In a series filled with thrillers, this was not one of them.
No. 3 North Carolina opened a 10-point first-half lead then held No. 7 Duke at bay a 93-84 win Saturday in the latest chapter of college basketball's most storied rivalry.
Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot powered the Tar Heels to victory. The effort marked a breakout for Bacot on the biggest stage of the season after he entered the showdown mired in a slump. For Ingram, it was another stellar performance in what's been a breakout season since he transferred from Stanford in the offseason.
As has been the case in Carolina's climb toward the top of the polls, defense set the tone on Saturday. The Tar Heels converted six Duke turnovers into 10 first-half points en route to a 45-35 halftime lead. The halftime point total marked the highest by any Duke opponent this season. UNC got there with leading ACC scorer R.J. Davis scoring just four points and attempting zero 3-pointers.
Early in the second half, the Tar Heels converted two turnovers in three Duke possessions into buckets to extend their lead to 63-48, putting the Blue Devils on their heels in front of a hostile Chapel Hill crowd. Duke maintained its poise to keep the game from turning into a landslide. But it never challenged a North Carolina team that was in control throughout.
North Carolina hit its free throws down the stretch as Duke fouled in an effort to keep the game competitive. The Blue Devils didn't get within seven points after halftime.
The win is North Carolina's first over Duke since it beat the Blue Devils in the 2022 Final Four in coach Mike Krzyzewski's career finale. Duke responded by sweeping the series last season as North Carolina fell from preseason No. 1 to out of the NCAA tournament.
Hubert Davis retooled the Carolina roster in the offseason as Caleb Love led an exodus in the transfer portal. In came Ingram, Cormac Ryan (from Notre Dame) and vaunted freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau, who have become mainstays in the starting lineup and led the turnaround alongside Bacot and Davis, both fifth-year seniors.
Alongside strong play from the bench, it's added up to a 10-1 start in the ACC and a win over a Duke team that returned preseason All-ACC players Kyle Proctor and Kyle Filipowski. Duke's having a strong season of its own, having entered Saturday with wins in 11 of its previous 12 games. It will have to wait for March 9 for another shot at the rivalry when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils play again at Cameron Indoor Stadium.