The biggest rivalry in college basketball did not disappoint, and UNC gave fans in attendance and at home a night to remember.
The Tar Heels, coming off a nail-biting 74-73 loss to Georgia Tech, came out the gates hot, pushing the pace on turnovers and missed shots. Many of the transition buckets were beautifully executed, including one by Seth Trimble that stopped Duke in its tracks.
Duke kept battling through the first half, but UNC created separation, largely due to an aggressive Armando Bacot. In the first period, Bacot notched 12 points and 8 rebounds (3 offensive rebounds).
After a strong first half, UNC kept its foot on the gas. Harrison Ingram electrified the Dean Smith Center and social media with a remarkable performance. With Duke focused on RJ Davis, Ingram had his Tar Heel legacy game: He poured in 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The Tar Heels kept a double-digit lead for the majority of the second period, coming away with the 93-84 win. UNC strikes first in this year’s rivalry series, setting up a chance for a regular-season sweep. However, before we get too ahead of ourselves, we take a look at the good, bad and ugly social media reactions to UNC’s dominating win over Duke.