The Tar Heels ran away with a blowout win as Zion Williamson was injured in the opening minute.
The first meeting between Duke and North Carolina this season felt like one of the most anticipated games in the storied history of this great rivalry. Tickets prices were downright outrageous. Barack Obama headlined a list of celebrities in attendance. Both teams entered ranked in the top-10 of the polls, sure, but there was one major reason why this night was so intriguing: the presence of future No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Zion Williamson.
Williamson was only on the court for 33 seconds before blowing out his shoe and suffering a knee injury. He didn’t return. While the world was hanging on Williamson’s long-term status, North Carolina came away with a 88-72 victory over Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Tar Heels dominated the game in transition, beating Duke down the court possession after possession to build the lead. Senior stars Luke Maye (30 points) and Cameron Johnson (26 points) carried the UNC offense all night.
Here’s three things we learned from this game.
1. R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish played well for Duke. No one else did.
Williamson’s early injury offered a reminder Duke also has two other likely top-five picks in June’s NBA draft. Both R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish stepped up in Williamson’s absence — the only problem is none of their other teammates did.
Barrett finished the night with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists on 11-of-22 shooting from the field. Reddish added 27 points and three rebounds. No other Duke player scored more than six points.
For as talented as Reddish and Barrett are, there’s a reason Williamson has become the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft. Duke didn’t have enough firepower to beat a very good North Carolina team without him,
2. North Carolina’s offense looked brilliant
Most teams would be scared to run against a squad as athletic as Duke. Not North Carolina. The Tar Heels rank No. 6 in the country in tempo, and proved it by owning Duke in transition to key the win.
Without Williamson’s wrecking ball ways on defense, UNC repeatedly burned the Blue Devils inside. Sophomore center Garrison Brooks added 14 points and eight rebounds to offer supplemental production behind big games from Maye and Johnson.
What’s really impressive for Carolina: they ran Duke off the floor on a night when they only shot 2-of-20 from three-point range.
UNC has been great on offense all season, entering the night at No. 7 overall in efficiency. If the Heels are going to make their third Final Four run in four years, the offense will have to carry them.
3. College basketball needs Zion Williamson to be healthy
No one wants to imagine a world where Williamson misses the NCAA tournament because of this injury. What’s even worse is the thought that this could linger into Williamson’s rookie year in the NBA if it’s really serious.
It has been such a joy to watch Williamson dominate college hoops all year long. He made every Duke game a must-watch and had enough star-power to bring someone like Obama to the gym. Say what you will about whether Williamson should indeed be playing college basketball for free, but he clearly wants to be out there with his teammates. Everyone who loves this sport should be hoping Williamson returns healthy soon.
We don’t want to live in a world without a healthy Zion Williamson. Neither does Duke.