After the first half at the Smith Center, No. 5 North Carolina leads No. 10 Duke 43-40.
UNC forward Tyler Zeller leads all scorers with 19 points. He also has eight rebounds and a block. Guard Austin Rivers leads the Blue Devils with 13 points.
Zeller jumped out to a quick start, scoring UNC’s first seven points. In a similar fashion, Rivers had 10 of the Blue Devils’ first 12.
Harrison Barnes didn’t score his first basket until late in the game, but gave UNC its first lead of the night by making a pair of free throws. All six of Barnes’ first-half points came from the free throw line.
Duke shot almost 49 percent from the field in the first half, and made 7 of 17 3-pointers before the break. UNC shot 41.7 percent in the first half and missed both of its attempts from long range.
In the first of three matchups between Duke and North Carolina last season, UNC led by 14 at halftime before falling to the Blue Devils 79-73 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
If the Tar Heels can hold onto their lead in the second half, UNC will be 17-10 against top-10 teams under coach Roy Williams.
