North Carolina seized the moment to revel in their achievement, clinching their first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in seven years on Duke’s home court.
The seventh-ranked Tar Heels didn’t hold back their celebration, gathering near the mid-court sideline to bid a taunting farewell to the “Cameron Crazies.” However, their jubilation was met with frustration as some fans retaliated by hurling water and empty plastic bottles at them.
Despite the hostile response, the Tar Heels remained undeterred. Their victory over the ninth-ranked Blue Devils, with a final score of 84-79, not only secured the top seed in the ACC Tournament but also marked a season sweep, with UNC trailing for only 16 seconds across both games.
“I think it was uncalled-for, but I mean, it’s a rivalry game so I kind of expected it,” remarked UNC guard RJ Davis, reflecting on the fan reaction. “We’re still going to enjoy it at the end of the day.”
Cormac Ryan delivered a stellar performance, scoring a career-high 31 points, including impressive shooting stats of 8 of 12 from the field and 6 of 8 on 3-pointers. His fiery demeanor and passionate reactions ensured the fans heard his contribution loud and clear. Ryan sealed the victory with two crucial free throws in the closing seconds of the game.
“We knew what it meant. We knew what was at stake,” Ryan affirmed. “And to walk out of this building is always nice.”
Harrison Ingram contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who maintained a solid 50% shooting percentage throughout the game. UNC established a commanding 15-point lead early on and retained control for the duration of the match.
Reflecting on the halftime message from assistant coach Jeff Lebo, UNC big man Armando Bacot highlighted the importance of remaining composed and sticking to their game plan.
“To that point, Duke (24-7, 15-5) got within a single point on Jeremy Roach’s 3-pointer at the 16:59 mark. But the Blue Devils never completely erased the deficit and never led, leading to second-year coach Jon Scheyer apologizing to the front row of Crazies afterward.
“I’m sorry,” he told them. “We’re going to keep going, we’re going to get this right.”
Kyle Filipowski had 23 points to lead the Blue Devils, who had retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski making a rare courtside appearance for the game. “We didn’t play our best basketball overall,” Filipowski said, adding: “We’re still one of the best teams in the country. Our season’s not defined by UNC.”
