CHARLOTTE – The roller coaster of North Carolina’s basketball season showed up Friday night in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
First, the fifth-seed Tar Heels were knocked hard to the canvas, much like in their first game against Duke in early February. This time, the Heels fully bounced back, overcoming a 24-point deficit and having the ball with a chance to win in the final seconds.
It didn’t happen, though. Duke 74, UNC 71, and now the Tar Heels will wait to learn their NCAA Tournament fate.
Duke closed the first half on a 15-0 run and overall finished out the last 9:48 of the half outscoring UNC 31-11. But Carolina flipped the script in the second half going from rattled to composed as the Blue Devils went from in control to rattled.
Carolina trailed 52-28 with 17:01 left and then outscored Duke 43-20 cutting the margin to one point before the final free throws by Kon Knueppel were the final points.
UNC had a chance to send the game into overtime with 2.5 seconds left but couldn’t get the ball to RJ Davis, as designed, and Ven-Allen Lubin ended up missing a 3-pointer, which was just his third attempt of the season.
Lubin led UNC with 20 points and 10 rebounds, his third straight double-double here at the ACC Tournament joining Armando Bacot, Jon Henson, Mitch Kupchak, and Rusty Clark as the only UNC players to ever do that. It was also his fourth double-double in the last five games.
Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points for UNC, Seth Trimble added 14, and Drake Powell had 10. RJ Davis ended with 8 points, his second-lowest total of the season.
Here is How It Happened:
1st Half
TV TO – UNC 5, Duke 4 with 15:55 left in the half
UNC 2-6 FGs (0-3 from 3)
Duke 1-4 FGs (0-2 from 3)
Rebs – UNC 5-2 (2-0 OR)
Cadeau 2 fouls / Lubin 1 foul
*No Flagg or Brown for Duke
Notes: Heels playing with a ton of energy and physically. Both baskets are dunks by Lubin off feeds from Cadeau.
TV TO – Duke 14, UNC 9 with 12:15 left in the half
That segment: Duke 10-4
UNC 4-11 FGs (0-5 from 3)
Duke 4-9 FGs (0-3 from 3)
Rebs – 6-6 (UNC 2-1 OR)
Pts in paint – 8-8
UNC 3 of its 4 FGs are dunks
*Lots of stuff already on the court. No violation on the whack JWash took. Hubert pleaded his case but to no avail
TV TO – Duke 27, UNC 17 with 7:10 left in the half
That segment: Duke 13-8
UNC 8-19 FGs (0-7 from 3)
Duke 9-18 FGs (3-8 from 3)
Rebs – Duke 11-10 (UNC 4-3 OR)
2nd chance pts – 2-2
Fast break pts – 2-1
*Cadeau 2 PFs
*Duke nobody more than 1 PF
*UNC was 95-for-212 (44.8%) from 3 in its last nine games
Notes: UNC has 4 turnovers that have led to 8 Duke points. Tar Heels are rattled and it’s showing on both ends of the floor. Lubin (6 points) is the only Heel that is playing well.
TV TO – Duke 32, UNC 24 with 3:56 left in the half
That segment: UNC 7-5
UNC 10-23 FGs (1-9 from 3)
Duke 11-23 FGs (4-12 from 3)
Rebs – Duke 15-11 (5-4 Duke OR)
*UNC had 5-2 glass edge to start – 13-6 Duke since
2nd chance pts – UNC 4-2
*UNC has scored on 12 of 26 possessions (46.2%)
*Duke has scored on 14 of 25 possessions (56%)
*Cadeau 3 fouls
Last Segment:
*That segment: Duke 13-0
*Duke 15-0 run to close the half
*Also, it was 14-13 Duke at one time, so 31-11
*Duke had a 33-7 run in the first half in the game in Durham and just closed the half on a 31-11 run
2nd Half
TV TO – Duke 52, UNC 30 with 15:42 left
That segment: Duke 7-6
UNC 13-36 FGs (1-13 from 3)
Duke 18-36 FGs (5-18 from 3)
Rebs – Duke 25-20 (8-8 OR)
2nd chance pts – Duke 11-8
TOs – UNC 8-7
Pts off TOs – Duke 13-4
*Duke closed the first half on 31-11 run
TV TO – Duke 52, UNC 30 with 15:42 left
That segment: Duke 7-6
UNC 13-36 FGs (1-13 from 3)
Duke 18-36 FGs (5-18 from 3)
Rebs – Duke 25-20 (8-8 OR)
2nd chance pts – Duke 11-8
TOs – UNC 8-7
Pts off TOs – Duke 13-4
*Duke closed the first half on 31-11 run
TV TO – Duke 56, UNC 43 with 11:35 left
*UNC on 15-4 run
UNC is 8 for its last 12 from the field
Duke is 3 for its last 9 from the field
*Cadeau is the only Heel who’s plus on the night (+5)
*Cadeau has 9 points and 4 assists
*Duke is 1 for its last 11 from 3
TV TO – Duke 65, UNC 51 with 7:41 left
That segment: Duke 9-8
UNC 2-for-14 from 3
Duke’s last 6 FGs – 4 dunks & 2 layups
UNC 9 for its last 12
UNC also 11 for its last 16
Pts in paint – 36-36
Pts off TOs – Duke 15-14
Cadeau 10 pts, 5 assists
TV TO – Duke 70, UNC 64 with 3:41 left
That segment: UNC 13-5
*UNC has outscored Duke 36-18 since Duke led by 24 with 17:01 left
*UNC on 6-0 spurt with FTs coming’
*Lubin 20 pts & 9 rebs / 12 & 7 this half
*Cadeau 13 pts & 5 assists (4 fouls)
Last Segment:
*UNC 7-4
*Trimble hit 2 FTs making it 70-66with 3:41 left.
*Cadeau used a screen by Lubin to drive down the middle and convert a layup making it 72-68 at 2:57.
*Drake Powell his 1 of 2 FTs making it 72-69 at 1:52.
*Carolina forced a Duke turnover.
*Then, UNC had the ball with a chance to tie but the ball stuck with Davis on the left side, Duke wasn’t going to let him get anything off. But instead of calling timeout to reset, Powell missed a 3-pointer with 1:03 left.
*Knueppel hit two free throws with 3.2 seconds left.
*Lubin missed a 3 as time expired.
