UNC Basketball: Luke Maye, Tar Heels roll past Blue Devils in Durham
By Zack Pearson
UNC Basketball senior Luke Maye finished with another double-double as the Tar Heels rolled past Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night
That was probably the weirdest start in the long historic rivalry between North Carolina and Duke.
Just 30 seconds into the game Duke freshman Zion Williamson slipped right through his shoe and was on the ground holding his hamstring. Williamson wouldn’t return to the game and the Tar Heels took full advantage.
UNC dominated in the paint from that point on, finishing the game with 62 points in the paint as they made a living down there against Duke. The Tar Heels just flat-out owned the paint early on and took advantage of Williamson’s absence, going after Jack White, Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier.
Backed by Luke Maye’s 30 points and 15 rebounds, UNC was able to jump out to a big lead early on in this one and never really looked back.
Duke did cut it down to five with just a few minutes left in the first half but UNC went on a quick 5-0 run over the last 1:04 of the half to take a 42-32 lead at the break.
In the second half, UNC came out hot once again. After trading baskets to begin the half, UNC went on a 13-0 run to lead 59-37 and from there they would pull away.
It was a two-man show for the Tar Heels, led by Maye’s 30 and graduate transfer Came Johnson added 26 points of his own. The duo combined for 56 of UNC’s 88 points matching what Duke freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish were doing.
Barrett and Reddish combined for 50 points of their own but the Blue Devils just couldn’t get the stops on the defensive end.
The closest Duke got to the Tar Heels in the second half was 10 points late but it was a struggle even getting it to that for the Blue Devils.
The win also helps UNC remain unbeaten on the road in Atlantic Coast Conference play and puts them in a three-way tie atop the standings with Duke and Virginia. Each team is now 11-2 as we hit the stretch run of the season.
Sophomore Garrison Brooks finished with 14 points while freshman Coby White had 9. Nassir Little had 2 points, while Seventh Woods finished with 5 off of the bench for the Tar Heels.
Stat of the Game
Both teams were really bad shooting the ball from the perimeter in this one. UNC finished 2 of 20 from the 3-point line with their first make coming in the second half by Maye.
Neither team could get a rhythm going from the outside despite having multiple open looks at the basket. If you were to tell me that UNC would shoot that poorly from outside and still win the game, I’d call you crazy.
Player of the Game
What a performance by Luke Maye at Hansbrough Indoor Stadium, err I mean Cameron. Maye recorded his 28th career double-double by finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds.
The senior forward was able to take advantage of Williamson’s injury as Duke really had no answer for him down low.
What’s next?
It’s going to be a quick turnaround for the Tar Heels and an important game ahead. The Tar Heels will host Florida State who is riding a six-game win streak. The two teams will meet at the Dean Dome on Saturday afternoon.