With Zion injured, No. 8 UNC routs No. 1 Duke 88-72
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) Zion Williamson blew out his shoe, and then No. 8 North Carolina blew out top-ranked Duke.
Luke Maye took full advantage of a freak injury to the freshman sensation, finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds to help the Tar Heels rout Duke 88-72 on Wednesday night.
''Obviously, you lose a national player of the year candidate,'' coach Mike Krzyzewski said, ''there are going to be gaps of what you have to do.''
A star-studded crowd that included former President Barack Obama, Spike Lee and Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. packed into Cameron looking for another highlight-filled show from Williamson - arguably the most exciting player in college basketball. But the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-leading scorer sprained his right knee during the Blue Devils' opening possession.
''It was just a shock for us,'' Duke forward Cameron Reddish said. ''Obviously, we're used to playing with him, so playing without him was very difficult. We missed him today.''
Williamson grabbed the knee in pain after slipping awkwardly and falling when his left Nike shoe fell apart as he planted hard while dribbling near the free throw line. The blue rubber sole ripped loose from the white shoe from the heel to the toes along the outside edge, with Williamson's foot coming all the way through the large gap.
Nike said in a statement that it was ''concerned'' and wished Williamson a speedy recovery. It said it was ''working to identify the issue.''
Coach Mike Krzyzewski classified the injury as a mild sprain, but didn't know how much time Williamson will miss.
Cameron Johnson added 26 points and Garrison Brooks had 14 for the Tar Heels (21-5, 11-2).
By winning their ninth in 10 games and beating a top-ranked team for the first time since 2013, they pulled into a first-place tie with the Blue Devils (23-3, 11-2).
RJ Barrett matched a season best with 33 points and fellow freshman Reddish added a season-high 27 for Duke - but the rest of the team combined to score just 12.
Duke looked lost without Williamson. Meanwhile, North Carolina took advantage of the Zion-sized hole in the lane, scoring 32 of its first 34 points in the paint and finishing with a 62-28 scoring advantage there. The Tar Heels never trailed, pushed their lead to 22 on Johnson's layup with about 16 minutes left and held on.
''First, I'm thinking if he's OK, man,'' Maye said. ''I don't want to see somebody get hurt, especially a guy of that caliber, and I hope he makes a quick recovery. But when he goes down, I'm obviously trying to attack - and I was going to do that anyway. I was going to try to get inside and work inside out and just play my game and play the way I know I can play.''
Eight nights after the Blue Devils rallied from 23 down in the final 10 minutes to win at Louisville, they couldn't come up with another comeback - especially without Williamson.
BIG PICTURE
North Carolina: This was quite a statement from the Tar Heels, who followed up the most lopsided ACC road victory in school history with a lopsided win at Cameron and their first win over a No. 1 since knocking off Michigan State in December 2013.
''We've always had our destiny in front of us,'' Maye said.
Duke: The result of the game seems secondary to Williamson's health, given how much he means to the Blue Devils and their national title hopes. Now the question is how the Blue Devils will handle playing without arguably the biggest star in the sport. Each of Duke's losses since November came at home after a key freshman was injured early, with point guard Tre Jones' shoulder injury leading to an overtime loss to Syracuse.
''You go in with your game plan, get into the game, and then 36 seconds in, one of your key guys goes out,'' Barrett said. ''It was tough for us to bounce back from that, and North Carolina really punched us the whole way through.''
POLL POINTS
This was Duke's first game since claiming the No. 1 spot for the third time this season, and the Blue Devils brought the top ranking into the rivalry for the first time since J.J. Redick was a senior in 2006. Duke lost that one, too. For the Tar Heels, this was their 14th victory over a No. 1 team - the most of all time - and their eighth against a top-ranked Duke team.
REMATCH
Mark your calendar: These two meet again March 9 in Chapel Hill.
UP NEXT
North Carolina: Hosts No. 16 Florida State on Saturday.
Duke: At Syracuse on Saturday night.
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(This version deletes an incorrect reference to this being North Carolina's most lopsided win at Duke since 1989.)
Copyright 2019 by AP. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of AP is strictly prohibited.
