UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ best home performances vs. the Duke Blue Devils

No. 1: March 2, 1974

This matchup between Duke and UNC is the best UNC home game against Duke. Moreover, it ranks as the best comeback ever by the North Carolina Tar Heels. This is the only game on this list where the Blue Devils were not coached by their current head coach, Mike Krzyzewski.

Some people refer to this game as “The Infamous Comeback against Duke.”

No. 4 North Carolina was down eight points with 17 seconds left to unranked Duke. UNC head coach Dean Smith illustrated his coaching brilliance in this game, in particular during the last 17 seconds of regulation.

Smith’s clever use of timeouts and fouls gave North Carolina the opportunity to force overtime. UNC had a little help from Duke missing free throws.

After calling a timeout with a few seconds left in the game, UNC inbounded the ball under Duke’s goal. UNC’s Walter Davis receives the half-court pass and banks a shot off the backboard to tie the game 86-86 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Tar Heels outscore the Blue Devils 10-6. UNC beats unranked Duke 96-92 in overtime. Walter Davis led all scorers with 31 points, six rebounds and five assists. Bobby Jones finished the game with 24 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Duke had five players in double figures, with their scoring ranging from 12 to 20 points. During the 1973-74 season, North Carolina defeated Duke three times.