Three-Year Duke Basketball Player Sinks UNC With Game-Winner

Duke basketball alum Jaylen Blakes helped keep the Stanford Cardinal (12-6, 4-3 ACC) in striking distance on the road against the UNC Tar Heels (12-7, 5-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. And the 21-year-old New Jersey native and his squad had just enough firepower to secure the 72-71 upset down the stretch in Chapel Hill.

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Despite trailing at the under-12 and under-8 timeouts, the Tar Heels led late on their home floor.

However, Blakes hit go-ahead freebies with 21.8 seconds remaining in the contest.

UNC's Seth Trimble responded with a pair of free throws at the other end.

But Blakes came up clutch, answering with the game-winning splash from 10 feet out with only 1.5 ticks left:

Jaylen Blakes -- the former Duke Blue Devil -- WINS IT in Chapel Hill! 😳🔥pic.twitter.com/JGQGTqaLlv
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 18, 2025

Blakes, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard, who transferred following three seasons with the Blue Devils and after earning his Duke degree, finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and seven assists in his team-high 38 minutes of action against UNC. He shot 7-for-13 from the field, 0-for-2 from deep, and 6-for-6 at the foul line.

Entering the game, Jaylen Blakes was averaging a career-high 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per outing for the Cardinal, shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three, and 79.6 percent at the foul line in his last year of eligibility.

He will return to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium when Stanford travels to Durham to face the Blue Devils on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. ET (ABC).

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