North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Boozer, No. 1 Duke take over after halftime to beat 17th-ranked rival North Carolina 76-61
Maliq Brown added 15 points as Duke led by a single possession early after halftime before taking over with 16 unanswered points in what ballooned to a 24-2 surge.
The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) completed a second straight one-loss run through ACC regular-season play, this one coming a month after losing at North Carolina Seth Trimble's last-second 3-pointer. Duke has won eight straight, including a neutral-court victory over then-No. 1 Michigan and a romp against No. 13 Virginia.
The loss capped a rough 24 hours for the Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6). They appeared on the verge of getting star Caleb Wilson back from a fractured left hand just in time for March Madness — and maybe this game — only for him to suffer a season-ending broken right thumb during a non-contact drill Thursday.
The freshman was on the bench with his right thumb wrapped in a black brace as North Carolina fell to 5-2 without him.
Derek Dixon had 17 points for North Carolina, which trailed just 47-44 on Trimble's drive with 16:45 left before Duke made its decisive push. The Tar Heels went six minutes without a point and managed one basket over more than 10 minutes as Duke blew the game open.
Duke played without starting big man Patrick Ngongba II, who sported a boot on his right foot after halftime after going without one before. Then starting point guard Caleb Foster came up hobbled with 4:51 left before halftime and checked out, grabbing at his right foot before leaving the bench area. He returned in the second half wearing a boot of his own on his right foot.
Duke: The Blue Devils play in Thursday's ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 61 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 61 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:02 | team shot clock turnover | 61 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:31 | Cameron Boozer Defensive Rebound. | 61 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:33 | Derek Dixon misses 23-foot three point pullup jump shot | 61 - 76 |
Statistics
 UNC |
 DUKE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-53 | FG | 29-69 |
| 45 | Field Goal % | 42 |
| 9-24 | 3PT | 10-32 |
| 38 | Three Point % | 31 |
| 4-4 | FT | 8-15 |
| 100 | Free Throw % | 53 |
| 29 | Rebounds | 42 |
| 5 | Offensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 24 | Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| 14 | Assists | 15 |
| 4 | Steals | 11 |
| 5 | Blocks | 5 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 3 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 4 | Points Off Turnovers | 24 |
| 13 | Fast Break Points | 5 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 36 |
| 15 | Fouls | 12 |
| 1 | Largest Lead | 25 |
| 4 | Lead Changes | 4 |
| 5 | Percent Led | 94 |
Game Information
Location: Durham, NC
Attendance: 9,314 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 29-2 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 27-4 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 24-7 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-7 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 22-9 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 22-9 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 19-12 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 17-14 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 21-10 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-11 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 19-12 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-12 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 16-15 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-16 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 12-19 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |