Duke basketball leads UNC 41-39 in Coach K’s last home game. Takeaways from first half
Following an emotional pregame ceremony during which nearly 100 former Duke players who returned for the game welcomed Mike Krzyzewski to the court for his final game at Cameron, the Blue Devils were predictably off their game in the early minutes en route to a 41-30 halftime lead over North Carolina.
Paolo Banchero had a game-high 15 points at the break. The Blue Devils scored 30 points in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.
Duke hit just 2 of its first 7 shots, while committing three turnovers, as the Tar Heels jumped to an 11-4 lead.
Once the Blue Devils calmed down after the game’s first timeout, they found their footing offensively. By hitting five of its next six shots, Duke cut UNC’s lead to 13-12. Banchero hit three shots during that stretch.
But it wasn’t until UNC center Armando Bacot picked up his second foul that the Blue Devils were able to create some separation from their rivals. UNC led 28-23 after two Bacot free throws with 7:08 left in the first half.
Banchero’s 3-pointer gave Duke momentum and the Blue Devils’ surge grew after Bacot went to the bench at 6:22 after being called for his second foul.
Duke scored the game’s next 11 points, giving it a 14-0 run and a 37-28 lead with 3:04 left until halftime.
On Carolina
North Carolina played a much different half than its lost to Duke last month. Despite trailing by two at the half, the Tar Heels withstood a 12-0 Blue Devils run and have kept the crowd from being a major factor.
Here’s are some key factors to watch in the second half:
Matchups
On paper, Carolina didn’t appear to match up well with the Blue Devils. That’s why in the first meeting, Hubert Davis gambled by putting Armando Bacot on heralded freshman Banchero. The plan backfired when Bacot picked up two early fouls and Duke went on a run and the Heels never recovered.
On Saturday, Davis chose to use Brady Manek on Banchero and use UNC’s defensive stopper Leaky Black on A.J. Griffin, who scored 27 points in that first game.
That tweak to the matchups initially worked well in the first half. Banchero finished strong late, taking advantage of his size and strength on drives to the basket, which he didn’t do much of the first meeting when he was held to 13 points. Griffin only had five points.
R.J. Davis shining
UNC sophomore guard R.J. Davis has 11 points in the first half on 5-for-9 shooting from the field. The good sign for the Heels is Davis is making the right decisions with the ball. He’s finished three drives to the basket shooting over Banchero and 7-foot center Mark Williams. He’s also been wise to pull up in the lane for short jumpers. Davis 3-pointer just before the buzzer pulled UNC within two going into halftime.
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 7:31 PM.