After a six-game winning streak, the North Carolina men’s basketball team (20-12, 13-7 ACC) fell to No. 2 Duke (28-3, 19-1 ACC), 82-69, in the regular-season finale Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Graduate guard RJ Davis scored 20 points in his final home game and inspired a comeback after Duke built a big early lead. It was not enough. The Tar Heels led by six with 12:48 to play. From there, the Blue Devils outscored them, 29-10.
Duke started red hot in the opening minutes. They shot 9-13 from the field and 4-5 from three over the first nine minutes. With star forward Cooper Flagg on the bench with two fouls, Duke still led, 24-17, at the under-12 timeout.
At the under-eight timeout, the Blue Devils were 12-16 from the field, and the lead ballooned to 15 after a 12-2 run.
Duke started to cool off, and the Tar Heels responded to pull the score back within single digits. Graduate forward Jae’Lyn Withers went to the tin for two tough layups, and graduate guard RJ Davis drilled a three in transition.
Flagg reentered the game but picked up his third foul with 3:18 to go until halftime with the score 41-32.
After a timeout, the Tar Heels went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to one. Junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Davis drained a ridiculous step-back three, shocking his teammates on the bench and sending the crowd into a frenzy. He pounded his chest. Then after a Duke turnover, he drove to the basket and finished through contact. The Blue Devils took a timeout.
Duke held on to a 43-42 at the break. Davis led the UNC comeback and all scorers with 15 points. The Blue Devils went without a made field goal for the final 4:47. They made just two of their last 11 shots in the first half.
The RJ Davis show continued in the opening minutes of the second half. He drilled another tough three to tie the game at 45 before assisting Withers on a three that gave UNC its first lead. Davis then made a mid-range jumper to make the lead five and force Duke to call a timeout.