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Jumpball received by Duke | |||
19:46 | RJ Barrett missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
19:44 | Offensive rebound by Marques Bolden | |||
19:32 | Lost ball turnover on Zion Williamson, stolen by Luke Maye | |||
19:24 | +2 | Cameron Johnson made layup, assist by Luke Maye | 2-0 | |
19:15 | Jack White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
19:13 | Defensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
18:56 | +2 | Luke Maye made layup, assist by Cameron Johnson | 4-0 | |
18:42 | Lost ball turnover on Cam Reddish | |||
18:28 | Coby White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
18:26 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
18:05 | +3 | RJ Barrett made 3-pt. jump shot | 4-3 | |
17:56 | Coby White missed driving layup, blocked by Marques Bolden | |||
17:55 | Offensive rebound by North Carolina | |||
17:53 | +2 | Luke Maye made hook shot, assist by Coby White | 6-3 | |
17:35 | Cam Reddish missed jump shot | |||
17:33 | Defensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
17:22 | +2 | Luke Maye made floating jump shot | 8-3 | |
17:02 | Jack White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
17:00 | Defensive rebound by Kenny Williams | |||
16:52 | Cameron Johnson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
16:50 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
16:33 | Traveling violation turnover on Cam Reddish | |||
16:22 | Lost ball turnover on Coby White, stolen by Tre Jones | |||
16:18 | Tre Jones missed layup, blocked by Coby White | |||
16:18 | Offensive rebound by Duke | |||
16:14 | Cam Reddish missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
16:12 | Defensive rebound by Cameron Johnson | |||
15:48 | Cameron Johnson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
15:46 | Defensive rebound by Cam Reddish | |||
15:37 | Cam Reddish missed driving layup | |||
15:35 | Defensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
15:29 | Kenny Williams missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
15:27 | Offensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
15:26 | +2 | Garrison Brooks made dunk | 10-3 | |
15:05 | +3 | Cam Reddish made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by RJ Barrett | 10-6 | |
14:58 | Shooting foul on Marques Bolden | |||
14:58 | +1 | Cameron Johnson made 1st of 2 free throws | 11-6 | |
14:58 | +1 | Cameron Johnson made 2nd of 2 free throws | 12-6 | |
14:44 | RJ Barrett missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
14:42 | Offensive rebound by Marques Bolden | |||
14:28 | Offensive foul on Marques Bolden | |||
14:28 | Turnover on Marques Bolden | |||
14:20 | Coby White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
14:18 | Offensive rebound by Cameron Johnson | |||
14:18 | +2 | Cameron Johnson made dunk | 14-6 | |
13:59 | Shooting foul on Nassir Little | |||
13:59 | Cam Reddish missed 1st of 2 free throws | |||
13:59 | +1 | Cam Reddish made 2nd of 2 free throws | 14-7 | |
13:47 | +2 | Cameron Johnson made driving dunk, assist by Kenny Williams | 16-7 | |
13:30 | Cam Reddish missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
13:24 | Offensive rebound by Jack White | |||
13:17 | +2 | RJ Barrett made turnaround jump shot | 16-9 | |
13:06 | +2 | Nassir Little made turnaround jump shot | 18-9 | |
12:50 | Tre Jones missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
12:48 | Defensive rebound by Kenny Williams | |||
12:39 | Luke Maye missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
12:37 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
12:31 | Cam Reddish missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
12:29 | Defensive rebound by Cameron Johnson | |||
12:24 | +2 | Luke Maye made layup, assist by Nassir Little | 20-9 | |
11:57 | RJ Barrett missed layup, blocked by Coby White | |||
11:55 | Offensive rebound by Duke | |||
11:52 | +2 | Javin DeLaurier made dunk, assist by Tre Jones | 20-11 | |
11:43 | Bad pass turnover on Coby White, stolen by Javin DeLaurier | |||
11:38 | +2 | Javin DeLaurier made dunk | 20-13 | |
11:30 | Bad pass turnover on Coby White | |||
11:23 | Tre Jones missed jump shot | |||
11:21 | Defensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
11:06 | +2 | Garrison Brooks made layup, assist by Luke Maye | 22-13 | |
10:52 | +2 | Cam Reddish made jump shot, assist by Tre Jones | 22-15 | |
10:42 | Nassir Little missed jump shot | |||
10:40 | Offensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
10:36 | +2 | Luke Maye made dunk | 24-15 | |
10:13 | Tre Jones missed driving layup | |||
10:11 | Offensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
10:06 | +2 | RJ Barrett made tip-in | 24-17 | |
10:01 | Lost ball turnover on Luke Maye, stolen by Tre Jones | |||
10:01 | Bad pass turnover on Tre Jones | |||
9:55 | +2 | Garrison Brooks made alley-oop shot, assist by Seventh Woods | 26-17 | |
9:34 | Jack White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
9:32 | Offensive rebound by Alex O'Connell | |||
9:26 | Alex O'Connell missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
