Duke Makes Their Case With Thrilling Victory Over UNC

Possible No. 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament, the return of Zion Williamson, an ACC Championship berth and bragging rights were all on the line between North Carolina (27-6) and Duke (28-5) on Friday night in Charlotte.

The matchup did not disappoint as the Blue Devils pulled away in a thrilling 74-73 victory in front of 20,116 fans, making it the most attended college basketball game ever at Spectrum Center.

"This was obviously a great game. I mean vintage ACC, Duke-North Carolina, you know, both teams played so hard and well," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Just minutes after the ACC's No. 1-seeded Virginia was upset by No. 4-seeded Florida State on the very same court, the No. 2-seeded Tar Heels and No. 3-seeded Duke were ready to show the tournament selection committee that they deserve a top-seed during Sunday's selection show.

Every minute lived up to the hype as the game came down to the final seconds with Williamson hitting a go-ahead tip-in and UNC missing two potential game-winners.

Williamson scored 31 points on 13-19 shooting with 11 rebounds to help the Blue Devils overcome a 5-20 shooting night from behind the 3-point line.

The Tar Heels haven't defeated Duke three times in a season since 1976 and a large part for that not happening again was due to North Carolina being unable to hit any shots on the outside, shooting a mere 4-27 from the 3-point line.

"Well, if you didn't care who won the game, it was an exciting game, but I don't know that either team played exceptionally well," UNC head coach Roy Williams said. "They were really hard to cover. The guy (Zion Williamson) that's been hurt came back and put on his superman jersey again and was incredible."

With a win, North Carolina would have swept the Blue Devils in three games and shown doubters that they could beat Duke with a healthy Williamson, who was injured in the team's first meeting in February.

With 31 seconds remaining, Williamson tipped in the ball to give Duke the lead after trailing by as many as 13 points.

"I watched my brothers out there battling and I wished I could go to war with them but it was very exciting to get out there and play," Williamson said. "I mean, the rivalry lived up to what I expected it to be."

Injuries are a part of the game, but the Tar Heels couldn't deny the impact Williamson made compared to the first two meetings.

"He definitely adds a different dimension to their team," UNC senior Cameron Johnson said. "He's a really good athlete and he does a lot of things that they don't have without him, so it kind of changes the way they play offensively, definitely. And it changes the way they attack."

Duke will now face Florida State in the championship game on Saturday night and will have a strong argument if they win to receive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

A win would have the Blue Devils losing just one game this season with their entire starting five healthy.

"We had hoped that we could play three games here and we had hoped that we could win, but the main thing was to get the experience of playing with one another again with this level of competition," Krzyzewski said.

For the Tar Heels, a No. 1 seed is still possible, but they'll have to hope for a Duke loss in the championship and then rely on the selection committee to overlook Kentucky or Tennessee.

"I don't even know what the hell NET means. Okay. So let's be honest, I'm trying to coach my team," Williams said. "What I will tell you is that I don't know how many, but we have been to several Final Fours, several. We have never won a tournament championship but one time. So our season's not over."