Another chapter was added to the iconic rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. At the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, UNC pulled off a stunning last-second victory over Duke.
The Tar Heels started slow. By halftime, they were trailing 29-41. It was all going as expected. Going into the game, UNC had just 13% chance of winning the game over Duke and were the clear underdogs.
At halftime, it seemed like the predictions were all true and North Carolina was about to suffer another defeat in The Battle of the Blues rivalry. The Tar Heels flipped the script in the second half and won the game in the last second.
With the clock running down, both teams were tied at 68. Guard Derek Dixon had the ball with under 10 seconds left. He was being guarded near half court, but he still managed to drive the ball near the basket.
For a few seconds, he was being triple-teamed by Duke’s defense. What could’ve been a great strategy to block his shot ended up becoming a fatal mistake for Duke. The triple teaming opened up space for Seth Trimble at the corner.
As soon as he received a pass from Dixon with under three seconds to go, Trimble launched the three-pointer as the buzzer went off. With that, the Tar Heels successfully pulled off what once seemed like an impossible victory.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported that the 13-point comeback win was the largest margin against Duke in over 25 years. The entire arena was on its feet as soon as Trimble drained the three, and with that, he added this game to the history books.
UNC’s Caleb Wilson on Duke’s Cameron Boozer
The UNC – Duke rivalry has been going on for decades. Every year, new players join each program, and they vow to continue this rivalry by giving their 100% every time the two teams go against each other.
Although the rivalry takes center stage every time, players have a lot of mutual respect for one another.
“He’s a great player, honestly, and he just plays smart, a really cerebral guy,” Caleb Wilson said about Boozer. “He’s not going to be rushed or anything like that. He just plays basketball in a very mature way. He’s a great offensive rebounder, he has the ability to score a lot of different ways, and is a great passer.”
Boozer led his team in scoring and rebounding with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He was also the highest scorer in the game.
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