Duke basketball’s five most heartwarming Dean Dome wins

5. Duhon delivers a delicious dub

No. 1 Duke at No. 17 UNC

Feb. 5, 2004

As the favorite and an eventual Final Four team — riding a 15-game win streak — after leading by five at the half, Duke allowed UNC to hang around. And with five minutes to play, the Tar Heels had completely turned the momentum; at the time, they enjoyed a 69-62 lead and were getting giddy about giving Roy Williams a W in his first meeting against Duke as UNC’s head coach.

The Blue Devils had other plans. Little did the Dean Dome spectators know at the time that this ploy by Duke to get their hopes up — only to completely crush their spirits in the end — would become commonplace in the rivalry across the next 16 years.

So down seven, one of the premier Duke basketball lineups in history — Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Daniel Ewing, Luol Deng, and Shelden Williams — rediscovered its mojo and scored the next 10 points.

But the Blue Devils weren’t finished toying with Tar Heel emotions, allowing Jawad Williams to drain a game-tying 3-pointer with 18 ticks remaining and then settling for a deep-ball airball by Ewing at the buzzer.

Then with a three-point lead with under 20 seconds to play in overtime, Duke again gave UNC life by not strongly contesting Rashad McCants from downtown. Splash. Tie game.

No worries, though, for Duhon evidently decided at that moment it was time to ensure his name would forever warrant a mention on lists like this one. Without hesitation, as a senior point guard who wound up with a 9-2 overall record against UNC, he took the inbounds pass and scurried past four Tar Heels on his way to a reverse layup with six seconds remaining that left the home crowd in a state of shock.

The Tar Heels’ final prayer fell short. Thousands of teary-eyed UNC fans stood still in sorrow.

Ah, the memories…