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The No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels kept bragging rights in college basketball’s biggest rivalry.
After winning two of last season’s three matchups against the Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday and left with a critical 88-72 road victory over the No. 1 team in the nation. The Tar Heels improved to 11-2 in the ACC, while the Blue Devils had their nine-game winning streak come to an end while falling to 11-2 in the league as well.
Duke lost Zion Williamson to a knee injury in the first minute of the game and didn’t have the firepower without its star to counter the visitors. Luke Maye (30 points and 15 rebounds) and Cameron Johnson (26 points, seven boards and four assists) spearheaded the winning effort for North Carolina.
RJ Barrett (33 points, 13 rebounds and four assists) and Cam Reddish (27 points) were forced into primary roles without Williamson, but they were the only Blue Devils to score more than six.
Prognosis on Zion’s Knee Will Determine National Champion
It takes something extreme to overshadow the result of one of sports’ most heated rivalries, but that’s exactly what happened Wednesday.
Williamson was ruled out for the remainder of the game after he suffered a knee injury in the opening minute. The injury occurred when his shoe ripped after he planted his left foot, and he immediately grabbed the back of his knee:
The Blue Devils appeared shell-shocked in the immediate aftermath and found themselves down 10 points at halftime and as many as 22 in the second half.
It was no surprise Duke struggled without Williamson, as he is one of the sport’s top prospects in years and is averaging 22.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting a blistering 68.3 percent from the field. He will likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft and has the talent to become a franchise cornerstone for a decade or more.
Williamson is also the primary reason the Blue Devils are surefire national championship threats.
It is impossible for collegiate defenders to stop him one-on-one, which leads to consistent double-teams and openings for Reddish and Barrett. On defense, Williamson covers for others’ mistakes with his ability to both protect the rim and soar out to send perimeter shots into the stands.
The freshman’s head-turning block on a corner three during Duke’s victory over Virginia earlier this month stunned the college basketball world and underscored his ability to single-handedly alter an opposing offensive set.
He likely would have been the one to guard Maye on Wednesday, but in his absence, the senior exploded against smaller defenders and provided a blueprint for opponents with talented frontcourts to exploit a Williamson-less defense. North Carolina’s ball-handlers also consistently attacked the rim without the big man in the way.
That type of two-way impact has resulted in Duke being No. 1 overall, No. 2 offensively and No. 5 defensively in Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted rankings. Virginia is the only other team in the top five on both ends of the floor.
If Williamson eventually returns and leads the way with Barrett and Reddish around him, Duke is the clear-cut favorite to cut down the nets in April. However, his absence ripples through the entire roster and makes the Blue Devils far too top-heavy on offense and vulnerable against bigs like Maye and dribble penetration on defense.
Without Williamson, Barrett and Reddish are the only two Duke players who average more than 8.7 points. Tre Jones is the only other one who checks in at more than 5.7 per game.
That is not nearly enough offensive depth to win six straight pressure-packed games in the NCAA tournament, as defenses can swarm Barrett and Reddish and take away Duke’s primary options. That is far more difficult to do with three potential top-five picks on the floor at once, especially when one of them is as talented as Williamson.
It is not hyperbole to say college basketball’s national championship rests on Williamson’s injury prognosis.
What’s Next?
Both teams are in action on Saturday, with Duke at Syracuse and North Carolina hosting Florida State.
This article will be updated to provide more information soon.
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