Duke dominates UNC in the first half, walking to win by 87-70 in Durham – Sports ALDENTE

Duke’s freshmen shone on Saturday, achieving a strong performance, which quickly removed the excitement from rivalry with North Carolina.

The game, which was expected to be a dramatic renewal of the rivalry of the Duke-North Carolina, has become a one-sided affair with a second-ranked Duke, which dominates early. By the time it was clear that the Blue Devils were controlled and they continued to win 87-70.

This result emphasized the impressive potential of Duke, while also showing the struggles with which UNC collides as they try to remain on the way to the NCAA tournament.

“I think this shows when we are locked and done and stick to our game plan, what can we do,” said Duke’s distinctive freshman, Cooper Flag.

A flag, which is considered a top perspective on the NBA project, and my fellow freshman horse Knupel led the Duke’s charge. Knueppel scored 22 points while Flag added 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three thefts and two blocks. None of the players seemed nervous in his first Duke game. By the time the game started, it was clear that Duke was already in control.

“We made us, they kicked us – straight and back, right from the jump,” said the squad Seth Trumb.

Duke (19-2, 11-0 ACC) made an early statement with 16-0 mileage in the first seven minutes. Shortly thereafter, they gathered a run by 11-0, taking a lead of 40-13. The Blue Devils were up 32 points in the middle of the second half.

There was no chance of a memorable moment like Austin Rivers’ Buzzer-Beater for Duke in 2012 or a newer coaching drama change in the two schools. In 2022, UNC stunned Duke in the final four, ended the career of the coach K with a victory, and they had some success in recent years, including victory in the first meeting of the 2023 season.

But on Saturday there was no such drama. Duke’s offensive efficiency and defensive pressure forced to make difficult shots and make mistakes. The blue devils played with intensity and focus, exceeding in every way the tar heels.

“We just continued to talk about: our premium, our focus. And these guys had it, “said Duke John Sheyer’s chief coach, thinking about the preparation and energy of the team.

Duke’s performance was a complete effort of the team. Flag showed his play’s ability by finding open teammates after downloading double teams. Knueppel was sharp on the outside and also headed for the basket. Tyrese Proctor, who has been fighting in the last matches, has scored 17 points. Duke’s defense was narrow, with 23 deviations, a high season according to Sheyer.

“It feels great to achieve a big victory in this way and make it at home in front of the fans,” said Knupel, who is from Miluki and studied his rivalry for his first taste.

For North Carolina (13-10, 6-5), this was another difficult loss. The last seven minutes of the game have been mainly for an attempt to make the result more resulting. In the first half, UNC had more speed (nine) than field targets (eight).

UNC, which launches the season ranked No. 9 in the top 25 of AP, has now lost four of its last five games. Their only victory in this section came in overtime against the Boston College, which came over the weekend with only one ACC victory. With a bad record for a non -conference, Tar Heels exhaust the possibilities of improving NCAA resumption.

Despite the failure, UNC’s head coach Hubert Davis remained hope.

“Yes, we are discouraged, but we will move forward,” Davis said. “We will be back, we will move on and continue to improve and try to become the team that I think we all know we can be.”

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