UNC Basketball: Tar Heels complete regular season sweep of Duke

The Tar Heels complete a season sweep of their rival Duke and clinch a share of the ACC regular season title with Virginia

North Carolina freshman Coby White went into takeover mode in the second half and it was a big reason why the Tar Heels completed a regular season sweep of the Duke Blue Devils and captured a share of the regular season ACC title.

With UNC trailing 40-38 at halftime, the Tar Heels got 12 straight points from seniors Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Kenny Williams, helping spark an early run and take a 50-44 lead. Duke would fight back with two big three-pointers to tie the game.

But from there, it was the Coby White show.

The freshman would score 16 of UNC’s next 20 points in the second half to take a 72-60 lead and give the Tar Heels control of the game. During that stretch, White assisted or scored on all but 18 of those points.

The Tar Heels appeared to have control from that point and would just need to ice the game with solid possessions.

As we all know however, nothing comes easy when Duke and North Carolina meet up and the finishes are usually nerve-racking. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday night.

After UNC had a 75-60 lead, they went into a shell on offense and settled for three-pointers on six of their next 10 possessions. It was a confusing display of basketball, to say the least and left many frustrated with what was going on.

Duke cut the lead down to five at 75-70 and even had a chance to make it a one-possession game late. But UNC’s defense rose to the challenge, backed by the senior Williams who blocked a R.J. Barrett three-pointer to all but seal the deal.

Williams was everywhere on the defensive side of the ball in his final home game of his career and came up big, drawing three charges on Barrett. The senior was matched up on the freshman phenom and did a great job all night.

White would finish the game with 21 points to lead UNC with Williams adding 18, Johnson 14, Brooks 10 and Maye 7. Fellow freshman Nassir Little finished the game with 9 points and was very active early on.

The win means UNC will share the ACC regular season title with Virginia and will be the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. They open up play next Thursday night in Charlotte and it’s very likely that these two teams could meet again in the semifinals on Friday night.

Player of the Game

It’s Senior Night and we are giving this one to one of the more under-appreciated seniors on this team. Without Kenny Williams, I don’t think there’s a chance UNC wins 16 games in the conference this season.

He may be struggling offensively this season but on defense, Williams is one of the best in the country.

On Saturday, Williams had the tough task of guarding R.J. Barrett and did a very good job. Being able to draw three charges was huge for the Tar Heels and you could see how fired up Kenny was after each and every one of those. It was a big night for Williams in his Dean Dome finale.

Stat of the Game

16. Yes, 16. That’s the number of wins the Tar Heels have in the ACC this season. It’s remarkable to think how good of a job Roy Williams has done with this team, especially in conference play.

Their only losses came to Louisville and Virginia. Against the Cavaliers, UNC actually held a second half lead before blowing it late. They could get a rematch against both teams in the ACC Tournament next week.

What’s next?

The ACC Tournament returns to Charlotte and it’s shaping up to be another good one. Virginia is the No. 1 seed followed by No. 2 UNC, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Florida State as they have all earned byes. Those teams will begin play on Thursday night.

The tournament tips off Tuesday morning when Wake Forest and Miami play at Noon.