North Carolina basketball loses again, this time to the Auburn Tigers

If Duke fans need any consolation about the Blue Devils’ Tuesday loss to Kansas, at least their biggest rival also notched another defeat.

The Duke men’s basketball team lost for the second time in four games on Tuesday night. Despite the 75-72 loss to No. 1 Kansas, Blue Devils fans can take some solace in the fact the North Carolina Tar Heels also picked up their second loss.

UNC lost to the Auburn Tigers, 85-72, in The Maui Invitational after falling behind, 21-6, in the opening minutes. Auburn led by eight points at the midway mark, and Tigers star Johni Broome finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He made two of his four 3-point looks.

All-American guard RJ Davis, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, made five of his 11 shots from the field and one of his four 3-point tries to finish with 12 points. Five Tar Heels reached double-digits, but Seth Trimble (17 points) was the only player who finished with more than 12.

UNC (4-2) has the same record as the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels also lost to Kansas, albeit on the road in Allen Fieldhouse.

If Duke wants an early tiebreaker over its rival, the Tigers head to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4 for another top-25 nonconference battle.