. UNC turnover. Two-point game
Bacot shot blocked out of bounds and we're at the under eight, with 6:55 left. UNC up 72-70
Hurt picks up his fourth foul.
Walton for three. He's 4-for-4 tonight
Moore hits a three to cut the lead to two. Time out Duke, 5:24 to go
Hurt with a turnaround to tie it. Buckle up...
With 4:15 left, Hurt fouls Bacot. That's five. He's done
Love for three. Moore beats everyone for a layup the other way. 86-81 UNC with 1:36 to go
Turnover Carolina. Roach on a back-door. Three point game. UNC calls time against Duke pressure 1:11 left
Love hits two FT. UNC up five, 58 seconds to go
Black fouls Moore on a layup. And-one is no good. three point game
Brooks misses, Steward scores. One-point game. Time out UNC. 17 seconds left
Black fouled. Misses the first, hits the second. Two point game. 15 seconds to go. Duke ball
Moore drives, goes up and down . That's a travel.
Black hits both FT. Two possession game.
Roach misses and that'll do it. Heels win 91-87
