FINAL--Duke 64, UNC 54: And that's a wrap. It was ugly physically and from a shooting perspective, but I guarantee you Coach K will say it's a beautiful win after the game--and really, the only word that matters to Duke right now is win. We're headed down to the locker rooms for more to write our stories, thanks for reading. Stephen A. out.
:54.6--Duke 61, UNC 52: Smith hit the front end of his pair of free throws and Graves hit a running jumper. It's going to be a free-throw parade now, so unless this game gets to within two possessions, don't expect any more in-game updates.
1:08--Duke 60, UNC 50: Scheyer made one of two, Drew missed an off-balance three, and Duke has a double-digit lead with less than 70 seconds left. It's far from over, but many of the non-student fans disagree with me, since they're leaving the building. Should Duke hold on, this would be the picture next to the term "gutty victory."
1:34--Duke 59, UNC 50: And that, my readers, is why Jon Scheyer is potential ACC Player of the Year. He somehow swished a three with a hand in his face again with the shot clock winding down for a nine-point lead. The Tar Heels hoisted up three threes on the next possession--all of which missed--and now they are starting to foul. Unfortunately, they chose to foul Scheyer first.
3:26--Duke 56, UNC 50: For what it's worth, North Carolina is using a full-court press now. Duke managed to break it, but it'll be interesting to see what effect it may have on any tired legs out there.
3:59--Duke 54, UNC 48: Is Duke opening up a lead here? It's hard to say for sure, but some big buckets have certainly helped the cause. Singler missed a running hook shot, and then Mason Plumlee--who, I would argue, has been one of the most invaluable players this game as the only postman going up strong on his putbacks--got a reverse dunk. Scheyer followed that up with a floater and a huge three-pointer with a man in his face and the shot clock winding down, and then hit Smith in transition for the six-point lead, it's largest so far. Mason Plumlee just got his fourth foul going into the final TV timeout though; let's see what K decides to do. It looks like he's staying in.
7:50, Tied at 45: We just witnessed two sights rarely seen--Scheyer missing two free throws and Scheyer visibly upset after Andre Dawkins failed to corral his pass just before the TV timeout. The referees began using their whistle in the past two minutes and have called five fouls since then. That doesn't mean points were necessarily scored though. Duke went 2-for-6 with one from Singler and Mason Plumlee, while Ed Davis missed a pair and John Henson missed the front-end of a one-and-one. It's still absolutely anyone's ball game to win at this point, but the real question is, will anyone get to 60?
10:09--Tied at 43: It's funny, this game reminds me a lot of the intramural basketball games I play--lots and lots of missed shots, close contests and there are no fouls unless you bleed or hit the floor (and even that one's a little questionable). The referees are absolutely letting this one go, as several would-be fouls are not getting called in favor of letting the two teams battle down low. This clearly favors North Carolina with its size, but as I've learned from those games of all-players-under-6'4 contests, you can't rely on the refs to bail you out for the win if you're Duke.
11:46--UNC 43, Duke 39: There have been six lead changes in the past four minutes, but if you're at home watching the game, you'd get the sense the momentum is starting to shift in the Tar Heels favor. Drew hit a wide open three from the top of the key, and after Nolan Smith took a bad fallaway jumper, Drew hit Strickland in transition for an easy two-pointer for a two point lead. This isn't even the TV timeout--Krzyzewski, visibly frustrated, called timeout to get the players' attention with the lead gone.
15:50--UNC 34, Duke 33: The story is mostly the same on offense for Duke--player 1 drives, gets rejected, player 2 gets offensive board, player 2 misses shot and UNC gets the ball on offense. Credit Singler for reversing the trend on the latest bucket and scoring on the putback of a putback, and it's still a one-point game. With both teams struggling, it really appears whoever goes on a 8-0, 12-4 kind of run will be the one to win.
17:20--UNC 32, Duke 31: Marcus Ginyard had a nice transition layup for the highlight so far, but the real story now is that Lance Thomas has been lying on the floor for the past couple of minutes and it does not look good. He's heavily favoring his right leg and is heading to the locker room. It appeared he collided with Drew on a drive, and while we hope he's fine, it'd be a surprise if he came back.
Halftime Musings and Numbers: 1) It's very apparent Duke cannot score down low. Even on putbacks, guys like John Henson and Deon Thompson are padding their defensive stats. Even on running shots, North Carolina shows some insane length and blocks shots that should not be blocked by anyone except maybe Lebron James on fresh legs. 2) Duke's defense, on the other hand, is not that bad--however, it needs to block out badly. Several of the Tar Heels' points are coming on put backs from missed runners. Aside from Grave's hot streak midway through the period, there hasn't been a whole lot of outside production from the Heels. 3) Yes, the crowd did get back into it, and while it doesn't appear to have an effect on the elder players, some of the younger ones are much more jittery and making dumb mistakes.
