No. 2 Duke jumps all over rival North Carolina, rolls to 87-70 win to stay unbeaten in ACC
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Cooper Flagg had 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in his Duke-North Carolina rivalry debut, helping the second-ranked Blue Devils roll past the Tar Heels 87-70 on Saturday night.
Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel scored 22 points for Duke (19-2, 11-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which shot 52.8% and made 10 of 20 from 3-point range to win their 15th straight game.
RJ Davis and Drake Powell each scored 12 points to lead the Tar Heels (13-10, 6-5), who fell behind 40-13 and trailed by as many as 32 points.
After the game, Blue Devil fans gathered around a bonfire to celebrate the team's victory over their rivals.
BTakeaways
UNC: The Tar Heels have lost four of five, with the lone victory coming in overtime against a Boston College team that had just one league win at the time.
Duke: The Blue Devils have won their 11 league games by an average of 19.8 points, though there were grinds in the past week to beat Wake Forest and N.C. State.
Key moment
The Blue Devils wobbled the Tar Heels with a 16-0 run that effectively ended this one early.
Tyrese Proctor got Duke going with a 3-pointer set up by Flagg passing out of a double team, then threw down a dunk after a turnover. Moments later, Flagg buried a catch-and-fire 3 from the top to force UNC into a timeout. He emerged from the stoppage by finishing a bounce feed from Proctor for a transition basket and a foul.
By the time Knueppel scored in the lane over Ian Jackson, the Blue Devils led 23-6.
Key stat
North Carolina had more turnovers (nine) than field goals in the first half after shooting just 8 for 27 (29.6%). Duke had 11 points off those turnovers.
Up next
The Blue Devils visit Syracuse on Wednesday night, while the Tar Heels host Pittsburgh on Saturday in a game that could help boost their NCAA Tournament resume.
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Previous Matchup
The last time these teams met was in March last year in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels secured the win 84-79 helping the program finish atop the ACC regular-season standings.
Cormac Ryan led North Carolina with 31 points, a career-high. He also closed out the game with two clinching free throws with 4.7 seconds left.
"We knew what it meant. We knew what was at stake," Ryan said. "And to walk out of this building is always nice."
Kyle Filipowski scored 23 points to lead the Blue Devils.
"We didn't play our best basketball overall," Filipowski said. "We're still one of the best teams in the country. Our season's not defined by UNC."
Krzyzewskiville
ABC11 stopped by Krzyzewskiville on Tuesday night, where hundreds of students were out camping ahead of the big game. In total, there are roughly 130 tents in K-Ville this year, housing about 1,500 students.
"One hundred percent worth it. I would do it again and again. If I could do this for the rest of my life, I'd be here every year doing this," said Erika Pietrzak, a Duke senior camping for the fourth time.
The decked-out tents have become a fixture on Duke's campus this time of year since the tradition started in the 1980s.
"It's been a great experience. I get to hang out with my buddies in the tent. You know, sometimes it gets cold, but it's a really fun time," said Kiran Pathy, a sophomore camping for the first time.
While some students brave the elements for their tickets, others like Head Line Monitor Oliver Hess oversee the craziness in Krzyzewskiville.
"It's a whole meritocracy-based system. We want the craziest of the Cameron crazies to be in the front row, to be the loudest, to show their enthusiasm the most," Hess said.
That includes surprise checks at all hours of the night - and during the day - to make sure each tent has residents present.
ABC11's Sean Coffey, Kate Rogerson, Tom George, and AP contributed to this report.
