CHAPEL HILL – Kenny Williams had himself a game Saturday night.

An awfully good game.

But it came as no surprise to fellow senior Cam Johnson. No tarot card needed for this one, Johnson just knew it.

“I expected it, I expected it,” he said, following North Carolina’s 79-70 win over Duke on Saturday night at the Smith Center. “I expected him to step up, Senior Night against Duke at home, I knew he was going to have a big game offensively, defensively, everything else and he did.”

The game Williams had was chock full of just about everything. He finished with a season-high 18 points (on a season-high four 3-pointers), six rebounds, three assists, a block, a steal and three drawn charges, all on Duke star R.J. Barrett.

Breaking down his night, the shooting part was the least expected development of the evening. Williams has struggled all season to find his stroke. In fact, he’s scored 15 or more points just five times, but the Tar Heels are unbeaten in those games. So, it’s clear when Williams is scoring the Tar Heels are winning.

On this night, he scored and the Heels won much like a year ago in this very same building when Williams netted a career-high 20 points against the Blue Devils.

“They give me great shots, I will say that,” Williams replied, when asked what it is about Duke in the Dean Dome that gets him going. “Tonight, I had shots I could step into and have a little bit of extra time, and I think I got comfortable once I saw a couple go in.

“I think it started with the layups. I got three to start the game (and) to see the ball go in is huge for a shooter. For some reason, they kept leaving me open.”

Those layups were big. Three of them, in fact, and they were the 6-foot-4 Virginia native’s first field goals of the night.

He converted a fast-break layup for an 8-4 lead, a driving layup to tie the game at 18-18 and put in another layup on the break for a 24-23 advantage. Then, after three-minute drought by the Tar Heels, Williams drained a pair of 3-pointers 29 seconds apart giving him eight consecutive UNC points and cutting Duke’s lead to 32-30.

Two more threes in the second half, the latter capping an 11-0 run and giving Carolina it’s largest lead of the night at 75-60, completed Williams’ scoring. He wasn’t finished defensively, though.

Barrett scored 26 points on the night, but on 10-for-27 shooting with four turnovers. Three were charges drawn by Williams.

“To see him play so hard (and) do what he does best, and that’s guard the other team’s best player every night, he does an unbelievable job,” senior and close friend Luke Maye said. “He’s the best defender in the ACC in my opinion. What he does for all of us helping on help side and just being in the right spot at the right time there’s nobody better than him.”

Williams was in the right spots a lot on defense Saturday, but also on offense, and he made the Blue Devils pay.