UNC Basketball: The 5 worst Duke losses of the Roy Williams era
By Carson Brown
March 10th, 2017: Duke 93 – UNC 83
This was another ACC Tournament game blundered by the Tar Heels. Losing to Duke is never enjoyable for the Tar Heels, but when it comes in the ACC Tournament, it tends to sting a little bit more. The third matchup between these two schools is always what we wish for. But in this matchup, the Tar Heels didn’t get what they were hoping for.
The reason this one comes as such a tough loss is because UNC dominated the first 30 minutes of the game. UNC led by as many as 13, and didn’t allow Duke to have its first lead of the game until the 9:02 mark in the second half.
North Carolina won the first half by a seven-point margin, but lost the second half by 17. The game was living up to the hype for the Tar Heels until dynamic sharpshooter Luke Kennard decided he wasn’t going to let his team lose. Kennard caught fire for the Blue Devils after the intermission, scoring 15 points in the second half.
This North Carolina team was loaded with talent, and had some now-legendary names up and down the lineup. Joel Berry, Luke Maye, Justin Jackson, and Kennedy Meeks all played for the Tar Heels in this game.
Duke also had a group of well-known players in this game. Jayson Tatum and Grayson Allen headlined this one for the Blue Devils. The team also had Amile Jefferson, Frank Jackson and Kennard, but it was somewhat of a down year for the Blue Devils. They were just 11-7 in conference play, while UNC was 14-4.
A loss to Duke always brings pain to the Carolina faithful, but in a game that UNC should’ve won, it seems to hurt worse. It also came in the ACC Tournament, but luckily, North Carolina still got its 1-seed in the NCAA Tourney, and cut down the nets a few weeks later.