Good, Bad and Ugly From UNC's Blowout Loss to Duke

North Carolina was unable to complete the season sweep over Duke, as it fell 76-61 last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels end the season 24-7 and 18-0 at Chapel Hill. UNC will be the fourth seed in the ACC Tournament, which means they secured a double bye.

The Tar Heels gave the Blue Devils a run in the first half, but ultimately did not have enough firepower to knock off the No. 1 team in the country without star Caleb Wilson. The Blue Devils took over the second half, as they went on a 20-2 run to finish off the Tar Heels.

Here is the good, bad and ugly from UNC’s loss to Duke in the season finale.

Good: UNC Fought Hard in First Half

The Blue Devils controlled most of the first half thanks to Cameron Boozer. The Tar Heels doubled Boozer on every catch throughout the first half, but it did not work as UNC had hoped it would. Boozer has tremendous passing skills for a big man, and he put those on display.

Every time the Blue Devils would gain a lead, the Tar Heels would strike back. The Blue Devils were up by 11 points with three minutes left in the half, but UNC was unfazed. Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon went on a 10-4 run and cut the lead to five going into the locker room.

Veesaar led UNC with nine points going into the half, and Boozer led the Blue Devils with 12. Considering how most of the half went, the Tar Heels had to be pleased only down five at halftime.

Bad: Offensive Rebounding

One of the biggest reasons this game got out of hand was the offensive rebounding. The Blue Devils had their way with the Tar Heels on the glass, and especially on the offensive side. They outrebounded UNC on offense 18-5.

That is unacceptable for a team of the caliber of UNC. The Tar Heels have Veesaar, Jarin Stevenson, and Zayden High, yet could not secure a rebound after getting a stop. Boozer had six offensive rebounds by himself.

Ugly: Points off Turnovers

The offensive rebounding was bad, but points off turnovers were somehow worse. The Blue Devils went on a 24-2 run in the second half. UNC was down three in the half, and then it all went south for the Tar Heels.

The Blue Devils outscored the Tar Heels 24-4 in points off turnovers. The Blue Devils flipped a switch on the defensive side of the ball in the second half, and UNC folded. The Tar Heels were visibly unconfrontable with the aggressive pressure on defense from the Blue Devils, which led to the huge run in the second half.