North Carolina received a jolt on Thursday, learning that its star freshman was done for the year. But the Tar Heels still believe they can repeat the best moment of an otherwise memorable season by sweeping their rivals.
No. 17 North Carolina boards the bus to Durham, N.C., on Saturday to play top-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where it will try to replicate its earlier win in Chapel Hill.
“Just to get another win, winning there is hard,” North Carolina guard Seth Trimble said. “It’s a very historic venue, and they have a great home-court advantage. But, I mean, you look at history, if there’s one team that can go in there and get a win, it’s North Carolina.”
One month after North Carolina’s 71-68 comeback victory was completed with Trimble’s winning 3-pointer as time expired, the Tar Heels are on a run of four consecutive wins.
The court storming that followed the buzzer-beater over the Blue Devils led to claims that a Duke staffer sustained facial injuries amid the mayhem. The local district attorney found no evidence that warranted charges to be filed.
The Tar Heels (24-6, 12-5) earned a 67-63 decision against Clemson in their home finale Tuesday. That included a season-high 20 points from Luka Bogavac and career-best 10 rebounds from Jarin Stevenson.
However, freshman forward Caleb Wilson was working to return from a fractured hand that cost him the last six games, only to suffer another injury in practice — a broken thumb — that proved to be a season-ender. Coach Hubert Davis confirmed the injury Friday.
Wilson had 20-plus points in 17 games and was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.
But the Tar Heels have adjusted without having their leading scorer available. Players are rallying around the concept of sharing the burden of carrying the offense.
“I feel like with Caleb out, guys have stepped up every game,” North Carolina guard Derek Dixon said. “It’s not always the same guy and you know, I think that’s just a testament to the depth that we have. And I think going forward, that’ll be really big for us, just all those guys playing with confidence.”
North Carolina has secured the No. 4 seed for next week’s ACC tournament.
Duke (28-2, 16-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is in position for the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament, rattling off seven victories in a row since the first meeting with the Tar Heels.
“I don’t know if it’s a turning point,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of the first outcome vs. North Carolina. “I think it’s just another reference point and step in the season. I think any loss gives you the opportunity to look a little bit differently at games, and I certainly did as a coach: What I can do better for these guys?”
Duke’s Cameron Boozer is second in the ACC at 22.6 points per game and leads the league with 10 rebounds per game.
The teams have split their last 14 meetings. Scheyer said the improvements have been good for the Blue Devils since last month’s defeat.
“I think that gave us a chance, each of us, to look ourselves in the mirror, address what each of us individually can do, and then make sure we understand where our team was at and where we’re growing,” Scheyer said. “I think that’s shown up in these (recent) games.”
