UNC Vs. Duke Final Score: Tar Heels Run Away In Chapel Hill, Claim ACC Championship With 81-67 Win

It was billed as a showdown for the ACC’s regular season championship, but North Carolina was having none of that. They threw their combinations late in the first half — with Kendall Marshall setting everything up beautifully — and Duke never could respond, falling 81-67 in Chapel Hill and giving the hated Tar Heels the ACC crown.

Marshall had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and it was his steady, easy play at point guard that keyed offensive opportunities for nearly every Tar Heel. Harrison Barnes chipped in 18 points, and Tyler Zeller had 14, but UNC’s balance on offense (six players with eight or more points and 52.4% shooting from the field) is what carried the day.

In the end, that was too much for the defending champions to match. Awful showings from Kyle Singler (eight points on 14 shots) and Mason Plumlee (zero points before fouling out) helped overshadow strong nights from Nolan Smith (30 points) and Seth Curry (20 points, 18 on three-pointers), and the Blue Devils never did much more than dent the lead opened up by UNC in the first half.

The loss means that Duke is likely out of the running for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, barring a splendid run in the ACC Tournament. But by that same token, if the Tar Heels visit hell on the Blue Devils again in that event, expect them to be in a favorable S-curve position on Selection Sunday.