UNC men's basketball derailed by Duke's 16-0 run in first half

DURHAM — UNC players scattered outside the visitor's locker room tried to accept what just happened. They tried to make sense of it. 

One by one players exited the locker room to head to the bus and take the short ride back to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels didn't take the time to shower at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They rushed out with hoodies up and headphones on. They left as quickly as they could. After being run off the court in the opening five minutes, they probably would have left earlier if given the option.

"[We're] just trying to accept it," junior guard Seth Trimble said. "After a loss is always hard. A loss is always hard to deal with. Guys have to [deal] with emotions, but we have to drop it."

Maybe just forgetting is the best choice. Sure, UNC players understood the talent of this Duke team, but they didn't expect the gap to be this wide, right? 

Well, it was. UNC fell, 87-70, on Saturday evening to No. 2 Duke. The 17-point win marks the largest margin of victory for the Blue Devils since the 2009-10 season when they won by 32 points. For only the second time this season, the Tar Heels never had the lead. They never recovered from Duke's 16-0 run in the opening minutes. In the first half, UNC's nine turnovers outnumbered its eight field goals. 

As the game unfolded, it's surprising the Tar Heels only lost by 17.

But the way the game progressed can be condensed into one stretch. The Blue Devils exploited UNC's weaknesses in a two minute and 38 second period. That's all they needed to create a deficit North Carolina couldn't come back from.  

Down by one with 15:47 left in the first half, UNC junior forward Jalen Washington and Trimble attempted to double-team Duke's Cooper Flagg.

Flagg kicked the ball out to guard Tyrese Proctor on the corner. He nailed the three to begin the run. 

Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau worked to find Trimble on the ensuing possession, but the pass was intercepted by Flagg. He raced down the court with only Cadeau in front of him before sending the ball to Proctor for the slam. 

"They got out in transition," Trimble said. "They capitalized off of our turnovers. You get turnovers you're able to run. Any team can execute. A team like them, they'll execute 99 of them like that."

And their next four possessions went just as quick. Flagg hit a three at the top of the key. Then came a deflection by Maliq Brown, which led to a Flagg and-1 on the breakaway. UNC recorded 14 total turnovers, giving Duke 19 points off them. Seven turnovers came in the first 12 minutes of the game. 

"We've talked at great length about how important it is to take care of the ball in two ways," head coach Hubert Davis said. "One, obviously [is] unforced turnovers, and shot selection. Our live ball turnovers are turning into pick-6 plays for the opponent."

On Duke's next possession, Kon Knueppel found the net from behind the arc. Knueppel found it again right after, but this time he drove to the basket before making a jumper over first-year guard Ian Jackson. 

While the Blue Devils got everything they wanted, North Carolina couldn't produce anything. They missed wide-open threes as the Blue Devils closed out fast. The Tar Heels are No. 268 nationally in 3-point percentage. 

North Carolina's size also prevented them from driving to the rim. All of Duke's rotation players are above 6-foot-5, making the Blue Devils the longest and tallest team in the country. UNC starts four sub 6-foot-4 guards and are the shortest high-major team in the nation, according to KenPom. 

Duke led 23-6 with 13:06 remaining in the first. The score was 40-15 at the five minute mark.

The Blue Devils bullied North Carolina, flexing every way they were better. And they did it in two minutes. The 16-0 run led to such an insurmountable deficit that Duke still led by double digits even after going eight minutes without a field goal. 

"I think we kind of just lost focus," junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin said. "With the crowd and the score, I think we just kind of lost some focus and guys lost that we can control the game."

While it’s tempting to want to forget everything that happened on Saturday, especially that two-and-a-half-minute stretch, the Tar Heels can’t afford to. They weren't able to overcome their weaknesses on Saturday or even find a partial fix.

And as UNC players exited one by one, maybe they all came to the same realization: a solution might never come. 

@_emmahmoon

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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