No. 1 Duke blitzes No. 17 North Carolina in the second half on the way to 76-61 win

No. 1 Duke’s depth was examined in opposition to No. 17 North Carolina on Saturday night time, however the Blue Devils nonetheless simply sprinted away from the Tar Heels.

Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC) went on a 20-2 run early in the second half in a 76-61 win over their arch rivals to cap a 17-1 file in ACC play this season. That run was powered by Dame Sarr and Maliq Brown, as the two performed large roles with Patrick Ngongba II watching the whole recreation from the bench and Caleb Foster enjoying simply 11 minutes earlier than struggling a proper foot damage.

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North Carolina (22-9, 12-6) lower Duke’s lead to one at 41-40 lower than a minute into the second half. With 10:59 remaining, the Blue Devils had a commanding 63-44 benefit, thanks to huge performs from each Sarr and Brown.

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Brown, beginning in place of Ngongba, scored a career-high 15 factors and had 9 rebounds in his last recreation at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Sarr added 10 himself, and scored back-to-back baskets earlier than instantly drawing an offensive foul throughout Duke’s flurry.

They helped assist star freshman Cameron Boozer, who once more posted one other double-double in what was possible his last dwelling recreation earlier than coming into the 2026 NBA Draft. The consensus favourite for the Wooden Award had 26 factors and 15 rebounds. Boozer, who averages a double-double, has scored at the least 10 factors and grabbed at the least 10 rebounds in seven of Duke’s final 10 video games.

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Despite handing Duke its solely ACC lack of the season in a 71-68 win at dwelling on Feb. 7, North Carolina entered the regular-season finale as 18.5-point underdogs thanks to the absence of Caleb Wilson. The Tar Heels star suffered a broken right thumb as he was doing drills throughout his restoration from a fractured left hand.

Without Wilson, North Carolina was outmanned regardless of Duke’s accidents. North Carolina acquired Duke’s lead down to 5 at halftime after Foster left the recreation and Brown and Isaiah Evans had been on the bench with two fouls.

How severe are Foster and Ngongba’s accidents?

Ngongba, who averages 10.7 factors and 6 rebounds a recreation, was dressed out however had his proper foot in a boot. He had 11 factors in 19 minutes in Duke’s blowout win over NC State on Monday, and has scored at the least 11 in his final 5 video games.

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Foster, in the meantime, may need a extra severe damage. The recreation was stopped as he grabbed at his proper foot in the first half. He was visibly pissed off on the bench, and after receiving remedy on the sideline for a few minutes, he went to Duke’s locker room.

He did not return to the courtroom with the workforce at the begin of the second half, and when he did seem again on the bench, his proper foot was additionally in a strolling boot.

Foster, Duke’s place to begin guard, performs the third-most minutes on the workforce and is second to Cameron Boozer in assists per recreation. As he watched from the bench, Cameron’s twin brother Cayden performed his most minutes since recording 34 in opposition to SMU on Jan. 10.

Cayden Boozer had 7 factors, 5 rebounds and three assists throughout 29 minutes on Saturday night time. Cayden has taken a again seat as his brother has solidified his standing as a probable top-three decide in the upcoming NBA Draft, however may very well be an extremely necessary piece for the Blue Devils in the postseason if Foster is sidelined for a major period of time.

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North Carolina earns No. 4 seed in ACC tourney

A 3rd matchup this season between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils is wanting fairly potential.

Thanks to its win over Clemson, North Carolina is the No. 4 seed for the ACC match behind Duke, Virginia and Miami. If the Tar Heels and Blue Devils each win their quarterfinal video games, they’re going to meet one another in the semifinals of the ACC match in Greensboro on Friday night time.

Duke, in the meantime, capped his finest two-season run in ACC play since the flip of the century. After going 19-1 in the convention a 12 months in the past, Duke is now 36-2 in the ACC over the final two common seasons. The Blue Devils hadn’t misplaced fewer than three ACC video games in a single season since 2005-06, and the back-to-back one-loss seasons are the finest run for the program because it went 46-2 in ACC play throughout the 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons.