#2Texas/#10 UNC was an up-and-down affair, but the difference in the game was the Longhorns’ dominance on the glass. Texas outrebounded North Carolina, 60-41, and grabbed an eye-popping 29 offensive rebounds en route to a 103-90 win. So despite being outshot 48% to 41% by the Tar Heels, Texas got an additional 12 attempts. Dexter Pittman (23-15) was amazing down low, but Damion James (25-15) actually led Texas in scoring. They have a terrific front line, but from a national championship perspective, they are a little shaky in the backcourt. Texas needs freshmen Avery Bradley and J’Covan Brown to mature quickly. (Note: This was the first game played at Cowboys Stadium. Attendance: 38,052.)
#7 Duke rolled over #15 Gonzaga, 76-41. This was a pretty brutal offensive game in the first half. The Bulldogs only mustered 17 points in the first twenty minutes. For the game, they shot a miserable 28%, which is a credit to Duke’s defense. The Blue Devils don’t have a pure point guard, but they have a couple of seasoned guys — Jon Scheyer (20-5-8, two steals) and Nolan Smith (24-3-3) — who can both handle the ball, initiate the offense, and shoot it. I don’t see Duke contending for a national championship unless one or more of their younger players step up. The top five players in terms of minutes were guys from last year’s team, which was Top 10, but lost their best athlete, Gerald Henderson.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
It took 11 years, but the Big Ten finally beat the ACC in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which pits teams from each conference against one another.