With a share of the ACC regular-season title on the line, Duke fell just short of a comeback in front of its fans at Cameron Indoor. The highly-anticipated rivalry matchup featured two top 10 teams — North Carolina entered at No. 7 and the Blue Devils were ninth. Duke came into the matchup coming off a dominant performance against N.C. State, defeating the Wolfpack 79-64. Yet, the Tar Heels proved to be the more prepared team, going on an early run in the first half and never looking back.
Senior guard RJ Davis and graduate center Armando Bacot might be familiar foes to the Blue Devils, but it was none other than Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan who led North Carolina to the statement win. Ryan posted a season-high 31 points, shooting 66.7% from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. When Duke applied pressure in the final minutes of the game, it was Ryan who made a clutch three and two free throws to silence the Cameron Crazies
Although much of the Blue Devil squad underperformed throughout the competition, sophomore center Kyle Filipowski kept his team in the game in key moments. The Westtown, N.Y., native led the team with 23 points and scored two crucial threes in the second half. Duke even outscored the Tar Heels 48-44 in the second half, but the late push was not enough to overcome its early deficit. Ultimately, North Carolina emerged victorious, completing the season sweep. Entering the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils dropped to the No. 11 spot in the AP Poll while North Carolina re-entered the top five at No. 4.
Movement in the SEC
In a week full of intense rivalries, the Wildcats entered Rocky Top with an upset on their mind. And, then-No. 15 Kentucky extended its winning streak to five games by defeating then-No.4 Tennessee Saturday. The Wildcats were led by senior guard Antonio Reeves and freshman guard Reed Sheppard, who both posted 27 points. Reeves — the team’s leading scorer — shot 60% from beyond the arc and 8-of-16 from the field. Likewise, the rookie Sheppard represented his home state well, coming off the bench and going 7-of-10 from 3-point range. On the other end of the court, senior guard Dalton Knecht kept the Volunteers in the competition with a season-high 40 points. The SEC’s leading scorer and Player of the Year couldn’t fend off the upset on his own, though, and despite a late push, Kentucky came away with a 85-81 victory. As a result, the Wildcats moved up to the No. 9 in this week’s AP rankings and Tennessee maintained its spot in the top 5, coming in at No. 5.
