We're running a tournament to find out who is the best ACC Team of all-time. Read more about it here.
Today's second round matchup features the 5 seed Duke Blue Devils 2000-01 against the 12 seed North Carolina Tarheels 1980-81. UNC 80-81 defeated Wake Forest 95-96 3-0 in the first round.
Game 1
Duke 00-01: 73
UNC 80-81: 70
Duke leads the series 1-0
Notes: Jason Williams scored 27 points and added 5 assists on 10-21 shooting, while Shane Battier added 15 points and 6 rebounds to also finish in double-figures. UNC shot just 64% from the free throw line wasting several chances to win the series opener. Sam Perkins led UNC with 17 points, while Al Wood (15 pts, 6 rebs) and James Worthy (12 pts, 8 rebs) also reached double-figures in the loss.
Game 2
Duke 00-01: 70
UNC 80-81: 64
Duke leads the series 2-0
Notes: Jason Williams scored 24 points on 11-17 shooting and pushed the Blue Devils to a 2-0 series lead. Shane Battier finished with 12 points, 6 rebs, 3 steals, and 2 blocks and was put on Sam Perkins, holding the big left-hander to 4-11 shooting and just 12 points. Al Wood led the Heels in scoring with 17 points and also added 7 rebounds.
Game 3
UNC 80-81: 73
Duke 00-01: 56
Duke leads the series 2-1
Notes: With Duke a win away from moving on, Al Wood decided to assert himself more offensively and Wood led the Heels to a game three win. Wood finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while James Worthy added 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Heels focused their defense on stopping Jason Williams who had averaged nearly 26 points per game in the first two games. Williams finished with just 16 points in game three, while the Blue Devils has a team shot just 37% from the floor.
Game 4
UNC 80-81: 66
Duke 00-01: 59
The series is tied 2-2
Notes: The Heels won their second straight game evening up the series and giving the 12 seed a chance to pull an upset in game five. Sam Perkins and Al Wood scored 17 points a piece as the UNC defense forced 14 turnovers and held Duke to just 40% shooting from the floor. For the second straight game, Jason Williams was held to just 16 points, while Mike Dunleavy also scored double-figures with 11 points.
Game 5
UNC 80-81: 82
Duke 00-01: 79
UNC wins the series 3-2
Notes: Sam Perkins saved his best game for last as Perkins scored 28 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead UNC to three straight wins and a series win. Perkins made 11-17 shots and all six free throw attempts he took in a nearly perfect night. James Worthy (17 pts, 8 rebs) and Al Wood (10 pts) also scored in double-figures in the series deciding win. Duke shot 64% from the floor but made just 70% of their free throw attempts, including a suprisingly poor 5-9 effort from Shane Battier. Jason Williams and Battier led the Blue Devils in scoring with 17 points each in the loss. UNC moves on to the Elite 8 and will get the winner of UNC 92-93 and Duke 98-99.
Tomorrow, we have our last matchup of the week as #4 UNC 92-93 takes on #13 Duke 98-99.
