First, let me say I hope Kyle Filipowski is OK.
Duke’s star big man was injured at the end of Saturday’s 83-79 loss at Wake Forest as students rushed the court in jubilation. As Filipowski and his Blue Devil (21-6, 12-4) teammates searched for a clear path to leave the floor, several students bumped into him, forcing Duke head coach Jon Scheyer onto the floor to try to protect his star.
Moving on, the UNC men’s basketball team won in Charlottesville, 54-44, for the first time since Feb. 25, 2012. This was an ugly offensive game all-around, as North Carolina (21-6, 13-3) shot 32 percent from the field and UVA was just 27.6%, but the Tar Heels offset this mark with lockdown defense.
The Cavaliers don’t score a lot of points in general, but Saturday was a massive improvement from UNC’s recent defensive struggles.
With North Carolina winning and Duke losing on Saturday, the Tar Heels jumped back into sole possession of first place in the ACC.
BIG day in the ACC race, Duke folds at Wake Forest and #UNC secures a crucial win at Virginia. Heels now a full game up over the Blue Devils for first place.
— Grant Hughes (@GrantHughesNC) February 24, 2024
UNC and Duke both have four games left in the regular season, with Round 2 of the Tobacco Road Rivalry on Saturday, March 9 being the grand finale.
North Carolina hosts Miami on Monday, Feb. 26, NC State on Saturday, March 2 and Notre Dame on Tuesday, March 5 before heading to Duke, while the Blue Devils host Louisville on Wednesday, UVA next Saturday and travel to NC State on Monday, March 4.
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