The first matchup between Duke and North Carolina this season didn’t disappoint at all, with the game going down to the final buzzer and being finished off by a Seth Tremble corner three at the buzzer for the win. Duke led almost the entire game, though, and led by 12 at halftime, so the question lies: What went wrong for the Blue Devils in the second half?
What Happened to Duke in Their Loss to UNC?
Patrick Ngongba’s absence
Duke’s starting center, Patrick Ngongba II has been the backline defender for Duke who guards the opposing team’s best big, and while he was limited in the first half due to foul trouble, he limited UNC’s Henri Veesaar. Veesaar only attempted two shots and was held to zero points in the first half.
This didn’t last, though, as he finally got aggressive in the paint after halftime, but he was also able to do so more easily because Ngongba fouled himself out of the game. With 6:18 left in the game, Ngongba fouled out and only played 16 minutes in the entire game.
Once he came out, Veesaar and the entire Tarheels offense went to work in the paint, and while Duke’s Cam Boozer and Maliq Brown are capable defenders, they just couldn’t match the size of Carolina, especially Veesaar, who, when matched up with Boozer in the deep paint, put him on the floor multiple times and scored off of it, scoring 13 points in the second half.
Foul difference
Not proclaiming this was anyone’s fault, but it’s how the game played out, and it played a factor. In the second half, North Carolina was called for only one foul, while Duke was called for 11. This caused massive controversy, as Duke fans were furious that not enough fouls were called against North Carolina.
Duke shot six free throws for the entire game, while North Carolina shot 14. Given how much attention the officiating received after the game, the refs will be dialed in for the second meeting in Cameron Indoor.
The second-half heater from UNC
The field goal percentage difference in the second half can tell the story of the game by itself. North Carolina shot 17-28 in the second half (60.7%) and 5-7 from three-point range (71.4%).
The three-point marksmanship from UNC came to be the difference late in the game, as the Tarheels’ last three field goals were all threes, ending the game on a 9-0 run to win by three. Before the Seth Tremble game winner, both Derick Dixon and Veesaar hit three pointers to tie the game and set Carolina up for the game winner that followed.
Final Thoughts
For 2/3 of this game, Duke looked like the better team, the more complete team, but they let everything slip away, and when Carolina comes into Cameron Indoor next time they face off, Boozer and the rest of the Blue Devils will be out for blood against their arch rivals.
Main Image: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
