Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. North Carolina

No. 5 Duke (21-6, 10-4 in the ACC) failed to execute its offense in the second half, falling 74-66 Thursday at the Dean E. Smith Center to archrival North Carolina (19-7, 9-4) after putting up just 29 second-half points. The Tar Heels moved their winning streak to eight and showed the Blue Devils the danger of relying on the 3-point shot. With its myriad of active defenses, North Carolina held Duke to 5-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc and consistently controlled the paint, accumulating 31 free throw attempts and owning a 43-30 edge on the boards.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Control the emotions that rivalry stirs up: Although the Blue Devils handled their emotions well early in the game—calmly erasing an early 6-0 deficit—Duke looked shaky late in the game. The Blue Devils missed several makeable shots during their eight-minute, 41-second drought, and had poor shooting performances in every department. When North Carolina made its late push, Duke panicked and was unable to find any easy baskets. The Blue Devils will have to have better command of their emotions for the rematch on March 8 if they want to knock off their archrival.

• Hone in on Paige and McAdoo: For 20 minutes, Duke did an outstanding job of completing its major defensive task for the evening. Unfortunately, Paige and McAdoo were intent on playing 40 minutes Thursday night. North Carolina’s leading pair combined for just four points in the first period, with Paige being held scoreless. The Blue Devils frequently trapped the sophomore point guard and always had someone attached to his body. In the second half, McAdoo left his mark on the game by crashing the glass and Paige found enough room to operate Duke’s defense to close out the game. McAdoo finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds—including four huge offensive boards—and Paige had 13 second-half points and four assists. Paige’s clutch shots late in the contest were the difference in the game because his brilliance coincided with one of Duke’s worst offensive stretches of the season.

• Win the free throw battle: Although North Carolina started the game by making just one of its first eight free throw attempts, the Tar Heels showed their determination to get to the basket and get to the free throw line. North Carolina settled down from the charity stripe, going 19-of-23 from the line the rest of the way and making all of its clutch attempts to close out the game. By contrast, Duke went just 7-of-12 from the line and was too content to operate on the perimeter—especially against the Tar Heel zone. The referees favored the more aggressive team and rewarded the Tar Heels with free throws for their tenacious effort in the paint and on the glass.

Three key plays:

Three key stats:

• Cook, Hood and Parker go 21-of-42 from the field—the rest of the Blue Devils go 6-of-21: Hood, Parker and Cook looked like themselves on the offensive end, accounting for 50 points and remaining in attack mode. However, the rest of the Blue Devils seemed bothered by North Carolina’s athleticism at every position, hurrying several shots and failing to convert on their opportunities. When the Tar Heels switched to their zone defense, Duke’s role players showed no desire to challenge North Carolina inside. Most notably, sophomore guard Rasheed Sulaimon went just 2-of-10 from the field and settled for tough jumpers far too often. The Blue Devil role players reverted back to their bad habits on the road yet again.

• Duke assists on just five of its 27 made field goals; North Carolina accumulates 12 assists on 26 made baskets: Although Duke entered the contest with the most efficient offense in the country according to basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, the Blue Devils looked lost without their beloved 3-point shots falling. North Carolina—a team known for its discombobulated offensive execution—actually showed much more poise in its halfcourt offense late in the game. The Tar Heels also took advantage of the real estate given to them by Duke’s porous transition defense.

• Amile Jefferson puts up just two points and three rebounds: Sulaimon’s performance was disappointing, but his fellow sophomore Jefferson had an even more lackluster performance. Like many of Duke’s players, Jefferson got into foul trouble early in the game. The Philadelphia native was unable to recover and never asserted himself on the boards against North Carolina’s frontline. He also missed a point-blank layup that could have stopped the bleeding during Duke’s game-defining drought.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Jabari Parker

Parker struggled on the defensive end and committed five turnovers, but was still Duke’s most consistent performer Thursday night, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds. He added two blocks and one steal, but was another Duke player hampered by foul trouble—finishing the game with four fouls. Parker missed multiple opportunities he would like to have back on the offensive end, but was one of the only Blue Devils willing to mix it up inside on that end of the floor. After scoring 11 early points, Hood vanished, and the lack of aggressiveness by Duke’s role players made it even harder for Parker to operate down the stretch. Parker learned a lot in his first Duke-UNC game, but still put together an impressive performance.

And the North Carolina game ball goes to… Leslie McDonald

The senior guard missed the first part of the season due to a suspension, but is playing the best basketball of his tumultuous career at the right time. McDonald scored 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and opened the game by hitting a 3-pointer to give his team confidence. He provided consistent leadership and did enough to keep his team close before North Carolina’s frontcourt and Paige took over late. McDonald’s recent strong play has coincided with the Tar Heels’ eight-game winning streak.