In a heart-warming display of class and admiration, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and UNC Coach Roy Williams gathered before the game, arm-and-arm on bended knee, with their players around the center court in honor of the late legend Dean Smith who was involved in so many of these rivalry games. This touching tribute to Dean added another sparkle to this night that can hardly be expressed in words. Duke and Carolina want to beat each other so badly on the court but, as this tribute displayed, the respect that is generated from each team through their emotions and actions is truly like the rivalry...One-of-a-Kind.
Coach Roy Williams had only pleasant words for Duke coaches and players. He said, “I think it shows the class that this rivalry has. Some people hate, hate, hate, and I want to beat their butts so bad I can taste it. But, there is a great deal of respect between the two programs.”
Coach K responded by saying, "He (Dean) was looking down, he may not have liked the end result of the game, but I’m sure he liked the way both teams played.”
The Tar Heels (18-8, 8-5 ACC) started slow out of the blocks for the third straight game, falling behind 20-8 in the first few minutes, but scratched and clawed their way back into the contest by getting the ball into the paint for close-range shots. Duke (23-3, 10-3 ACC) once again took control and extended their lead to as many 13 points, but Carolina would not back down. Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and J.P. Tokoto were exceptional in this one combining for 51 points (22-of-35 from the field) and 27 rebounds. Tokoto had more points in this game than his previous three games combined. Such a wonderful effort from the junior standout.as he added eight rebounds, seven assists, and zero turnovers to his stat sheet. Carolina would eventually take the lead in the second half, energized and full of passion, and pushed the lead to double figures late in the game.. But, in typical rivalry-game fashion, there is always another run left. This one just happened to be from the Blue Devils. Led by Quinn Cook and freshman Tyus Jones (22 points apiece), Duke was then able to stifle the Heels in the last four minutes of play and charge mightily back tying the game in the final seconds. Carolina's Preseason All-American Marcus Paige's shot at the regulation horn would bang hard off the rim sending this incredible game into Overtime.
In the first minutes of the extra session, the Heels would lose Johnson to foul trouble and both teams exchanged buckets with the lead swinging back and forth. For Duke, Jahlil Okafor (who had sprained his ankle late in the first half) made a couple big layups down the stretch giving Duke the one-point lead, 90-89. Cook would make 1-of-2 free throws giving the Heels an opportunity to tie or take the lead. However, the Tar Heels offense broke down and the Heels settled for a Tokoto baseline jumper that clanged off the rim. UNC fouled Cook again and, just as before, he only made 1-of-2 setting the stage for the final seconds. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski elected to foul Nate Britt before he even had a chance to throw up a three. Britt made the first from the charity stripe. Carolina had one last chance to tie it as Britt would selectively miss the free throw off the left side of the rim, but Marcus Paige's put-back attempt was thwarted by Justise Winslow and Duke corralled the ball as the final buzzer sounded raising the roof off Cameron in celebration of Duke's ninth win in the last 12 games against Carolina.
"If you didn’t care who won the game, you had to enjoy a great college basketball game," said a visibly emotionally-drained Roy Williams. "If you happen to just like college basketball, then you had to enjoy that part of it, but I happen to love North Carolina. So, it’s not so agreeable with me."
Coach K reflected on the game saying, “It was a great game. One team had to win and one team had to lose and it’s one possession and we won. I thought both teams played their hearts out. I don’t see how both teams could have played any harder than they did."
An awfully tough pill to swallow for the Tar Heels as it makes the stomach curl to lose in such a heartbreaking way. But, you gotta say this game had everything a fan of the game and of sports would want as the sports nation and the world were served up another classic on a silver platter. Lead changes, "A" effort plays on both ends of the court, big scoring runs by each team, two Hall of Fame coaches with very different but effective strategies, spectacular dunks (J.P. Tokoto & Isaiah Hicks)...
It is somewhat hard to believe, looking at a few glaring statistics, that Carolina would have been able to stay in the game. Duke drilled 10-of-16 three-pointers (six coming from Cook who was smoking hot from beyond the arc in this game) whereas UNC only managed to make a measly 2-of-10. The Blue Devils would shoot over 50% for the game and also attempted 31 free throws to Carolina's 20 attempts. Winslow poured in 16 points to bolster the rest of the Blue Devils' offensive production. The inside presence of the Heels, though, made a difference especially with Okafor feeling the effects of the ankle sprain (even 12 points and 13 rebounds is a down game for Okafor). His mobility was limited and Carolina took full advantage by muscling the ball to the rim and fighting for every lose ball. However, on this night, Carolina just could not seal the deal and the Blue Devils used an explosive run powered by Jones (nine straight points late in regulation) and another stinging defeat rippled through the UNC locker room afterwards. Players sat in silence, emotionally and physically spent from the nearly three hours of intense basketball warfare that defines such a rivalry and tradition as the Battle of the Blues.
None were as solemn as UNC's Paige after his sub-par five points on 2-of-11 shooting. Paige lamented, "My teammates came to battle. They played fantastic the whole game. And I didn't really give them anything."
But, the Heels battled and Coach Williams felt good about that. "For the most part, I really, really enjoyed the toughness and the poise of my team," said Roy. "Yes, we missed some free throws and some wide open shots and a corner that was a three that would have helped, but that is college basketball. We’ve been through a tough stretch. We’ve lost three out of four coming in here and I am really proud of my team."
Even with Paige struggling, Carolina was able to squeeze really good minutes and production from Britt and Joel Berry II. Britt seemed to catch his stride in this game, scoring 11 points and playing comfortably at the point by aggressively driving to the hoop on multiple occasions. You would like to see more than one assist from the sophomore, but Britt held his own Wednesday night. Also, Joel James spelled the starting big men with a solid 12 minutes of action where he scored six points and helped Carolina steady the ship late in the first half.
Duke sits comfortably in the Top 3 of the ACC, two full games clear of fourth place and this is where Carolina is situated at this point. Carolina remains tied for fourth place in the ACC as Louisville was upset by Syracuse last night. Both the Heels and the Cardinals share 8-5 records in the conference. Both teams have suffered back-to-back losses and now there are only two games in the standings separating the fourth-placed teams and the 11th-placed team. The way Carolina handles this loss will dictate how successful the Heels can be down the regular season stretch. UNC will welcome Georgia Tech and NC State in two straight contests at the Dean Dome, but then have difficult road trips to Miami and Georgia Tech before the regular season finale back in Chapel Hill against these same Blue Devils.
Nothing comes easy in the ACC. If Carolina can keep up the energy and exude the type of passion and toughness it delivered against Duke Wednesday night, there is no reason to believe the Heels will not have a successful finish to the season.
Coach Williams summed up the regular season journey to finish his post-game press conference by saying, "It's a marathon and in this league it's a tough marathon."
It will take an "A+" effort every single minute of every single game the rest of the way, but the Heels still have the depth and maturity to finish this race on top.
Next Game: #15 North Carolina (18-8, 8-5 ACC)
vs
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-14, 3-11 ACC)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 21, 2015 @ 12:00pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ACC Network or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network
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