No. 1 Duke Loses Zion Williamson, Gets Blown Out By No. 8 North Carolina
The No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels routed the No. 1 Blue Devils during a 88–72matchup Wednesday night at Cameroon Indoor Stadium.
Duke played without freshman Zion Williamson for nearly the entirety of the contest. The star forward suffered a knee injury less than a minute into the game and did not return. Coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters that Williamson sustained a mild knee strain.
The injury made way for UNC forward Luke Maye to have a strong game. The senior scored a game-high 30 points and collected 15 rebounds. Fellow Tar Heel senior Cameron Johnson poured in 26 points while going 11-for-17 from the field.
UNC commanded the game, shooting 50.7% from the field. The Tar Heels never trailed and at one point held a 19-point lead.
Blue Devil freshmen R.J. Barrett (33 points) and Cam Reddish (27 points) combined for 60 of Duke's 72 total points.
Duke dropped to 23–3 and 11–2 in ACC play. UNC improved to 21–5 with a 11–2 conference mark.
The two rivals will meet again on March 9.
