Locking it down: 3 takeaways as Duke secures top ACC seed with win over rival North Carolina

Steve Wiseman, The News & Observer on Mar 8, 2025

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In a game with wild swings in both directions, No. 2 Duke had the biggest, final push to lock up the ACC regular-season championship and likely the nation’s top ranking entering the postseason.

Duke led by 13 early and trailed by seven in the second half before shoving rival North Carolina aside in an 82-69 ACC basketball win at the Smith Center.

Duke (28-3, 19-1 ACC) won its eighth consecutive game and 24th in its past 25 games. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular-season championship and will be the No. 1 seed for the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Duke is also primed to move in the No. 1 spot in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday because this week’s top team, Auburn, suffered two losses.

Kon Knueppel scored 17 points to lead Duke while Tyrese Proctor and Sion James each had 16. Cooper Flagg scored 15 as the Blue Devils shot 56.4% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers.

UNC (20-12, 13-7 ACC), hoping to make the NCAA Tournament despite being 1-11 in Quad 1 games, got 20 points from senior RJ Davis in his final home game. But the Tar Heels shot just 39.1% while losing to Duke for the second time this season.

UNC, after trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, cut the Duke deficit to one at halftime. The Tar Heels made their first four shots after halftime to take their first lead and were 6 of 7 after Ven-Allen Lubin scored inside to put UNC up 56-49 with 15:44 to play.

But, trailing 59-53, Duke unleashed a 12-0 run and never trailed again.

Despite Flagg’s foul trouble, Duke led by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Blue Devils made up for their turnovers with red-hot shooting as they made 12 of their first 16 shots, including 4 of 5 3-pointers, to take a 36-21 lead.

But Duke made just one field goal, a Flagg jumper, over the final 6:29 of the first half. UNC unleashed a 14-2 run, scoring 10 points in a row during one stretch, and left Duke with a slim 43-42 halftime advantage.

Here are three takeaways from the rivalry game:

Davis did all he could

Davis said he wasn’t an emotional guy and doubted he would tear up Saturday, and he didn’t.

Playing his 170th game for the Heels and his last at the Smith Center, Davis did not want it to be a loss.

In the first half, it appeared the Devils might blow it open and sail to another easy win. Even with Flagg in foul trouble, sitting out much of the half, Duke built a 15-point lead that quieted the crowd.

Then, almost single-handedly, a determined Davis pulled the Heels back into the game. He scored 12 points in the last eight minutes of the first half, making shots, pounding his chest, getting UNC fans engaged and the place loud. Being emotional.

Playing with his right thumb taped, Davis had 15 points in the opening half. He was feeling it. Once, he rushed a 3-pointer from the key off the break, only to have the ball hit the rim, settle on the rim, then fall.

Early in the second half, Davis drilled a 3 that tied the score 45-45. Bedlam.

The Tar Heels surged to a 52-47 lead, forcing a Duke timeout, Complete bedlam. But the Blue Devils would reclaim control with a 22-5 run and Davis’ jumpers stopping falling.

Brown’s impact

Playing his first game since dislocating his shoulder during an 80-62 win at Virginia on Feb. 17, Maliq Brown made positive contributions to Duke’s effort on Saturday.

His defense was expected, based on what he’d done in between his three injury absences. But his offense was the extra push the Blue Devils needed to finally shake free of their bitter rivals.

Brown’s dunk at 9:40 closed Duke’s 12-0 second-half run that put the Blue Devils in front for good. He’d contributed to that earlier with a slick pass to Knueppel on a back-door play for a layup.

But it was Brown’s two 3-pointers that removed all doubt about the game’s outcome. He drilled his first one at 8:34, giving Duke a 68-61 lead.

After Seth Trimble hit a 3-pointer at 4:03 to cut Duke’s lead to 75-67, Brown hit one of his own at 3:34 to give Duke a comfortable 78-67 lead.

Duke sloppy with the ball

Uncharacteristically, the Blue Devils turned the ball over early and often against UNC. The Blue Devils had not committed more than 10 turnovers in a game since Jan. 25, when they had 16 while winning 63-56 at Wake Forest.

But Duke committed six turnovers in the game’s first 12 minutes and had seven at halftime while it led 43-42 over UNC. They added seven more in the second half to finish at 14.

The only two games Duke turned the ball over more was when it finished with 16 while losing 77-72 to Kansas on Nov. 26 and when the Blue Devils had the same total in that win at Wake Forest.

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