The UNC men’s basketball team beat Duke, 88-72, Wednesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here are nine significant numbers behind the victory:
36: Zion Williamson, Duke’s highly-touted first-year, went down just 36 seconds into the game with a knee injury. The projected NBA lottery pick’s size was expected to create problems for UNC defensively, but after exiting the game for the locker room, he wouldn’t return. The loss of Williamson for the Blue Devils changed the course of the game the rest of the way.
20: The number of assists from Tar Heels on the offensive end. While only three players hit double figures for UNC — Cameron Johnson, Luke Maye and Garrison Brooks — those players accounted for 79.5 percent of North Carolina's scoring on the night. They were largely the beneficiaries of an offense that moved the ball well. Brooks and Brandon Huffman were the only players who saw minutes that did not have two or more assists.
22: The biggest lead of the night for UNC. From the first possession, the Tar Heels led in the game — eventually stretching out to their widest margin in the second half. A large percentage of those points that contributed to the lead came from shots close to the basket.
34: The positive margin of points in the paint for UNC. While entering the game with starters who were, on average, smaller and less imposing than Duke, the Tar Heels commanded the interior on offense. This advantage became a significant outlet for UNC to take control of the game, and the team scored 62 points to Duke’s 28 in the paint. Maye and Brooks, with 30 and 14 points respectively, significantly contributed to this stat line.
10: The number of years since UNC beat Duke in back-to-back games. The rivalry game has risen to fame because the games are always separated by just a few points, but in a 16-point victory, the Tar Heels achieved something that hasn’t been all that common over the last several seasons.
16.9: The combined 3-point percentage of both teams on the night. Neither team had a shooting night to brag about at all, but the percentage was uncharacteristically low for both Duke and UNC. The Tar Heels best shooter, Johnson, did not make a single 3-pointer in the win, his third such game without a make from long range in 2019. Meanwhile, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett had equally bad nights, making just 7 of 23 combined shots from behind the arc. In spite of shooting just 10 percent from deep — its worst shooting performance since the 2012-13 season — UNC still won by a significant margin.
26: Coming into the game, Williamson accounted for 26 percent of his team’s points. Williamson was expected to be a huge factor in the game, and he was. His absence for all but the first Duke possession made a difference, and at least in part, allowed Maye to achieve a break out performance. But above all, the Blue Devils missed Williamson's scoring presence in this one.
0: The number of ACC road losses this season for UNC. After winning in a tough Cameron Indoor Stadium environment, the Tar Heels have now won seven conference games away from Chapel Hill. With two more road games to go in the regular season, playing well away from home bodes well for the team moving forward into postseason play.
