That was not the way Duke planned for coach Mike Krzyzewsk's send-off to go.
With Duke hosting rival North Carolina in the schools' regular-season finale and Coach K's final home game, the Tar Heels upset the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, 94-81, in Durham, with dozens of former Duke men's basketball players and other luminaries present for the occasion. Duke won the first meeting against North Carolina by 20 points in February but the Tar Heels also won on the round in a massive victory for them in the rivalry and their NCAA tournament resume.
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North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, in his first season replacing a legend in Roy Williams, rode his starters for the entire second half and they delivered with 55 points, finishing with 94 for the game. ACC Player of the Year candidate Armando Bacot finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, as Davis' decisions paid off to bench Bacot after his first foul early in the first half and his second late in the half, in order to ensure Bacot could stay on the floor and be aggressive after halftime.
Bacot's frontcourt teammate Brady Manek finished with a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while knocking down five of the team's nine 3-pointers. Guards Caleb Love (22 points) and R.J. Davis (21) were both excellent and elusive, finishing with a combined eight assists to one turnover.
Duke freshman Paolo Banchero scored a team-high 23 points, including 15 in the first half, and Jeremy Roach added 15 off the bench. The Blue Devils have still clinched the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament, while the Tar Heels are on track to be a surefire NCAA tournament team with a 23-8 record (15-5 ACC) heading into the conference tournament on the heels of their biggest win of the season.
