North Carolina vs. Duke 2017 final score: 3 things we learned as Grayson Allen powered Duke to victory

Duke-North Carolina never disappoints. After splitting the last 96 meetings with the exact same number of points, college basketball fans should have anticipated another great game. That’s exactly what happened.

Duke outlasted North Carolina in the final minutes to secure an 86-78 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The difference in the game was three-point shooting. Duke caught fire from behind the arc, making 13-of-27 attempts from deep, while Carolina shot only 4-of-12 from distance.

Junior guard Grayson Allen had one of his best games of the season for the Blue Devils. He poured in 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from three-point range to pace the Duke offense. Luke Kennard added 20 points, while freshman wing Jayson Tatum chipped in 19 points in the win.

Carolina was led by junior stars Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II. Jackson finished with 21 points and five rebounds, while Berry added 15 points.

UNC was undone by shaky free throw shooting late in the second half. Carolina finished only 10-of-18 from the foul line on the night.

Duke moves to 19-5 with the win, while North Carolina falls to 21-5.

Here are three things we learned during Duke’s win.

1. Grayson Allen is finding himself

Allen began this season as the unanimous pick for the best player in college basketball. He just hasn’t lived up to the hype so far in his junior year, as his tripping incident against Elon has overshadowed a surprisingly underwhelming season.

Against UNC, Allen played like the star Duke was expecting all season. He led Duke with 25 points and his shooting kept Coach K’s offense afloat all night. His final shot, a dagger three with just over a minute left, essentially sealed the win for the Blue Devils.

2. North Carolina doesn’t have many holes

Even without starting big man Isaiah Hicks, who was ruled out just before tip-off, Carolina showed off a balanced attack that should be the envy of almost every team in the country.

Even after a loss, Carolina should still like its chances in March if it can enter the tournament healthy. Hanging with a team as talented as this Duke squad on the road is no small feat.

3. Duke’s freshmen are ready for the big stage

Duke’s freshmen class was supposed to be one of the best ever, but the four-man class hasn’t had a huge impact so far. That changed on Thursday against UNC.

Tatum was a stud all night, finishing with all 19 of his points in the second half. Freshman guard Frank Jackson also added 11 points, while Harry Giles went 3-of-3 from the field in the win.