GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina made history Friday and Saturday by becoming the first team to overcome halftime deficits of nine or more points twice in the same ACC tournament.
In Sunday’s championship game, however, the Blue Devils jumped on the Tar Heels early. And in a 17-point rout, they made sure there was no more magic to be found for North Carolina.
Second-seeded Duke led from start to finish and knocked off top-seeded North Carolina 75-58 in the teams’ first title-game meeting since 2001. The dominant victory gave the Blue Devils their third straight conference tournament championship—the 10th crown in the last 13 years—and helped them capture a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“We beat an outstanding team—a team that we have ultimate respect for,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I thought it was our best game of the season, and we got better this week.”
Sunday’s performance was a far cry from Duke’s showing the last time the teams met in the regular season finale Mar. 5. The Tar Heels scored 51 first-half points en route to an 81-67 victory and held the Blue Devils to 36 percent shooting.
But Duke turned the tables on North Carolina Sunday afternoon, controlling play from the opening tip in front of an audience comprised largely of Tar Heel supporters. The Blue Devils went on an 8-0 run to start the game, scoring all of their points in the paint. The lead only grew from there, as Duke received contributions from multiple players on offense, relieving the pressure on primary scoring options Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.
In the first half, Andre Dawkins knocked down three of his four attempts from beyond the arc, while the Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly were perfect from the field, combining for 16 points. Dawkins hit a deep three with 1:47 left in the period that gave the Blue Devils an 18-point lead, and he bounced back down the court in delight with three fingers extended on each hand. Miles Plumlee provided another electric play on Duke’s next possession, grabbing the ball out of the air after Smith’s floater hit the back rim and slamming it home.
“It was the ultimate team effort,” Smith said. “Everybody made big plays.”
Duke led 42-28 at halftime behind a blistering 62 percent shooting percentage from the field. But the Blue Devils could not afford to relax, as North Carolina had little trouble coming back from the brink of defeat in its previous two tournament games.
“We just wanted to keep our foot on the gas—we did that,” Smith said of the team’s thinking at halftime. “We were just very tough the whole game.”
The Tar Heels couldn’t match Duke’s aggression, said forward Tyler Zeller. Every time North Carolina seemed poised to mount a run, the Blue Devils would answer with a basket on the other end, doing their best to keep the partisan crowd out of the game.
After a layup by Harrison Barnes trimmed the lead to 12 early in the second half, Singler—who made the all-tournament team—responded out of a timeout by knocking down a 3-pointer. The bucket was Singler’s first from long range since Mar. 2, and he pounded his chest in celebration after watching the ball scorch the net.
Tournament MVP Smith led the way with 20 points, but only shot 6-for-18 from the field. Nevertheless, he took full advantage of his ability to penetrate the paint at will.
“He can create a lot of stuff,” Tar Heels’ head coach Roy Williams said. “As he’s driving to the basket you have to come over and help, and he can kick it out to the shooters.”
And Smith’s distribution to Duke’s perimeter weapons was crucial in turning back North Carolina’s best opportunity to close the double-digit deficit.
Barnes went on a personal 5-0 run for the Tar Heels, and his turnaround jumper cut the Duke lead to 63-54 with six minutes remaining. Smith then found Seth Curry for a 3-pointer, and two possessions later he drove and kicked to Kelly for another three that pushed the Blue Devils’ lead back to 13.
Ball game.
Even though all of the Blue Devils stepped up their play to win the championship, it was only fitting that Krzyzewski removed his senior captains with 52 seconds left so the pair could enjoy their own ovation. Even North Carolina’s Williams took a moment to acknowledge two of the ACC’s finest players.
“At the end when Mike took out Kyle and Nolan I stood up and clapped myself,” Williams said. “[Smith] in my opinion had the best year in college basketball.”
A year, the captains hope, that will continue with another cut-down net in Houston.
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