College basketball’s most heated rivalry appeared headed for another close, contentious iteration in Chapel Hill tonight. Duke and North Carolina were keeping things close in the first half, but the Tar Heels broke open a double-digit lead.
Duke, UNC In Close One In Chapel Hill Early
Seth Curry leads all scorers in the primetime showdown, with 12 points on four three-pointers. For the Tar Heels, scoring balance — nine players have chipped in, none more than Dexter Strickland’s six — led to an 11-point lead that Curry cut to eight with a subsequent three-pointer.
Carolina doesn’t look like a sure thing to run away with it, in part because both teams are playing fairly well. Hustle or a few breaks could well be the difference?
One sequence in particular showed the value of persistence: Nolan Smith airballed a fadeaway jumper, but before the Carolina fans could even get the “AIR-BALLLLL!” chants to full throat, Mason Plumlee had snagged a lazy pass and dished back to Smith for a huge dunk.
You can bet that one gets a bit of buzz if Duke comes back to win this one.
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