Duke vs. North Carolina score, takeaways: Tar Heels sweep Blue Devils for first outright ACC title since 2017

Cormac Ryan led the way with 31 points as the Tar Heels eye a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament

No. 7 North Carolina claimed the outright ACC title on Saturday, its first since 2017, with a 84-79 win over No. 9 Duke behind a career-high 31 points from Cormac Ryan and a strong defensive effort. The win denied Duke a share of the ACC crown and lifted UNC to a regular-season sweep of its bitter rival.

UNC jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first half — thanks largely to three 3-pointers from Ryan in the first four minutes — and never trailed while playing inside a hostile environment at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels (25-6, 17-3 ACC) will enter next week's ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and firmly in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well.

While Ryan's offensive explosion headlined the effort, eight different players offered scoring contributions for the Tar Heels. Harrison Ingram added 14 to help sustain UNC on a relatively quiet night for leading scorers Armando Bacot and RJ Davis.

Kyle Filipowski led Duke (24-7, 15-5) with 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Duke cut UNC's lead to 43-42 early in the second half on a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer that was part of an 11-4 run, but UNC answered with a 9-1 run of its own headlined by a pair of transition buckets after blocks from Jae'Lyn Withers and Bacot.

The Blue Devils will be the No. 2 seed for the ACC Tournament, setting the stage for a potential rematch in the ACC Tournament title game next Saturday.

CBS Sports was with you from start to finish for one of college basketball's best rivalries. Read on below for takeaways from North Carolina's win over Duke. 

[Mar 9, 2024 at 10:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Cormac's contributions

Ryan Cormac has emerged as an X-factor for the Tar Heels, reaching double figures in five of his last seven games after shooting just 29.2% from the floor during a seven-game stretch between late January and early February. The 6-foot-5 wing has now drilled four or more 3-pointers four times in his last seven to provide a lift for the Tar Heels offensively. 

His early barrage set the tone against Duke, helping the Tar Heels build a lead that they never relinquished. With Duke seeking to rally in the second half, he drilled his fourth 3 of the game with 10 minutes left to restore a 10-point lead for UNC. But he wasn't done then. Ryan twice extended the lead to nine with 3-pointers in the final four minutes to foil Duke's attempts at a rally.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 10:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Duke's demise

Duke is now 0-5 in games when opponents reach 80 points and 1-7 when its opponents reach 72. But defense wasn't the Blue Devils' only problem. Offensively, they mustered just 10 assists, well below their season average of 15.6. It was a similar story in the first meeting, when Duke produced just eight assists against the Tar Heels.

The Blue Devils are 16-0 when when they rack up 15 or more assists but just 8-7 when failing to reach that mark. UNC's physical on-ball defense disrupted the Blue Devils throughout the game and kept them from getting clean looks. UNC also won the battle of fast-break points 19-6, denying the Blue Devils transition opportunities that could have ignited momentum for the home team.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 10:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Ingram's impact

Ingram's performance amounted to his 11th double-double of the season after he posted just five of them over two seasons at Stanford. Two of them have come against Duke as the junior forward turned in his second sterling performance of the year against the Blue Devils. Ingram scored seven points over a span of less than three minutes late in the second half as Duke tried to rally.

Ingram's sister, Lauren, is a freshman outside hitter for the Duke volleyball team, which put his family squarely in the crosshairs of college basketball's most bitter rivalry. In the first meeting at UNC, she sported a Tar Heels jersey. But for Saturday's meeting on the Duke campus she opted for a neutral wardrobe while watching her brother turn in another big game. With Duke power forwards Sean Stewart and Mark Michell proving ineffective, UNC's edge at the position with Ingram was obvious with a 12-8 edge in offensive rebounds.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 8:50 pm ET · David Cobb]

North Carolina goes wire-to-wire

Final: UNC 84, Duke 79

North Carolina went wire-to-wire for a big win over Duke to claim the outright ACC title. Cormac Ryan scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Tar Heels, who shot 50% from the floor. Blue Devils made it interesting in the final 40 seconds and were within 82-79 following a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining. But the Tar Heels escaped for their sixth straight victory entering the postseason.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 8:34 pm ET · David Cobb]

Down the stretch

Cormac Ryan's tally of made 3-pointers is up to five. Harrison Ingram is also coming up big. He made a contested one-handed mid-range shot over Kyle Filipowski with 4:19 remaining. The teams traded baskets from there, bringing the tally to 75-69 UNC at the u4 timeout with just 2:08 remaining. Duke has never led, and the game hasn't been tied since 0-0. It'll take a huge finish and some improved defense for the Blue Devils to flip this script.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 8:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

Another charge?

