Lubin stands tall
Ven-Allen Lubin led all scorers in the game (Duke and UNC) with 20 points. What makes this more impressive is that the 6-foot-8 center did it while working against 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach and 6-foot-11 Patrick Ngongba.
Back-up center Jalen Washington only played five minutes. A combination of ineffectiveness and a Ngongba elbow to his face (with no foul!) kept him from contributing much to the cause, which meant Lubin had to climb Duke's tallest trees all by himself.
Lubin answered his nation's call, adding 10 rebounds (six offensive) to his 20 points, along with two assists and a block. Some of Duke's pick-and-roll action resulted in dunks behind him, but North Carolina is uniquely ill-equipped to deal with that disadvantage. Lubin did well not to add fouls to those baskets to keep himself on the floor and scoring on the other end.
If UNC makes the NCAA Tournament, nobody will be happier to see shorter front courts than Lubin. He performed well against the tallest in the country. He could shine against a more normal-sized one.