ACC Basketball: Joel Berry II, UNC knock off Duke in Chapel Hill

By Carmine Carcieri | Mar 5, 2017

Mar 4, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and Duke Blue Devils guard Frank Jackson (15) fight for the ball in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 90-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Joel Berry II put up 28 points as North Carolina defeated Duke in Part II of this ACC basketball rivalry.

What a way to close out the ACC basketball regular season: one of the best rivalries in all of sports took center stage on Saturday night and boy did it live up to the hype.

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After 24 lead changes and a back-and-forth well-played affair, the No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels evened up the regular season series by defeating the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils, 90-83, in the Dean Dome. Joel Berry II was the hero for the Tar Heels as the point guard scored a team high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.

While Berry’s performance was sensational and was one of the main reasons the Tar Heels captured their 26th victory of the season, the difference in the game came at the four position.

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In these teams’ first match-up back in the Cameron Indoor Center, Duke won thanks to Jayson Tatum’s ability to attack Luke Maye and whoever else the Tar Heels placed at power forward position. Duke’s small ball style of play created easy opportunities for Tatum on the offensive end and without Isaiah Hicks (who was out due to an injury), the Heels were unable to take advantage of their size on the glass.

This time around, things were a lot different. Not only was Hicks in the lineup but it was Senior Night, giving him more incentive to be active and energized. And that’s just what the forward did as he scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Tatum scored 13 points but he only made four field goals and missed nine shots.

North Carolina also dominated the interior. They scored 44 points in the paint to Duke’s 26, had 15 second chance points to Duke’s five and won the rebounding battle by four. Amile Jefferson (15 points) played an excellent game, however, his big body alone was not enough to keep the physical, strong Tar Heels off the glass and away from the rim.

It wasn’t all perfect for UNC, though. ACC Player of the Year candidate Justin Jackson struggled to shoot the ball as he made just 1-of-7 from three.

And that’s where Berry came into play.

With Jackson off for the second straight game on Saturday, Berry was the go-to player down the stretch. Whenever Duke started to gain some type of momentum, Berry always had an answer with either a three or a superb finish around the rim.

This game showed just how dangerous North Carolina can be. Berry has been inconsistent, to say the least, during conference play but the Tar Heels can win in so many different ways. They can rely on Jackson. They can rely on Berry. They can score in transition. They can crush you on the glass. And they can win with defense.

UNC doesn’t have as many reliable offensive options as Duke does (Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, and Tatum), but they have experience, chemistry, athleticism, depth and talent that many teams across the country cannot match.

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The Tar Heels won the outright ACC title before this game thanks to Louisville’s win over Notre Dame earlier in the day. They will be the number one seed in the ACC Tournament in New York this week and will almost assuredly be a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament barring a major disaster at the Barclays Center.

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