Duke Embarassed by Carolina in Season Finale

The Duke University Blue Devils lost a lopsided 91-73 contest against their bitter rivals, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels (16-9, 10-6 ACC). This marks Duke’s third straight loss at a time when they can’t afford any losses. 

Duke never led in the game after falling behind early in the first half. Carolina took a 20 point lead after only eleven minutes of play, going up by a score of 26-6. Duke struggled early to find their rhythm and generate good looks at the basket. This slow start was coupled with several live-ball turnovers that handicapped the Blue Devils early in the game by allowing easy transition opportunities for Carolina. 

Duke tried to keep themselves in the game with a few scoring runs late in the first half to cut the lead and trail by only 12 points at 28-16 with five minutes to go in the half. After some back and forth to end the period Duke entered halftime trailing by 16 points at a score of 42-26. 

Duke’s leading scorer on the season, sophomore forward Matthew Hurt, didn’t convert his first basket until there were only around two minutes remaining in the half. He would finish a disappointing evening with 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor. 

Freshman guard D.J. Steward led the way in scoring during the first half with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He would cool off in the second half to finish the game with 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists

Freshman center Mark Williams continued to be a bright spot for the Blue Devils, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He struggled on the glass, recording only three throughout the entire game. Duke was outrebounded 38-31 in the contest with 30 of Carolina’s boards coming on defense. 

Duke struggled to shoot all night, going 5-of-27 from the three-point line for a 19% conversion rate. This poor shooting made it hard for the Blue Devils to build momentum and start to recover from their huge deficit.

The second half looked much like the first for Duke. The Blue Devils cut the lead to 13 within the first two minutes of the period at 44-31. This run was followed by a series of sloppy plays that saw both teams enter the penalty with around twelve minutes to go. Duke would manage to fall behind by 20 points again during this span at a score of 61-41. The lead never ballooned much further, capping out at 24 points, but Duke couldn’t close the gap either. A balanced second half saw Duke outscored 49-47, a stark contrast to the lopsided first half. Duke finished the game with four players in double-figures but the first half sluggishness was too much to overcome. 

With the regular season now concluded and the ACC tournament looming large, Duke looks to reset their season and qualify for what can only be described as a fleeting chance at an NCAA tournament berth. 

Duke returns to action for their first ACC tournament contest versus the Syracuse University Orange (15-8, 9-7) on Tuesday, March 10th.