Duke's defense casts shadow over Carolina
This game was technically won in the offseason when Hubert Davis failed to land an impact post player and the UNC basketball program first came to the realization that Cade Tyson would not be the floor-spacing small forward he was promised to be. Duke was taller at every position on the floor, and they made that difference count on Saturday.
With UNC's lack of knockdown shooters, all Duke defenders could sag off their men to mind North Carolina's guard drives. Duke's defenders are all connected and could switch every position, so UNC could not isolate any bad match-ups. For the game, North Carolina shot just 47% from the field, and that percentage was only that high because UNC went on a run when the game was long decided.
Duke's length thoroughly disrupted UNC's passing game, stealing bounce passes from Cadeau trying to thread the needle for backdoor cuts to the basket. These were high degree of difficulty passes because they had to be. How can you get good ball movement when every pass is perilous?
Duke's strengths matched North Carolina's weaknesses perfectly. The Blue Devils have length where UNC is too small. They have crisp perimeter passing and deadly shooting where UNC can't reach shooters. They have disruptive defenders where Carolina can't even handle the ball in the paint. Don't let the final 87-70 margin fool you. Duke could have won by 30 if Scheyer really wanted to.