Does Duke have one last push left in the tank? The Blue Devils trail 65-55 at the under-8 timeout as UNC has hit its last four shots from the floor. Cormac Ryan is up to 21, which is a new season-high. The Blue Devils don't have a consistent source of offense right now and have gotten virtually nothing from their bench. Jeremy Roach is just 2 of 11 from the floor, and it's taken Filipowski 15 shots to reach 16 points.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 8:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

UNC's defense

North Carolina's defense has proved impressively resilient in this game, withstanding a couple of Duke runs only to make things hard on the Blue Devils again. Duke is shooting just 37.2% from the floor and is getting nothing easy at the rim. There is no elite shot blocker on this team, and with two 6-foot guards playing major minutes (typically a suboptimal defensive recipe), it's really impressive how Hubert Davis has his guys playing on that end of the floor.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

UNC strikes back

What a run for UNC. That's a 7-0 spurt in under a minute as the Tar Heels find their mojo again with blocks from Jae'Lyn Withers and Armando Bacot leading to transition opportunities for Withers and Cormac Ryan. Duke calls a timeout now suddenly facing a 52-43 deficit as the life is drained out of Cameron Indoor Stadium for the time being.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:52 pm ET · David Cobb]

Buckle up

Duke starts the second half with an 11-5 spurt behind a rejuvenated Kyle Filipowski, who will be at the free-throw line coming back from the u16 timeout with Duke trailing just 45-42. The Blue Devils found some answers in the locker room, and UNC is just 1 of 5 from the floor in the half so far. An open 3 from Jeremy Roach at the top of the key also helped Duke's cause here in the early minutes of the second half. That was big for his confidence after an ugly first half.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:46 pm ET · David Cobb]

Third foul on Filipowski

Bad news for Duke at the 18:28 mark as Kyle Filipowski picks up his third foul. But Jon Scheyer leaves him in the game, and he immediately drills a 3-pointer to justify that decision. Filipowski with seven early points in the second half. Blue Devils need him on the floor, but you've got to believe the Tar Heels will attack him.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:43 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second-half keys

Duke needs to get Kyle Filipowski engaged offensively. He's been frustrated by the game's physicality and appeared to receive a stern scolding after tripping UNC's Harrison Ingram after both wound up on the floor at one point. Jeremy Roach has been a bit erratic as well, going just 1 for 8 from the floor in the first half on his Senior Night. UNC did a lot of things well in the first half, but the Blue Devils neutralized Armando Bacot, who has just two points on 1 of 4 shooting. At some point, Bacot will be called upon to deliver for the Tar Heels if they are going to complete a regular-season sweep and win the outright ACC title.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:27 pm ET · David Cobb]

UNC up at halftime

Half: North Carolina 40, Duke 31

No. 7 North Carolina came out on fire in the first half of its rivalry showdown against No. 9 Duke, taking a 40-31 lead into the break after leading by as much as 15. Cormac Ryan started the party with a trio of 3-pointers in the first four minutes, and eight different Tar Heels offered scoring contributions in the half, led by Ryan with 10.

Duke didn't hit a 3-pointer until the 5:13 mark as it finally found some semblance of an offensive rhythm. Star forward Kyle Filipowski was held to four points on 2 of 7 shooting in the half for the Blue Devils, who were led by Jared McCain and Tyrese Proctor with a combined 20 points.

