North Carolina beats Duke in a game worthy of college basketball’s greatest rivalry

Duke and North Carolina each entered the 2018 edition of the rivalry in a precarious position. Duke was coming off a stupefying loss to a St. John’s team that had lost 11 straight. UNC dropped three straight before beating a woeful Pitt team.

On Thursday night, these two great programs proved that even when they’re not at their peak, they can still put on a great show. That’s exactly what happened during North Carolina’s 82-78 win over Duke in Chapel Hill.

This was offensive basketball at its best. Duke was up by 12 in the first half by attacking the rim. Carolina responded with a barrage of threes and pulled ahead for good in the second half. With elite athletes and knockdown shooters all over the court, this was as aesthetically pleasing as college hoops can look.

For example: Trevon Duval.

Unfortunately for Duke, that’s about as good as it got.

UNC had four starters score 15-plus points, led by an incredible shooting night from junior guard Kenny Williams. Williams finished with 20 points by knocking down 6-of-12 shots from behind the arc. He was on fire:

As a team, UNC drained 11 threes (on 33 attempts) on the night. That’s the most it has ever hit against Duke.

Duke was supposed to be the team with the big advantage in the frontcourt, but the Tar Heels found a way to neutralize the Blue Devils’ size. North Carolina won the rebounding battle, 44-38. Cameron Johnson was huge on that end, finishing with 18 points, four threes, and a team-high 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.

Joel Berry II also scored 21 points for UNC.

This is as fun as it gets in college hoops. UNC was eating all night:

Duke and North Carolina play again on March 3. We can’t wait.