Seemingly just a few minutes into the rivalry game between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels, Duke fans were already having to worry about their big men entering into foul trouble.
Before you could blink, forwards Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown had two fouls apiece, and center Patrick Ngongba II had almost immediately picked up his third.
While the foul trouble was as infuriating as possible, Duke fans weren't surprised in the slightest by the fact that their core three players for the front court had already totaled combined seven fouls.
Boozer, Brown and Ngongba with 2 fouls each.
— Duke Update (@UpdateDuke) February 8, 2026
There isn’t a Duke fan alive that’s surprised
Yes, of course, the Blue Devils should be better about controlling their motion and avoiding the fouls. Duke is the No. 4 team in the nation after all. However, it's a problem that has cropped up throughout the entirety of the season for Boozer, Ngongba, and Brown (who comes off the bench).
two fouls on every Duke big man, of course.
— Duke Better (@DukeBetter) February 8, 2026
Through the first 22 games, Boozer had averaged 1.7 fouls, Brown had averaged 2.5 fouls, and Ngongba had averaged 2.7 fouls per appearance. Most of those fouls came in the first halves of Duke's matchups.
Cameron Boozer back in the game with two fouls because Jon Scheyer knows the refs would never give him a third before halftime in a million years, no matter what he does. Wise.
— Adam Weinrib (@AdamWeinrib) February 8, 2026
While the individual fouls were unsurprising and simultaneously frustrating, the biggest point of contention was the inequality of fouls called on Duke and North Carolina. At halftime, despite the Blue Devils holding a 12-point lead, the Tar Heels had been called for three fewer fouls.
In the first 20 minutes, UNC had already attempted 10 free throws, while Duke had only attempted six shots from the charity stripe.
7 fouls on Duke to 3 on UNC who is fouling every possession. Who would have guessed this would happen when Duke is threatening to blown this open?
— Dillon Wright (@BlueDevilTalk) February 8, 2026
We’re calling these fouls?
— The Brotherhood (@BrotherhoodCBB) February 8, 2026
The game, of course, was as heated as possible with the two teams ranked within the top 15 of the national standings and UNC freshman Caleb Wilson spewing an endless stream of trash talk leading up to tipoff.
Chapel Hill Protocol initiated. cam Boozer gets two touch fouls within two minutes of each other after getting bodied on the other end of the floor for 10 minutes.
— statefansnation (@statefansnation) February 8, 2026
Now, granted, Wilson had an astonishing 17 points in the first 20 minutes, never sitting on the bench. On the other end of the court, Boozer had surprisingly struggled to find his shot, scoring just nine points but also having to ride the bench for two minutes because of his foul trouble.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had relied on the rotation of Boozer-Ngongba-Brown in the front court all season long, but with the foul trouble as a point of conversation, he may have to do it a little more than usual in the second half against North Carolina.
Other than the double-digit lead, the best news for Duke in the first half was the fact that they were actually making their free throw attempts, shooting 83 percent from the line for five points.
With 20 minutes left in regulation, the Blue Devils held a 41-29 lead over the Tar Heels, and the rivalry matchup had undeniably lived up to its hype so far.