Duke overcomes early deficit to beat rival UNC and also win the ACC regular season title
#2 Duke went into Chapel Hill Saturday night to take on rival North Carolina which started off strong, then North Carolina gave a push.
Freshman star Kon Knueppel scored 17 points for the Blue Devils to beat longtime rival North Carolina 82-69 to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title.
Cooper Flagg got in early foul trouble that limited his time on the court, but he finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Duke was up by 15, but that lead was blown as Carolina went on a huge run that ended up taking the lead by 7, but the Blue Devils responded in a big way with 12 consecutive points to turn the switch of the game.
With their win Saturday night and Auburn’s two straight losses within a week, The Blue Devils are in prime position to rise to No. 1 in the upcoming AP Top 25 poll.
Senior RJ Davis for North Carolina scored 20 points in his final home game in a Tar Heel uniform. North Carolina was more physical and resilient this time than the first meeting which ended in a blowout win for Duke.
UNC led 59-53 when Duke went on a 12-point run which led Duke to take control and stay ahead in the game. Maliq Brown, who just came back from Injury, contributed by knocking down some big time three pointers that pushed the Duke lead further.
The ACC Tournament starts on Tuesday in Charlotte, NC, but Duke will be the 1-seed and not play until Thursday at 12:00pm ET against the winner of Virginia/Georgia Tech. UNC is the 5-seed and will play the winner of Notre Dame/Pittsburgh.
