UNC Basketball: Top 10 moments for Tar Heels in 2020-21

A road win at Duke

By Andrew Reynolds

The North Carolina game against Duke always carries more emotion than any other contest of the season. It always has, and it likely always will. A season may be less than stellar, but as long as UNC beats Duke, the season is not seen as grim and bleak as it otherwise would be.

But the emotional attachment was different this time. In the midst of a pandemic that changed everyone’s entire way of living, it seemed, this game was something fans looked forward to from the time that the schedule was released. But it was never 100 percent certain because of how games can were being postponed so quickly and unexpectedly.

So, when the game was finally played, it was almost like the days before the pandemic. Also, UNC was swept last year before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the rest of the 2019-20 season, so there was some much-needed revenge on the part of the Tar Heels.

The game was competitive from start to finish, with a 41-39 UNC lead at halftime. And when the Tar Heels came out in the second half, they slowly built onto their lead, and almost looked as if they’d run away with it, as the score was 62-50 with 13:44 left in the game. But in the next five minutes, Duke rallied and by the 08:32 mark, it was a 69-67 UNC advantage.

For the next five minutes both teams traded baskets, kept it close and it looked like a classic battle of two juggernaut programs. Then with 3:14 left in the second half, sophomore center Armando Bacot stepped to the line for a pair of free throws, and nailed both of them to give UNC a slim 83-79 lead.

A three-point shot by freshman Caleb Love with 1:54 left in the game gave UNC an 86-79 advantage. But the game was far from over, as it eventually got to an 88-87 UNC lead with 17 seconds left in the game. North Carolina scored four more points and won the game 91-87.

People wondered if students would rush Franklin Street after the big victory despite the pandemic, and the answer was yes. And for that moment, it made this whole thing seem almost normal. It was a happy moment to beat Duke, but the storming of Franklin Street brought back fun memories of times when it was normal to actually do these things.

It will always be a special game because it was obviously a win over Duke, but it gave a sense of normalcy that people longed for and restored it in a sense.