Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. North Carolina

After a tightly contested first half, Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood displayed the talent that will likely make both players lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, leading No. 4 Duke to a 93-81 victory against No. 14 North Carolina in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Starting on Senior Night, Tyler Thornton, Andre Dawkins and Josh Hairston got the Blue Devils off to a fast start, but the lead would be whittled down to just three at the half. In the second half, it was Parker and Hood who took over, pushing Duke to an emotional win to wash the bad taste of the team's loss to Wake Forest out of the Blue Devils' mouths.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Be the aggressor: In the first half it looked as if foul trouble may dictate yet another game for Duke, as both Parker and Hood committed two personal fouls in the opening period. However, in the second half the Blue Devils asserted their dominance as the aggressors, getting to the line 31 times compared to North Carolina's 19 free throw attempts. Some of that is due to the intentional fouls at the end of the game, but Duke did a good job getting to the stripe nonetheless.
• Go inside out: Duke was highly successful getting the ball into the paint. The team shot a paltry 2-for-13 from beyond the arc in the opening period, but made up for it by shooting 57.7 percent on 2-point field goals, scoring 40 points in the half. In the second half, the Blue Devils' prowess from inside resulted in some good looks from the perimeter, where Duke shot a much improved 6-of-10 from 3-point range.
  
• Play a full 40 minuts on Paige: Paige was once again contained in the first half, scoring six points all in the final 4:04 of the period. In the second half however, Paige went to work, finishing the game with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. Paige added some extra points in garbage time at the end of the contest, but was certainly a dominant offensive force in the second half.
  

Three key plays:

• 16:34, second half: After a Rodney Hood miss that resulted in a team offensive rebound, Quinn Cook took the kick-out from Jabari Parker and knocked down his only triple of the game. The next time down the floor Cook found Andre Dawkins for what would be his on 3-pointer of the night. The back-to-back threes allowed Duke to balloon its lead from eight to 12, pushing North Carolina down by double-figures before the first media timeout of the period.
• 10:52, second half: Playing with a little extra fire, Amile Jefferson comes up with a steal on a Joel James turnover and takes it to the rack for a thunderous dunk that sent Cameron into a frenzy. Jefferson's transition stuff stretched the Duke lead to 18—its largest lead of the game.
  
• 2:19, second half: Marcus Paige knocked down a 3-pointer and drew contact, converting a four-point play to knock Duke's lead down to eight points. In need of some points to avoid another second-half collapse, Quinn Cook strides to the free throw line and calmly sinks a pair, silencing the Tar Heel run and protecting what had become a tenuous lead.
  

Three key stats:

• Duke shot 87.1 percent from the free throw line: Free throws have been an issue for the Blue Devils time and again this season, but not Saturday night. The team that shoots just 73.0 percent on the season missed just four of its 31 attempts against North Carolina, making free throw after free throw down the stretch as the Tar Heels played the foul game, trying to claw back into the contest.
  
• The Blue Devils out-rebound North Carolina 34-20: James Michael McAdoo's foul trouble certainly didn't help the Tar Heels in this category. Neither did Kennedy Meeks' reported illness. Duke dominated the glass in the second half, especially the offensive end, where the Blue Devils ripped down 16 rebounds. Parker, the ACC's leading rebounder, corralled 11 boards and Jefferson recorded eight of his own. Of note is that Marshall Plumlee, who has been integral on the glass of late, played just five minutes, yet Duke was still able to control the boards.
  
• North Carolina shoots 59.6 percent from the field: Despite losing the game and being out of it for much of the second half, the Tar Heels still shot quite well from the field. Duke's win was made possible by its aggressiveness in getting to the line, where the Blue Devils scored 13 more points than North Carolina. On a night where the defense wasn't dominant, it was the offensive rebounding and free throw shooting that propelled the team to a win.
  

And the Duke game ball goes to ... Jabari Parker

Parker and Hood are probably equally deserving of the game ball Saturday, as, in Mike Krzyzewski's words, they were both "sensational." However, Parker gets the nod after setting a career-high with 30 points and recording his sixth consecutive double-double. Parker shot 10-for-17 from the field, knocked down a pair of threes, and added a block and a steal in what was one of his best performances of his time at Duke.

And the North Carolina game ball goes to ... Marcus Paige

This one was an easier call. Paige is the engine that makes North Carolina run, and he did everything in his power to propel the Tar Heels forward in the second half. The guard finished the night with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, two assists and two steals. If Duke and North Carolina meet again in the ACC Tournament, Paige will be the focus defensively for the Blue Devils once again.