After overtime loss to Duke, UNC men's basketball looks to strike back at home

Duke’s coming to Chapel Hill as scheduled this year.

And after the gut-wrenching 92-90 overtime loss that the No. 19 Tar Heels experienced in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 18, there’s no need to worry about motivation.

“If we have a letdown this time, guys, we don’t have a friggin’ heart,” said Coach Roy Williams after his team’s 81-49 dismantling of Georgia Tech on Tuesday. “Come on. I mean, we’re playing Duke. They beat us last time, greatest rivalry in all of college basketball.

“If we get beat, it won’t be because of a letdown.”

With a roster that’s been slowly getting healthier, it won’t be because of missing players either.

“You saw (Tuesday) we got more bodies, so we can pressure, we can trap, we can extend our defense,” said junior point guard Marcus Paige. “And we have bodies to sub in and stay fresh.”

But against the No. 3 Blue Devils, it’s going to take more than just being healthy. More than just showing up and playing.

Shots are going to have to fall, and maybe more importantly, the difference in each team’s backcourts will have to be different than the matchup in Durham.

There, Quinn Cook made 5-of-7 3-pointers in the first half. There, Tyus Jones tied his season-high with 22 points and helped ice the game for Duke in the final minutes of overtime. There, Paige and Justin Jackson combined for just seven points on 3-of-19 shooting.

But maybe some of the depth that’s returning will help in that regard — maybe Tuesday night’s Joel Berry will show up when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils clash on Saturday.

“I’ve been saying for the last couple weeks that he’s been playing a lot better,” said Paige after Berry’s career high 15-point performance against the Yellow Jackets.

“Now it’s super obvious ... He was aggressive, he took care of the ball, he made plays — it wasn’t just the scoring. He’s big for us, and I want him to continue to play like that.”

He brought a lot to the team then, but shooting 3-for-5 from the 3-point line might be the most encouraging sign for UNC.

“I just try to do what I can to help the team,” Berry said. “And I want to be able to make shots because I know I can shoot. And the coaching staff knows that I can shoot.

“I’ve been trying to just put up extra shots and hopefully it will pay off in the game, and (Tuesday) it did, and now, I’ve just gotta keep doing the same thing.”

With UNC shooting just 33.2 percent from deep, and marksmen like Cook and Jones both over 39 percent for Duke, Berry needs to keep doing the same thing.

“This is getting down to the nitty-gritty. This is when the real season starts,” he said. “We got a big game Saturday, so we gotta get some revenge.

“And that’s what we’re looking for.”

Assistant Sports Editor Brendan Marks contributed reporting.

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