“We just hung in there”, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Going back to the 1997-98 college hoops schedule, home teams in the Tobacco Road Rivalry are just 10-23 ATS (18-15 SU), with the visitor covering nearly 70 percent of the time.
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Two weeks after being unranked for the first time since 2007, Duke has won five games in a row, including the last three against ranked opponents. Instead of putting a lock on the ACC regular-season title by winning this one, Carolina now is tied with Miami in first place and has invited Duke, Virginia, Louisville and Notre Dame back into the hunt.
With a win Wednesday, the Blue Devils’ train of momentum could continue to chug on toward the ACC tournament. “They’ve done an incredible job”. “But at the same time for me it was watching Wisconsin get all the way there and saying ‘man we were maybe a half a step away from being able to compete at that same level'”.
The Duke Blue Devils (19-6) are coming from a 63-62 win over Virginia on Saturday. Still, with Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks working on the inside and Marcus Paige letting it fly from the perimeter, it’s hard to see Duke overcoming all that.
Sophomore Grayson Allen has experienced a significant increase in playing time this season, averaging over 35 minutes per game, compared to less than 10 minutes per game last season.
North Carolina guard Joel Berry had his shot in the lane blocked by Duke freshman guard Derryck Thornton, ending the Tar Heels’ final chance in the closing seconds. Allen rebounded the ball and flung it into the air to let the final seconds expire, and then the players raced to the bench to celebrate. UNC senior Brice Johnson turned in another monster performance with 29 points and 19 rebounds.
“It was a huge win for us”, Kennard said.
But the final, and possibly most head-scratching thing Williams did, was fail to call a timeout when Brice Johnson grabbed a rebound with 24 seconds left in the game. “We didn’t get as good of a shot as I thought we would get”. Matt Jones, a starter, could be out for a good while here; that ankle injury is not looking good, Krzyzewski said. The Blue Devils held UNC to 34 percent shooting and 27 points after halftime…. The Blue Devils last took four straight rivalry meetings from March 2003 to February 2005…. Marshall Plumlee had four fouls hanging around his neck down the stretch but he was seldom paid attention to. Once it become a single possession affair, Duke could exploit the match-up advantages which they did getting 11 of their final 14 points from the duo of Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. The team now ranks last in the ACC in 3-point efficiency (28.1 percent).
“I was watching film on the Boston College game and I had made my first three”, Jackson said, referring to Tuesday’s win against the Eagles. Fenner led the Wolf Pack (16-9, 8-5) with 16 points. Jackson has struggled for consistency all year, but if he can play well more often than not the Tar Heels, are a risky force. Berry, for instance, finished his night 2-for-12 from the field. Paige scored seven on 2-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range with three turnovers.
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The Tar Heels otherwise took care of business against the lesser teams of the conference, the reason for which they remain ranked No. 5 nationally.
