Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils won a back-and-forth affair against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night, in the first game between the two since the retirement of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The contest was defined by defense, with the Tar Heels not scoring for nearly four minutes to close out the game, as the 17-6 Duke Blue Devils prevailed, 63-57.
It was the third-lowest scoring game of the rivalry going back to 1997 (63 games). It's a “sign of the future given that the current coaches like to play quite a bit slower than their predecessors,” according to Ken Pomeroy.
Neither team shot 40 percent from the floor; the Tar Heels shot just 34 percent and an abysmal 28.6 percent in the second half. Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II blocked a career-high eight shots in the contest.
He finished with four points on two of three shooting, but set new career highs in minutes with 34, rebounds with 14 and the eight blocks.
Per CBS: “Lively arrived at Duke as the No. 2 ranked prospect in the Class of 2022, but the 7-foot-1 center has been only a role player for the Blue Devils. He entered the UNC game averaging just 4.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and two blocks in 16.6 minutes per game while bouncing in and out of the starting lineup. But he may be turning a corner, especially on defense, as this marked the fourth time in the last five Duke games that Lively has finished with at least three blocks.”
Blue Devils' junior point guard Jeremy Roach scored a crucial bucket with 21 seconds left to seal the game; he finished with a game-high 20 points.
The North Carolina Tar Heels currently sit at just 15-8, and are at risk of missing the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing preseason as the No. 1. They've dropped two straight contests and play Wake Forest and Clemson next week.
It's been an outrageously even rivalry over the years between Duke and North Carolina, as the teams were an even 50-50 over their last 100 meetings. Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils broke the deadlock and got the new coach his first win in the series.
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