Blue Devil Country

Social Media Reacts to Duke Basketball Loss at UNC

The Blue Devils fell to the Tar Heels after leading for the entire game.
Luke Joseph|
Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) fight for the ball in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) fight for the ball in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

Duke versus North Carolina is the biggest game of the year for both teams, and both were ranked in the top 15 entering Saturday night's showdown in Chapel Hill. Two phenominal freshmen in Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson played against each other after playing with each other in the EYBL circut.

Let's see how Duke fans reacted to the first meeting between these two heated rivals.

First Half

After winning the tipoff, Duke freshman Dame Sarr would get the Blue Devils on the board early with a long 2-pointer.

Duke had gotten off to a good start in the first four minutes, shooting 4-for-6 from the field with a 10-5 lead.

Rebounds were the key at the first timeout. Duke had seven compared to the Tar Heels, who had just one at the time. Cameron Boozer was the only Blue Devil starter who didn't have a point and hadn't attempted a shot so far.

Duke was on a 10-0 run with 12 of its first 18 points being in the paint and 13:30 left in the first half.

At the second TV timeout, Duke was up, 20-9. While it seemed that the Blue Devils were dominating, UNC freshman Caleb Wilson was starting to get going and had scored four straight points and drew a foul to potentially get the last six.

Caleb Wilson would take over for the Tar Heels and lead them to an 11-2 run with the Blue Devils up, 22-20. Cameron Boozer had back-to-back fouls and would be taken off the court and only had two points. Meanwhile, Wilson would have 11 on 4-for-5 shooting from the field and would also knock down a contested three.

Duke sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II would pick up his third foul of the game after Caleb Wilson drew the foul. Without Ngongba, Duke would have a tough time getting rebounds with UNC's Wilson and Henri Veesaar both on the court.

Dame Sarr would hit a big-time 3-point shot, as he had 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field at the time. Boozer would hit his first three to give the Blue Devils an 11-point lead.

After a Caleb Wilson mid-range jumper, Duke freshman Cayden Boozer would knock down a three, forcing UNC to call a timeout with 27 seconds remaining in the first half. Duke's defense would stop UNC and go into halftime with a 41-29 lead.

Second Half

Duke would start off the second half with back-to-back unforced turnovers, and Caleb Wilson would make them pay.

Dame Sarr would continue his perfect night shooting with his second three of the day to give him a team-high 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting.

Duke would continue to play great defense against the Tar Heels and took a nine-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

Ngongba would foul out of the game. Then, Duke senior forward Maliq Brown would pick up his fourth foul with five minutes remaining. And North Carolina would attack Brown and start to come back, trailing by only four with three minutes remaining.

North Carolina would then tie the game at 68-68 after a Henri Veesaar three.

After a North Carolina stop, Seth Trimble would hit a big-time three from the corner to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the game with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

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Luke Joseph
LUKE JOSEPH

Luke Joseph is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of sports and commitment to storytelling, he serves as a general sports reporter On SI, covering the NFL and college athletics with insight and expertise.