Blue Devils Come Back in Second Half to Beat UNC, Advance to ACC Title Game
By Chris Brown
Duke overcame a double-digit deficit for the second straight game to defeat rival North Carolina and advance to the ACC Tournament championship game.
The Duke Blue Devils used an unbelievable second half performance to defeat the top seeded Tar Heels 93-83 in the conference tournament semifinals. Duke will advance to compete in the championship game tomorrow night.
The Blue Devils trailed for the entire first half and the majority of the game before using a huge run to put them ahead late. Duke struggled to defend in the first half, leading to a huge performance by UNC center Kennedy Meeks who dominated early. Grayson Allen provided scoring off the bench to keep the game within reach. The Tar Heels led 49-42 at the half, and continued to score at will after the break leading by as many as 13 points. Then the Blue Devils went on a 20-4 run to catch up and take the lead, and never looked back for the rest of the game.
Duke Blue Devils Basketball
Our matchup of the game was Jayson Tatum against Isaiah Hicks. While both played well for their respective teams, Tatum came out on top recording a game-high 24 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Grayson Allen was very important off the bench scoring 18 off the bench making 5-6 threes. All-ACC guard Luke Kennard struggled to get shots up early, but got it going in the second half to score 20 points making 10-10 free throws, 2-2 threes, and 4-7 shots from the field. Freshman guard Frank Jackson continued his excellent play, compiling 15 points. Harry Giles also provided great energy off the bench recording 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
The main difference for Duke was their execution on offense and defense in the second half. UNC outscored the Blue Devils 32-10 in the paint in the first half and were able to get the ball out in transition to score early and often. In the second half, the Tar Heels’ FG% dropped from 55.6% to 28.6% as the Duke defense played tougher.
Related Story: Tatum Leads Duke Past Louisville in ACC Tourney
The Blue Devils will compete against the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Florida State and Notre Dame. The 2017 ACC title game will be held tomorrow night at 9:00 pm in Brooklyn.