UNC Falls to Duke, Struggles in Second Half

0:00In Durham, it's March 8th, and here's what is going on. Number 17 North Carolina fell to number 1. Duke 76-61 in their regular season finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The tar heels kept it close early, but got out scored 30-6 in the second half. Turnovers hurt bad, with 14 leading to 24 points for the Blue Devils, and their half-court offense just stalled out. Caleb Wilson's season ending injury left a big hole, as he was the guy who could take over when things got tough. Without him, no one really stepped up except Derek Dixon with 17 points. Henry Vesar, expected to lead scoring, managed only 11 points on seven tries, and struggled inside against Duke's physical defense. Players showed their frustration right there on the bench, talking it over with towels over their mouths. Afterward, they admitted the second half was rough, with stagnant ball movement and no good picking roles. Seth Trimble added 10 points, but couldn't get clean looks from outside or on drives.

1:03Coach Hubert Davis gave credit to Duke's tough defense, saying they controlled every cut and screen. The tar heels shot OK at 45% from the field, but had 16 fewer attempts because of all those turnovers and late shot clock. Situated cooling. Even so, UNC is 5 and 2 without Wilson and has beaten good teams lately. Heading into the postseason, they need better half court execution and fewer mistakes from guys like Vesar and Trimble. Davis says they'll regroup and be ready for the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte. This DNA story is thanks to our sponsor details in the description. If earbuds fall out when you sleep, this is for you, a pillow with built-in sound, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.