By Brian Murphy, WRAL

2Duke Blue Devils	82
North Carolina Tar Heels	69
Final

Chapel Hill, N.C. — No. 2 Duke took North Carolina’s best shot Saturday.

And the Blue Devils barely flinched. Even with star freshman Cooper Flagg limited by three first-half fouls. Even when the Tar Heels grabbed the lead in the second half.

No, the Blue Devils — behind Flagg’s all-around game in the second half and some big shots from Maliq Brown — pulled away from North Carolina for an 82-69 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Duke (28-3, 19-1 in the ACC) claimed the outright ACC regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels (20-12, 13-7) will be the No. 5 seed and are still in search of a signature victory to bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes.

“I’m as proud of this one as any because we knew Carolina, how they’d come out ready to fight and compete,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I thought they played at a really high level and to be able to withstand that and get back to our identity and playing defense down the stretch.”

Duke led 43-42 at halftime even with Flagg limited to nine minutes. The Blue Devils held UNC to 27 points in the second half.

The Blue Devils had won their previous four games by at least 33 points. They’d won their previous seven — since their lone ACC loss to Clemson on Feb. 8 — by an average of 31.5.

On Saturday, it was much tougher, a good primer for the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

“This is great,” Scheyer told his team at halftime.

Duke led by as many as 15 in the first half before UNC closed on a 20-7 run — much of it with Flagg on the bench.

“I knew we needed it,” Scheyer said. “It was the best thing for us. And even in the start of the second half, to go down seven and claw our way back, you test your trust in those moments.”

Flagg finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 29 minutes overall. Flagg didn’t commit a second-half foul and all four of his blocks came after halftime.

“I just stayed ready and was able to come out and perform,” Flagg said.

Flagg was called for two offensive fouls, including a charge under the UNC basket for his third foul with 3:18 remaining in the first half. He said after the game it was a foul.

“He wanted it almost too much,” Scheyer said of Flagg’s first and, almost certainly, last game in Chapel Hill. “Great learning experience for him. Once he picks up the first, we got to make sure he doesn’t pick up the second. And once you have the second, we can’t pick up the third.”

Senior RJ Davis, playing in his UNC and ACC record 170th game for the Tar Heels, scored a game-high 20 points.

The Tar Heels led 59-53 with 12:48 remaining in the second half. But UNC missed 12 of its next 14 points, including five of six 3-point attempts, and turned the ball over twice over the next eight-plus minutes.

At that time, Duke led 75-64.

“Just couldn’t get to the basket,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Felt like we took some quick jump shots and long shots led to long rebounds and they were able to get out in transition. I thought that was the key stretch.”

Duke forward and standout defender Maliq Brown, who missed the last four games with a separated shoulder, scored eight points in the second half, including two key 3-pointers. He’d only made two 3-pointers all season and was averaging 2.5 points in 21 games this season.

Brown, an All-ACC defender at Syracuse, also provided length against Davis on the perimeter, making it difficult for him to score in the second half. Davis had five points on 2-of-7 shooting after halftime.

“His ability to guard on the perimeter, guard in the post, defend without fouling, get steals and deflections is at an elite level,” Hubert Davis said. “Them getting him back in the lineup really helped.”

Said Flagg: “I saw a look out of Maliq that I haven’t really seen the whole year.”

The Blue Devils got contributions from across their roster, one reason they are among the favorites to claim the national title. Kon Knueppel scored a team-high 17 points and Sion James and Tyrese Proctor each had 16.

Caleb Foster, who Scheyer chose not to play last game, helped Duke outscore the Tar Heels by 13 points in his nine minutes of action.

“They’re pressure was bothering us,” Scheyer said. “And because of how he responded in practice, I just had a lot of confidence to put him in. For him to be ready, I think that just speaks volumes about who he is as a person, as a competitor.”

The Tar Heels honored seniors Ty Claude, Jae’Lyn Withers and Davis before the game. Davis passed former teammate Armando Bacot for the most in UNC and ACC history. Claude, a Georgia Tech transfer in his first season in Chapel Hill, started for the Tar Heels for the first time.

Photo Gallery: Duke overcomes UNC’s surge in 82-69 win

Preview coverage:

Steaking UNC finds its ‘joy,’ but still looking for signature win with No. 2 Duke next

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Source: wralsportsfan.com