Key Statistics:
-Blocks: Duke 1, UNC 8
-Duke Field Goal Shooting: 9-of-40 (22.5 percent)
-Duke 3-point Shooting: 6-of-12 (50 percent)
-Points by Singler and Scheyer: 22
-Points by other players: 6
Duke 28, UNC 27, Halftime: That half could not have ended worse for Duke. Drew picked up a loose ball just outside Duke's three-point line, took it coast-to-coast and scored on a layup with 2.8 seconds left. To make matters worse, Smith fouled him in the act, giving him an extra free throw and all the momentum going into the second half. Yes, the Blue Devils have the lead, but it's hard to say they are really playing better than the Tar Heels. We'll be back after North Carolina retires Tyler Hansbrough's jersey for some stats and observations.
1:01--Duke 28, UNC 24: Mason Plumlee actually just scored on a putback, which might be the first successful shot down low without a block. Actually, that's a bit of a white lie, since Scheyer got rejected on a drive before the younger Plumlee scored off the right glass inside.
3:37--UNC 24, Duke 23: Duke cannot buy a basket down low--and even if it put up some cash, UNC would probably swat that away too. Horrible jokes aside, the Blue Devils have no way of winning this game 10 feet and in from the basket. The Tar Heels have too much length and talent down low to allow Thomas or Miles Plumlee an easy putback (on that note--dunk the ball if you're down low!). Scheyer's three-pointer are Duke's only points since the last TV timeout and thus far, five of the Blue Devils' seven field goals have been from beyond the arc. Something tells me that will need to continue to be the case if Duke is to win this game.
7:33--Duke 20, UNC 20: Will Graves has caught fire. That is the best way to sum up the past four minutes in five words or less. He has accounted for two-thirds of the Tar Heels points and gotten the crowd back into it with two long three-pointers in that span. Scheyer had a nice three to start the previous session--maybe K reads this blog after all?--but the Blue Devils' offense has been kind of abysmal thus far. North Carolina is blocking shots at will down low and most of Duke's shots have been pretty bad, desperate off-balance elbow shots. We'll see if the Blue Devils can get some open looks with nice passing or transition opportunities.
11:47--Duke 13, UNC 8: I don't know if it's Duke defense or poor UNC offense, but the Tar Heels cannot get anything going so far. Their points came off a tip-in that was batted around twice before settling into the rim and a free throw each from Drew and Dexter Strickland. Duke hasn't exactly faired much better. Scheyer had a nice cut and a pair of free throws, but otherwise, it's been a series of bad shots and some misses down low. I'm sure Krzyzewski is on his team right now about freeing up its three-point shooters: there hasn't been a three point field goal since before the previous TV timeout.
15:30--Duke 9, UNC 4: For the most part, there have been signs of either pregame jitters or rustiness, as we've witnessed a missed layup, a near backcourt violation and several bunnies missed inside. Two players for Duke, however, look extraordinarily calm on the court, as Singler has drained two threes and Scheyer one to give the Blue Devils the early lead. Their mechanics looked absolutely perfect and almost too calm--but Duke's not about to argue with the results. Field goals by Davis and Thompson account for North Carolina's points.
20:00: Your starters for the game are: Smith, Singler, Miles Plumlee, Thomas and Scheyer for Duke (no real surprises, basically) and Graves, Davis, Thompson, Ginyard and Drew for UNC. A marching band introduced the Tar Heels, which in this reporter's opinion, would be a great addition for Cameron Indoor Stadium. I still think needing "Jump Around" to get the crowd pumped up is lame though.
Pregame (Part Two): Ok, I'll admit, the Tar Heels' introduction was pretty cool. They broadcast the sound of the players getting pumped up in the locker room, and then initiate a slow clap that sounds like the Gator chomp as they come out onto the court. Still not a lot of hate for Duke, though, as the boos died down quickly for the players. Coach K, as usual, got the loudest jeers.
Pregame: Welcome to a new chapter in the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, and unlike the past few years, this one will probably have a slightly different feel and most definitely a different favored team. Gone are Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and other Tar Heels who tormented the Blue Devils for six wins in the past eight contests and in their places are many young faces. As a result, North Carolina has struggled so far, falling out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll and quite possibly out of the NCAA Tournament. Duke, meanwhile, is cruising in its usual spot--the Top 10--but has struggled on the road this year with just a 2-6 road tally. For what it's worth, though, it doesn't quite feel like a hostile environment yet. Although the game hasn't started yet, the student section doesn't seem too awake right now--what's up with that Tar Heel fans? Even with the Duke players warming up right in front of them, the fans were more interested in shouting for the cameras than at the Blue Devils. That is sure to change come gametime, though, especially since tonight is also the night Hansbrough's jersey gets retired.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.