In the first meeting between Duke and North Carolina last season, Austin Rivers won the game for Duke with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to silence the Dean E. Smith Center. But it North Carolina had the last laugh, beating the Blue Devils in convincing fashion at Cameron Indoor Stadium to win the ACC regular season title.
History repeated itself Friday night, as the North Carolina managers went on a big second-half run to glide past Duke’s managers 60-49, atoning for a heartbreaking loss three weeks ago.
Friday night, the Blue Devils struggled to contain the dribble penetration of the Tar Heel managers, and gave up numerous second-chance layups to a relentless flurry of active North Carolina managers.
“They absolutely killed us on the boards,” said sophomore Duke manager Mike Sotsky, who served as the team’s coach. “That’s not because our guys weren’t boxing out, that’s because they’re big strong, tough, and long.”
A 26-24 halftime lead for Duke quickly evaporated, as North Carolina went on a 9-2 run early in the second half to open up a 35-28 margin, a lead it would not relinquish. After Duke closed the gap to 37-34, the Tar Heels rattled off eight consecutive points, and while Duke would nibble at the lead, it would never get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Entering the game, Sotsky installed some new plays to try to beat the Tar Heel defense with backdoor cuts, after watching film of the first meeting in Durham. In that game, Duke ran sets right out of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s playbook.
Offensively, Duke was led by the silky shooting of the Little Raven—sophomore manager Sean Kelly, younger brother of senior Duke forward Ryan Kelly, who is nicknamed the White Raven. Sean Kelly torched the nets from the outset, showcasing a variety of shots from all over the floor. He finished with 20 points, including four 3-pointers.
Kelly said the resurgent performance by his brother, who scored 36 points in his return from a foot injury against then-No.3 Miami on March 2, was in the back of his mind during the game. “There were some jokes from people back home about me trying to get 37,” Kelly said. “I didn’t think that would happen, but I was trying to match him.”
Sotsky drew up plays during timeouts in the first half to try to feed Kelly’s hot hand. He also praised Kelly’s efforts on the boards, and noted the strength of the brotherly bond between manager and star player.
“Ryan [Kelly] is the easiest person to be inspired by, obviously after the way he’s played coming back from injury,” Sotsky said. “What a great role model to have.”
Things were chippy for much of the game. Players called their own fouls, which weren’t always agreed-upon, and bodies hit the floor all night diving for loose balls. Sotsky said the physical play got under the skin of the Blue Devils, but he doesn’t feel the need to bring in real referees for future contests.
“I think we got a little bit frustrated,” Sotsky said. “That’s fine, I like frustration–it means that we’re trying.”
As the game’s final seconds ticked down, senior Duke manager Kyle Mumma stole the ball from a female North Carolina manager and heaved a desperation shot from half-court. As he went for his own careening rebound, he was knocked to the ground by a Tar Heel manager as the buzzer sounded. Cooler heads ultimately prevailed.
“It doesn’t look like it from the chippiness of the game, but we actually all are friends,” Sotsky said. “At the end of the day, what matters most is tomorrow.”
The manager game is a tradition that precedes each Duke-North Carolina game. The 236th installment of the classic rivalry is Saturday night at 9 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
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