Lack of Maria Gakdeng's presence leads to UNC loss against Duke in Sweet 16

North Carolina senior forward Maria Gakdeng hurt her ankle early in the Tar Heels' Sweet 16 matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, and it didn't end well for her team.
Mar 28, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Vanessa de Jesus (2) slips past North Carolina Tar Heels center Maria Gakdeng (5) for two points at Legacy Arena in the Sweet 16.
Mar 28, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Vanessa de Jesus (2) slips past North Carolina Tar Heels center Maria Gakdeng (5) for two points at Legacy Arena in the Sweet 16. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just a few minutes into the Sweet 16 matchup between rivals North Carolina and Duke, UNC senior forward Maria Gakdeng went down with what appeared to be a pretty painful twisted ankle. As Gakdeng worked to put in minutes despite clearly being uncomfortable, the Tar Heels simply couldn't keep up with the Blue Devils in the paint.

Up until the rivalry postseason game, Gakdeng led North Carolina in both points and blocks per game, being a handful for the Heels' opponents to handle on both ends of the court.

At one point in the game against Duke, ESPN shared that with Gakdeng on the court, the Tar Heels were +19 in the game, and with her on the bench, they were -10 in the matchup. With Gakdeng having to play limited minutes, Duke earned a 47-38 victory to move on to the Elite Eight.

Gakdeng was only able to contribute seven rebounds and two points, well below her season average of 11.1 points per game. Similarly, she only got one block in against Duke despite having three inches on the Blue Devils' tallest player, Ashlon Jackson.

It was clear that North Carolina was out of sorts without Gakdeng at 100 percent, and while it's not an excuse for the loss, it was certainly a reason that the Tar Heels couldn't keep pace with the Blue Devils.

Duke's bench may have been the most impressive part of the game, contributing 26 of the Blue Devils' 47 points as well as 22 of their 43 rebounds. Meanwhile, North Carolina's bench only produced six points and four rebounds as the Heels struggled to find their footing.

With the win, the Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight, where they will face the winner of the South Carolina-Maryland matchup, which tipped off directly after the Duke-North Carolina game.

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