NCAA Basketball Roundup: Duke wins rivalry clash, Gonzaga falls to Saint Mary’s

Jon Scheyer wins first game against UNC as Duke head coach

It feels weird to have a game between Duke and North Carolina with neither being ranked but that just added to the intrigue. It was a battle of two talented, yet flawed ACC programs that also marked the first time Jon Scheyer and Hubert Davis went head-to-head after years of Roy Williams and Coach K battling.

As are all of the other games between them, this battle was a close one that went down to the wire. Neither team shot over 40% but in the end, it was Duke that got the 63-57 victory. Jeremy Roach had 20 points to lead all scorers but the MVP of the game was Dereck Lively. He had just four points but also had a season-high 14 rebounds and eight blocks. The defensive anchor limited Armando Bacot to just 14 points and 10 rebounds and the Tar Heels couldn’t get anything inside.

Bacot didn’t shoot the ball in the final 12 minutes of the game and guards RJ Davis and Caleb Love combined for 23 points on 10/31 shooting. If it wasn’t for Leaky Black chipping in with 13 points on 3/6 shooting from deep, they would’ve been blown out.

In an ACC that’s seemingly up for grabs, Duke stays within 1.5 games back of first place. With nine teams separated by just three games, there’s a lot still to be determined.