9:24 | Offensive rebound by Jack White | |||
9:19 | RJ Barrett missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
9:17 | Defensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
9:09 | Out of bounds turnover on Nassir Little | |||
8:43 | Offensive foul on Tre Jones | |||
8:43 | Turnover on Tre Jones | |||
8:33 | Brandon Robinson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
8:31 | Offensive rebound by Garrison Brooks | |||
8:23 | +2 | Luke Maye made layup, assist by Brandon Robinson | 28-17 | |
8:02 | RJ Barrett missed driving layup | |||
8:00 | Defensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
7:55 | Bad pass turnover on Seventh Woods, stolen by Jack White | |||
7:40 | Bad pass turnover on RJ Barrett, stolen by Garrison Brooks | |||
7:30 | Luke Maye missed jump shot | |||
7:28 | Defensive rebound by Jack White | |||
7:13 | Alex O'Connell missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
7:11 | Defensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
6:55 | Cameron Johnson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
6:53 | Offensive rebound by Brandon Robinson | |||
6:49 | Brandon Robinson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
6:47 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
6:18 | Tre Jones missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
6:16 | Defensive rebound by Brandon Robinson | |||
6:06 | Garrison Brooks missed dunk | |||
6:04 | Offensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
6:02 | +2 | Luke Maye made dunk | 30-17 | |
5:52 | RJ Barrett missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
5:50 | Defensive rebound by North Carolina | |||
5:48 | Personal foul on Javin DeLaurier | |||
5:37 | Coby White missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
5:35 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
5:27 | +2 | Cam Reddish made jump shot | 30-19 | |
5:21 | Shooting foul on Brandon Robinson | |||
5:21 | +1 | Cam Reddish made free throw | 30-20 | |
5:07 | Coby White missed jump shot | |||
5:05 | Defensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
4:57 | +2 | RJ Barrett made floating jump shot | 30-22 | |
4:40 | Cameron Johnson missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
4:38 | Defensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
4:28 | Cam Reddish missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
4:26 | Offensive rebound by Javin DeLaurier | |||
4:21 | Lost ball turnover on Javin DeLaurier, stolen by Cameron Johnson | |||
4:18 | +2 | Cameron Johnson made layup, assist by Nassir Little | 32-22 | |
4:07 | Jordan Goldwire missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
4:05 | Defensive rebound by Coby White | |||
4:00 | Luke Maye missed layup, blocked by Javin DeLaurier | |||
3:58 | Offensive rebound by Kenny Williams | |||
3:50 | Kenny Williams missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
3:48 | Defensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
3:43 | +2 | Cam Reddish made layup, assist by RJ Barrett | 32-24 | |
3:33 | Offensive foul on Coby White | |||
3:33 | Turnover on Coby White | |||
3:23 | +2 | RJ Barrett made jump shot | 32-26 | |
3:10 | +3 | Luke Maye made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Nassir Little | 35-26 | |
2:44 | Cam Reddish missed driving layup | |||
2:42 | Defensive rebound by Nassir Little | |||
2:40 | Lost ball turnover on Nassir Little, stolen by Cam Reddish | |||
2:32 | +2 | Cam Reddish made layup | 35-28 | |
2:12 | +2 | Coby White made driving layup | 37-28 | |
2:05 | +2 | RJ Barrett made dunk, assist by Tre Jones | 37-30 | |
1:56 | Coby White missed driving layup, blocked by Marques Bolden | |||
1:54 | Defensive rebound by Tre Jones | |||
1:50 | Offensive foul on Tre Jones | |||
1:50 | Turnover on Tre Jones | |||
1:39 | Luke Maye missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
1:37 | Defensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
1:30 | Shooting foul on Seventh Woods | |||
1:30 | +1 | RJ Barrett made 1st of 2 free throws | 37-31 | |
1:30 | +1 | RJ Barrett made 2nd of 2 free throws | 37-32 | |
1:21 | Luke Maye missed jump shot | |||
1:19 | Defensive rebound by RJ Barrett | |||
1:14 | RJ Barrett missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
1:12 | Defensive rebound by Luke Maye | |||
1:05 | Shooting foul on Javin DeLaurier | |||
1:04 | Luke Maye missed 1st of 2 free throws | |||
1:04 | +1 | Luke Maye made 2nd of 2 free throws | 38-32 | |
54.0 | Tre Jones missed jump shot | |||
52.0 | Defensive rebound by Cameron Johnson | |||
40.0 | Shooting foul on Javin DeLaurier | |||
40.0 | +1 | Cameron Johnson made 1st of 2 free throws | 39-32 | |
40.0 | +1 | Cameron Johnson made 2nd of 2 free throws | 40-32 | |
16.0 | Cam Reddish missed 3-pt. jump shot | |||
14.0 | Defensive rebound by Seventh Woods | |||
10.0 | Cameron Johnson missed layup | |||
8.0 | Defensive rebound by Cam Reddish | |||
4.0 | Bad pass turnover on Cam Reddish, stolen by Seventh Woods | |||
1.0 | +2 | Garrison Brooks made dunk, assist by Seventh Woods | 42-32 | |
0.0 | End of period |