In another classic entry of a storied rivalry, the North Carolina men's basketball team held off Duke in the final minutes to claim a 90-83 win on Saturday in the Smith Center.
What happened?
As per usual in this rivalry, both teams were ready from the jump.
Like in the teams' previous meeting on Feb. 9, both No. 5 UNC (26-6, 14-4 ACC) and No. 17 Duke (23-8, 11-7 ACC) fired shots back and forth throughout the first half. Neither side built better than a six-point lead through the first 20 minutes, as every run was soon halted by another.
Joel Berry hit three of his five first-half 3-pointers in quick succession to spur an early UNC run, but two Luke Kennard bank shots restored momentum for Duke. At the break, Berry lead all scorers with 19 points, while Kennard guided the Blue Devils with 13.
The game's frenetic pace softened in the second half, but neither team could pull away. Duke's star sophomore kept pace in the second half — scoring six points in the first eight minutes — but a combined 16 points from Isaiah Hicks, Luke Maye and Tony Bradley in a 10-minute span offset a scoreless Berry to match blows with the Blue Devils.
But with the game tied at 71, everything turned. Justin Jackson hit his first 3-pointer of the game and dished a no-look dime to Isaiah Hicks on the next possession, who converted the 3-point play to give UNC a six-point lead — the largest of the game to that point.
Grayson Allen's 3-pointer from the corner cut it to one with 4:07 left, but the junior guard missed three free throws down the stretch and Duke couldn't recover. The Blue Devils went nearly four minutes without a field goal and Berry took over in the final minutes to cap off a 28-point performance.