UNC would claim an outright ACC title with a win, while a Duke victory would mean the teams share the crown. UNC also remains squarely in the hunt to claim a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, especially after Tennessee's loss to Kentucky on Saturday. The Tar Heels won the first meeting 93-84 last month at home. It will take a big second half from the Blue Devils to avoid a regular season sweep at the hands of their bitter rival.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:17 pm ET · David Cobb]

Duke within striking distance

Duke has weathered the storm from North Carolina and has the deficit down to 35-27 at the under-four timeout. Tyrese Proctor just drilled a wide open 3, and Jared McCain is quietly up to nine points. These final few minutes will be critical heading into the break as Cameron Indoor is returning to life with UNC starting to cool off.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:13 pm ET · David Cobb]

Tyrese Proctor playing well

After going 1 for 6 from the floor in the first meeting, Tyrese Proctor is off to a nice start for Duke. He's got six points on a pair of steals that led to open layups. Kyle Filipowski is getting bodied up by UNC, so the Blue Devils are going to need their complimentary pieces to step up as he finds his way. Filipowski just got a stern talking to from an official as he went to the bench. He's appeared frustrated by the game's physicality thus far.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 7:04 pm ET · David Cobb]

RJ Davis has arrived

The first points of the game from likely ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis come at the 8:04 mark from the right wing and put UNC ahead 30-15. He was angling for a foul call as well but didn't get it. Nonetheless, he is on the board as UNC's strong start continues. The Tar Heels are in total command at the under-8 timeout, shooting 61.9%. From the floor.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

Another strong start from Ingram

Harrison Ingram played a gem in the first meeting and is off to a strong start early with 8 points and 3 rebounds. He's 4 of 5 from the floor. The Stanford transfer has shown why he was a 5-star prospect since joining the Tar Heels and could have even more room to shine if he returns next season once Bacot (and potentially Davis) are gone.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:53 pm ET · David Cobb]

Searching for rhythm

Duke got a layup from Tyrese Proctor, who drove on Armando Bacot after a ball-screen from Filipowski. It was a nice possession, but the Blue Devils have continued struggling offensively since then. It's 21-8 UNC at the under 12 timeout with Duke just 4 of 11 from the floor and facing a 4-0 deficit in second-chance points.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:42 pm ET · David Cobb]

Cormac Ryan hot early

Back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Cormac Ryan put North Carolina ahead 15-4 early. When he's hot, UNC is lethal offensively, and he is HOT. The Notre Dame transfer has been up a down but is shooting 40.8% from 3 over his last seven games. An early silence has fallen over Cameron Indoor Stadium. He's already matched his offensive output from the first meeting less than four minutes in.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:32 pm ET · David Cobb]

Setting the stage

An ACC regular-season championship is on the line Saturday when No. 9 Duke hosts No. 7 North Carolina in a bitter rivalry showdown. The Blue Devils seek to avenge a 93-84 loss to the Tar Heels on Feb. 3 and can claim a share of the conference crown with a win. A UNC win clinches the Tar Heels' first outright league title since 2017. Even with a loss, it would mark the program's first share of an ACC regular season championship since it split the crown with Virginia in 2019. As dominant as Duke and North Carolina have been, the last time the rivals split the ACC title was 2001.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:26 pm ET · David Cobb]

Duke vs. UNC starters

Duke: Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, Kyle Filipowski

UNC: Elliot Cadeau, Cormac Ryan, RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram, Armando Bacot.

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:15 pm ET · David Cobb]

Duke vs. North Carolina prediction

This game has all the makings of a classic as Duke and North Carolina tangle in a top-10 battle with an ACC title hanging in the balance. The Blue Devils will be motivated to even the series after losing at UNC last month, but this one will likely go down to the wire. Look for the Tar Heels to cover the spread and be in the hunt to win during the final minutes.  Prediction: UNC +4.5

Duke vs. North Carolina live stream, watch online, TV, prediction, pick, spread, basketball game odds

David Cobb

[Mar 9, 2024 at 6:00 pm ET · David Cobb]

The First meeting

In the first meeting, Armando Bacot took 13 shots, made 10 of them and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in what was his 10th game against the Blue Devils. No matter how you chop it up, that represented his most-productive performance of the season at the time. And it helped improve the Tar Heels to 18-4 overall.

UNC's Armando Bacot looks like the star player he once was with a dominating performance in win vs. rival Duke

Gary Parrish

[Mar 9, 2024 at 5:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

Duke and UNC rising

Duke and North Carolina were each on the rise in this week's college basketball power rankings. The Blue Devils have won each of their last three games by 15 or more points, including a 73-48 dismantling of Virginia on Saturday and a 79-64 win in a hostile environment at NC State on Monday. UNC is also up a spot in this week after clinching at least a share of the ACC title with a blowout win over Notre Dame on Tuesday on an emotional senior night.

College basketball power rankings: Duke, North Carolina climb ahead of massive rivalry to end regular season

David Cobb