N. Carolina 75
Duke 73
CHAPEL HILL – The unabashed bedlam that spilled out onto the floor of the Dean Dome at the final buzzer of yesterday’s North Carolina 75-73 victory over Duke in the teams’ epic ACC regular-season finale told you know all you needed to know about the angst that this game presented to the powder-blue-clad Tar Heels faithful.
Based on the euphoric thousands of UNC fans who stormed the floor, you’d have thought the 26-3 Tar Heels, who did win the ACC title and clinch the top seed in next week’s conference tournament with the victory, had just won the national championship on their home floor.
Carolina coach Roy Williams entered the game 0-3 against Duke as the Heels’ coach, 1-6 lifetime. Duke entered the game having won 15 of the last 17 meetings between these two rivals, including a nail-biter at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this season.
So, with Duke (22-5) having come back from and eight-point deficit early in the second half to lead 73-64 over Carolina with 3:03 remaining in the game, you can imagine the queasy feeling that engulfed the jam-packed arena named after the legendary Dean Smith that sits high atop a hill of the UNC campus.
The final moments of this classic – a game so good from start to finish that it should have been reserved for an NCAA Tournament regional – all fell Carolina’s way as the Heels scored the final 11 points of the game.
“I don’t know about defining moments,” a breathless Roy Williams said after being extricated from the flooded arena floor. “I believe in luck, the stars and moon and everything aligned. Sometimes I think some things should happen just because it’s right.”
“We played four games against Duke since we came back here and all four came down to the last minute. They were able to win three of those. Maybe the moon was just right and it was just our turn.”
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called it “a great game, a very intense game” and praised UNC.
That intensity spilled into the stands as Krzyzewski, livid when he heard a Carolina fan yell to him on his way off the court at the end of the half, “You’ve got (official Larry) Rose in your pocket,” had security eject the fan from the arena.
The fan’s name: Scott Williams, Roy Williams’ son.
The No. 2-ranked Tar Heels took a 74-73 lead when Marvin Williams rebounded and stuck back a missed Raymond Felton free throw with 17.6 seconds remaining while being fouled. His free throw gave the Heels a 75-73 lead.
Duke (22-5) raced the ball down the court and J.J. Redick, the Blue Devils’ best player who went scoreless in the second half after scoring 17 in the first, launched a 3-point game-winning attempt that sank halfway down the cylinder before bounding out with 5.8 seconds remaining.
“Down nine with three minutes to go, everyone thought it was over but us,” said UNC’s Sean May, who scored 26 points and had 24 rebounds. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. This is something I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”
