UNC basketball got ‘whupped’ at Duke, and only one thing looked good for the Tar Heels

UNC basketball got ‘whupped’ at Duke, and only one thing looked good for the Tar Heels | Baxley

Posted by author February 2, 2025 Basketball

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DURHAM — North Carolina basketball looked good in its throwback jerseys.

That, along with the arrival of the final buzzer, completes a list of positives for the Tar Heels on Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Final: No. 2 Duke 87, UNC 70.

Don’t let that 17-point margin fool you. Hoo buddy, if you think the game looked rough on TV and the final box score, you should’ve seen it in person.

Was UNC (13-10, 6-5) really that bad against the Blue Devils (19-2, 11-0 ACC)? Worse.

If you don’t believe me, ask UNC guard Seth Trimble, who provided a candid response after a game in which the Tar Heels (13-10, 6-5) trailed 40-13 in the first half and by 32 in the second half.

“They whupped us, they kicked us – straight and back, right from the jump,” Trimble said.

Trimble ain’t lying. Sion James’ scene-setting slam in the first 12 seconds of the game paved a path for how the rest of the night was going to go for the Tar Heels, who never led and trailed by double digits for 34 ½ minutes.

Until Duke took its foot off the gas with 10 minutes left, it looked like the Blue Devils were on their way to delivering a record-breaking beatdown that would’ve topped their 35-point win against UNC in 1964.

Heck, even a few Cameron Crazies grew bored of the beating as Duke delivered body blow after body blow to UNC in the 263rd meeting between the Tobacco Road rivals.

“This game sucks,” a few of them said late in Duke’s dominant showcase.

Not that the Crazies let the Tar Heels off the hook – they didn’t. Throughout the evening, they showered UNC with “NIT” chants. With every game, the odds of that fate or another opt-out postseason become more likely. UNC’s NCAA Tournament hopes continue to fade and, for the second time in three seasons, the Tar Heels are on track to miss March Madness.

Duke, which continues to look like a national championship contender, looked good in its jerseys, too. Rocking the gothic-style “Brotherhood” threads against UNC, the Blue Devils played good, connected basketball befitting of a brotherhood.

As head coach Jon Scheyer said following Duke’s blowout win, “Kon was a man” and “Coop was Coop.” During a 16-0 run in a four-minute stretch early in the first half, Duke freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel combined for 11 of those points.

Flagg and Knueppel were efficient as stat-sheet stuffers. Flagg finished with 21 points on 14 shots, with eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Knueppel had a game-high 22 points on 11 shots, with five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Duke looked comfortable, setting the tone with 47 points in the first half. The Blue Devils finished with 20 assists on 28 baskets and scored 19 points off 14 UNC turnovers.

The Tar Heels looked overwhelmed, scoring 25 points on 29% shooting in the first half. They finished with 11 assists on 26 baskets, continuing a trend of isolation offense centered around over-dribbling and standing around the perimeter.

There’s plenty of blame to go around in Chapel Hill, but it really is as simple as UNC’s dudes not being able to match up against Duke’s dudes. As harsh as it sounds, it’s akin to JV vs. varsity this season. In a game that ESPN’s Jay Bilas says “always delivers,” Duke was the only team to deliver the goods Saturday.

Despite a frustrating night, UNC coach Hubert Davis hasn’t lost hope.

“The one encouraging thing for me is that I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential, and that’s out there. I’ve seen how good we can be on both ends of the floor. The consistency is the thing that is needed from this group,” Davis said.

“And we have time, and we have the opportunity to move forward to be able to do that … I love this team here. I love coaching this group, and I believe in this team. I think we can be really good.”

But the Tar Heels are running out of time to prove they can be good. On Saturday night at Duke, the only thing that looked good was their throwback jerseys.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.