CHAPEL HILL - It might have been Senior Day in Chapel Hill Sunday, but it was the improved play of a freshman and a sophomore that guided North Carolina to its 91-85 win over Duke.
In the last matchup between Duke and UNC on Jan. 29, the Blue Devils were able to neutralize Tar Heel freshman point guard Ed Cota and sophomore forward Antawn Jamison. The dismal play of Cota and Jamison allowed the Blue Devils to beat UNC for the first time in seven tries, 80-73.
Cota notched eight turnovers during the course of the evening, while Jamison, who averages 19 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, was held to 10 points and four rebounds. The loss dropped UNC to 12-6 on the year and 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Since that defeat, the Tar Heels have gone on a tear. They swept through the second half of their ACC schedule, entering next weekend's ACC Tournament riding a nine-game winning streak. The improved play of Cota and Jamison has been a catalyst for this turnaround.
"I had a lot to prove because they got the best of me," Jamison said. "I only got like four rebounds. That's like my lowest ever, and ten points. It just wasn't Antawn out there playing basketball. Tonight, no matter how many points I scored and how many rebounds I got, I would just go out there and play basketball."
Jamison made up for his lackluster game in Durham with a 33 point, 11 rebound performance Sunday. Jamison, along with UNC senior center Serge Zwikker, completely controlled the battle in the paint, as UNC outrebounded the Blue Devils, 49-18. In fact, the two Tar Heel big men single-handedly outrebounded the entire Duke team, as Zwikker added 10 rebounds.
Jamison dominated the Blue Devils with his combination of size and quickness. Duke was hard pressed to find a solution for him from the start, as Jamison scored six of UNC's first 10 points, and didn't slow down the rest of the evening as Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski used every weapon in his arsenal to attempt to slow down the 6-foot-9 forward. Duke's lack of size and strength was clearly exposed by Jamison's powerful inside moves.
"With a small lineup like they had out there, it was either me or Zwikker," Jamison said. "You can't stop both of us with a smaller lineup out there."
In addition to using his role as one of the biggest players on the court to beat the Blue Devils, Jamison also utilized his quickness to get open shots. Jamison repeatedly beat the Duke defenders to the spot to receive entry passes, grab rebounds and follow missed shots.
"He was just more active and quicker to the ball," Duke freshman forward Chris Carrawell said. "He got a lot of easy layups to get him going. Once he gets started, there's not a lot you can do because he's already rolling. In the first game, we kept him from getting the ball easy. He really had a big game today, because he's a great player."
Many of Jamison's points came on the receiving end of one of Cota's 11 assists. The freshman point guard showed a marked improvement from his first performance against the Blue Devils, cutting down on his turnovers while showing the poise of a veteran.
"The last time I played them, that was the last game of the first half of the ACC," Cota said. "Ever since then, I've just told myself to come out and play like I'm capable of doing, and don't be hesitant to do what I want to do. I just try to make the easy play."
Cota has stepped up to fill a leadership role that was lacking on the Tar Heels early on. Although he still made his share of turnovers, finishing the game with six, he guided the team through its high points and settled them down during their downturns.
"He's really doing a whole lot," Jamison said. "He's a lot more comfortable out there running the show, settling down. He's our major out there, and he's doing a terrific job.
"He's done a terrific job of coming in and leading the team. I don't think there's a guard out there that can do the things that he's doing. He's really turned things around. He's a lot more comfortable with the offense, and he's really found his role."
Cota frequently showed off his quickness and ability to drive to the basket, taking the ball down the middle and either shooting or finding the open man underneath-often Jamison. Cota's speed off the dribble, combined with his increased control after his erratic outing the last time Duke and UNC matched up, caused defensive nightmares for the Blue Devils.
"What he does so well is change speeds," Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski said. "He's tough to guard because of that. The big guys really did a good job of posting up and presenting him with a target, and he delivers. He's improved a lot and he's going to be a great point guard."
The Tar Heels are hoping they can continue to improve as they have between Duke's win in January and Sunday's game. With Cota's increased and improved role in the offense and Jamison's strong play, the Tar Heels will strive to continue their roll through the ACC Tournament and into the NCAAs.
"We came together now," Cota said. "We're passing the ball around and everybody's getting involved now.... Everybody's getting the shots we want, playing defense and playing together. That's the biggest improvement we've made."
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