Certain games and matchups always deliver. Duke and UNC is the best college basketball rivalry going… period. Another classic was just added to the rivalry when Seth Trimble hit a 3 with .4 seconds left to lift UNC to a 71-68 win over Duke.
It was a statement win by UNC, who’ve been trending up the last 2 weeks. Since a disastrous West Coast swing where UNC lost to both Stanford and Cal, the Heels have won at Virginia had double digit wins over Georgia Tech and Syracuse, and now have a win over a top 5 Duke team.
This was UNC’s 5 Q1 win, and while they showed potential earlier in the season with wins over Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio State you still wondered what UNC’s ceiling was. Sure, there was talent, but could they develop consistent enough play to be a real threat in March?
If the win at Virginia opened eyes, the victory over Duke validated just how good UNC could be. This is a team that puts relentless pressure on you at the offensive end. When they lock in on defense, that’s a top 10 team. That is not someone I’d want to see on my side of the bracket in March.
When it comes to Duke, they are a national title contender. I still believe they are just behind Arizona, and right there with Michigan as the 3 best teams in college basketball. There is just one problem with Duke, and it keeps happening with Jon Scheyer as head coach, even if the players change.
In games decided by 5 points or less, Duke is 2-2 this year and was 1-3 last year. That’s a 3-5 record in those types of close ball games the past 2 seasons. They were outscored 19-7 by Texas Tech in the finish of that game this year, and 16-6 by UNC Saturday night.
By comparison, national champion Florida was 4-2 last year in games decided by 5 points or less. Sure, close games are a 50/50 proposition, but you just saw the difference between a great team and a very good one.
If Jon Scheyer can’t figure this out, then we will again see a supremely talented Duke season end before it should.
