CHAPEL HILL - Much discussion surrounding North Carolina’s perceived improvement during its six-game winning streak referenced the quality of its opponents. The Tar Heels faced just one team in Florida State that finished with a winning record, making Saturday’s matchup with Duke a true measuring stick for their development and direction.
And with 8:09 remaining in the first half, UNC found itself in an all too familiar position against the Blue Devils trailing 36-21. It mirrored the first matchup between the two teams, where Duke jumped out to an early 23-6 lead, a mountain that was too big to climb for the guard-laden Tar Heels, who trailed by as many as 32 in the defeat.
In a testament to its newfound identity, North Carolina reversed the Blue Devil flurry in the regular season finale, turning a 15-point deficit into just a one point hole at the break. It was a literal positive that came from its 82-69 setback to the Devils.
The Tar Heels outscored the No. 2 team in the nation 21-7 to close out the opening 20 minutes, connecting on four of their last six shots.
“I think we were generating good looks and the right people took the right shots,” said Drake Powell.
Duke missed its final five shots to finish the opening half and did not convert a shot attempt over the final 4:47. Pressuring the ball handler was a point of emphasis on defense for North Carolina, as they forced four Blue Devil turnovers during its scoring barrage.
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg aided the run, as he was whistled for his third foul with 3:18 on the clock, propelling Blue Devil Head Coach Jon Scheyer to make a lineup change.
It also opened the door for RJ Davis to make an impact in his record 170th appearance for UNC.
In his final game inside the Smith Center, Davis willed the Tar Heels within striking distance, scoring 15 first half points, including 12 in the final 6:58.
“I mean, I just felt good the whole game. Shots were falling, my adrenaline, my confidence was up. Everything felt like it couldn’t go wrong,” he said. “I just felt great and I think that’s just the basketball gods being on my side [with] it being my last game so [I] just wanted to go out with a bang.”
Both Davis and the Tar Heels carried their momentum out of halftime, connecting on their first four shots and six of their first seven.
North Carolina used the shooting success to go on a 10-2 spurt, which was part of a bigger 35-13 run between both halves, to possess a seven-point lead at 56-49. It marked the first time in 61 minutes this season that the Tar Heels found themselves in front against the Blue Devils.
“I feel like we had incredible momentum [going] into the second half to get us a lead and just trying our best to sustain it,” said Lubin.
Davis engineered the scoring with five of UNC’s first 10 points to open the final 20 minutes, hitting a free throw line jumper with 17:43 remaining to eclipse the 20-point mark. He netted 17 of the Tar Heels’ 35 points in the run, shooting 6-for-8 in said span.
“He’s an incredible player. He makes tough shots and he makes those plays like he always has,” said Lubin. “It really just gives us the energy and momentum that we need, for him to do what he’s capable of doing.”
Duke was held without a field goal for 5:08 of gametime across both halves, a scoring drought that was still too little for the Tar Heels in the Blue Devils’ 82-69 victory.
The final score was just a four-point discrepancy between the meeting on February 1, a statistic that does not tell the full story of UNC’s growth since the blowout losses to Duke and Clemson.
“We’re a different team than you saw in the first week of February last month. Maybe a month ago we’re down 15 and the game is over,” said Davis. “Today, [in the] first half, we were down 15 and we ended up coming back and going to halftime, it was a one point game. That just shows the improvement and the steadiness of this team.”
The Blue Devils’ seven-point deficit was tied for its largest in ACC play and the first time it trailed by more than one possession since their lone conference loss on February 8 against Clemson.
North Carolina is not in the business of earning moral victories, and its twelfth regular season loss did it no favors towards earning an NCAA Tournament berth, but for a 16-minute stretch on Saturday, it provided tangible evidence of its improved play.
