Duke’s 76-61 win over Carolina on Saturday night was less about surviving adversity and more about eventually overwhelming the Tar Heels with depth, rebounding and disruptive defense.
The Blue Devils were already without Patrick Ngongba II, who was in a walking boot on the bench, and then lost Caleb Foster in the first half to a right foot/ankle injury. Foster did not return.
UNC was with their own major absence in Caleb Wilson who was trending towards a return from a fractured left hand, but broke his right thumb in practice on Thursday.
It was a game at halftime. Duke led only 39-34 at the break, and Carolina had trimmed it all the way to 47-44 with 16:41 left after a Seth Trimble layup. At that point, it still felt like the rivalry game UNC needed it to be.
Then Duke blew it open. Cayden Boozer hit a three to make it 50-44. A few possessions later, Dame Sarr drilled a three from the wing, jumped a passing lane for a steal, then turned it into a breakaway dunk.
Maliq Brown followed with a three of his own, and suddenly that five-point game had become a 58-44 Duke lead. That sequence was the heart of the 20-2 avalanche that effectively ended the night.
The numbers tell you exactly how Duke separated. The Blue Devils lost the shooting percentage battle overall, 42.0 percent to Carolina’s 45.3 percent, and only shot 31.3 percent from three. But they dominated the glass 42-29, created 11 steals, forced 14 turnovers while committing only five, and scored enough extra-possession points to bury Carolina in the second half. UNC managed only 27 points after halftime.
Cameron Boozer was the anchor again with 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while Brown added 15 points and Isaiah Evans scored 11. But Sarr continues to look like one of Duke’s true swing pieces. He finished with 10 points, including two made threes, and his defensive activity changed the game in the decisive stretch.
That’s the formula with him. Duke already knows what it’s getting from Sarr defensively, with his length, anticipation and ability to make plays off the ball. But when he is also making perimeter shots, Duke becomes a different problem entirely. Not just good. Not just balanced. Borderline unfair.
That was the story Saturday night. Carolina hung around for a half, cut it to one possession early in the second, and then Duke’s pressure, rebounding and playmaking buried the game. Even shorthanded, the Blue Devils had too much.