It was a battle of #2 vs. #3 last night, and the Blue Devils held off the Tar Heels’ comeback attempt, ultimately prevailing, 89-78.
Duke is undersized, and had a tough time matching up with Tyler Hansbrough inside. He finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds. However, the rest of the team combined for just 16-48 (33%) from the field, while the Blue Devils countered by shooting 13-29 (45%) from long range. That included a blistering 6 of 8 performance from Greg Paulus, who led six Dookies in double figures with 18.
North Carolina was without point guard Ty Lawson, and it showed, as the Tar Heels committed 20 turnovers, many of them unforced.
With a win at UNC, Duke has the inside track now for the ACC title and the #1 seed in the East, which is vital because the first four games would be played in Raleigh and Charlotte.
