By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Duke Chronicle
Duke Blue Devils defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 82-69 in Chapel Hill at Dean Smith Arena.
The Blue Devils closed out the game in a 33-13 run. UNC played much better in the rematch than in the first game on the road in Durham.
RJ Davis went out like a warrior on Senior night. He played sensational. When the Tar Heels trailed by 15 in the first half, he brought them back in the game with his playmaking ability and knocking down jump shots.
Carolina did a great job of getting Cooper Flagg in foul trouble in the first half. When Flagg picked up his third foul, Carolina took advantage and ended the first half on a 10-2 after Flagg went to the bench.
The Tar Heels led by 7 with 15 minutes left to go until Davis had to come off the court due to cramping. When he stepped out of the court, the energy sucked out of the Tar Heels players. The Blue Devils went on a run and didn’t let the Tar Heels get back in the game.
When David returned to the court, he went 0 for 5 for the remainder of the second half. Davis needed to score more than 30 for Carolina to have a chance to win the game because he wasn’t getting any help.
Flagg got help from his teammates. Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Malik Brown contribute to the Blue Devils.
That’s the difference between the two teams. The Blue Devils are a better team overall than the Tar Heels. Duke is the best team in the country. Tebg has an asset for everything.
UNC is now 1-11 in Quad One games this season. The Tar Heels’ best chance to make it to the NCAA tournament is winning the ACC tournament.
UNC finished the game, shooting 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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