When Theo Pinson descended back to the Smith Center hardwood — a halfsecond away from punctuating the No. 21 North Carolina men’s basketball team’s 82-78 win over its archrival — his mind was flying.
He wasn’t thinking about his ferocious slam being possibly the most memorable moment of the contest. Nor did he linger on the missed dunk he tried a minute earlier that escaped his grasp before his right hand met the rim.
Instead, the senior forward imagined how he’d embrace the most impressive win of his final season as a Tar Heel. He thought about how he’d celebrate.
“I went down the middle of the lane,” Pinson said. “I think I thought about yelling before I made it.”
Kenny Williams hit six threes and tied the Tar Heel record for most threes in a game against Duke. Cameron Johnson started his career against Duke with 18 points and led the team with a career-high 13 rebounds. Joel Berry II drew the foul that disqualified Blue Devil guard Trevon Duval, and led all players in points with 21.
But it was the senior forward — someone who didn’t solely lead in any statistical category in the Thursday night contest — who had the ball in his hands during the two most critical stretches of the game.
Pinson was involved in important plays that began the Tar Heels’ 16-2 run at the start of the second half — and that meant battling with No. 9 Duke’s taller frontcourt for a defensive rebound, cleaning up the offensive glass, starting a fast break with a steal or driving and kicking to a wideopen Luke Maye on the block.
His play helped rally a team effort. After getting out-rebounded 21-16 by the break, North Carolina responded. The Tar Heels ended the game with a 44-38 advantage on the boards. Pinson had seven rebounds.
“I think at times in the first half we were playing hard, but we didn’t quite use our brain fully,” Johnson said. “So I think when we came out in the second half, especially in the beginning, we kind of put it all together.”
