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Off the cuff: For a while it looked as if Carolina could actually do it - beat the mighty Blue Devils that is. The Tar Heels were going toe to toe with the No. 1 Duke team. Then things turned on a dime - with the Devils taking over and leaving a seemingly tired Tar Heels team in the dust.

There was a 12-2 Duke run over fewer than three minutes in the first half and a 12-0 Duke run over fewer than three minutes in the second half that more than did in the Tar Heels. Take those five minutes away and Carolina would have won by nine points. In other words, during 35 of the 40 minutes the Tar Heels were the winners.

But all the NCAA Tournament selection committee sees is a 13-point victory by the Blue Devils. Carolina's effort may not make a difference.

Conventional wisdom is that the Tar Heels have to reach the ACC Tournament title game and maybe even win it to make the NCAA Tournament. I'm thinking two impressive wins over Notre Dame/Pitt winner and Wake Forest should be enough - especially if some other bubble teams fall.

It would be a shame if the Tar Heels, currently playing their best ball of the season, did not make the tournament. There are really too many teams in the tournament - What is it 68 teams now? You can't tell me over the last month there are 68 better teams than the Tar Heels.

Duke, who could very well be the favorite to win it all, saw it for most of the game.

Duke 82, Carolina 69
Devils rally by Heels to win going away

(Photo by UNC Sports Information, ANTHONY SORBELLINI)

North Carolina, with an NCAA bid hanging in the balance, came from 15 down to lead No. 1 Duke by six with under 13 minutes to go. That's when the Blue Devils went on a 12-0 run and Carolina managed just 10 points over the last 12 minutes of the game as Duke won 82-69 on UNC's senior night. (3/8)

"Once we were ahead by six, our shot selection during that time was not the best and it led them out into transition," UNC coach Hubert Davis said.

In the first half, with Duke's super freshman Cooper Flagg in foul trouble and UNC's fifth-year player RJ Davis lighting it up, the Tar Heels, down 36-21, turned the game around and pulled within a point at the half, 43-42.

After Davis scored 15 in the first half and five early in the second half as the Tar Heels went up 52-47, Duke shut him down over the final 17 minutes of the game.

Carolina managed its biggest lead at 56-49 on a Ven-Allen Lubin bucket in the lane less than five minutes into the second half. But with the Tar Heels still ahead 59-53, Duke exploded for 12 straight points in less than three minutes to gain control of the game at 65-59 with less than 10 minutes to play. A Flagg dunk follow and a fastbreak dunk by Maliq Brown highlighted the stretch.

Then Brown, who had hit only two of nine three-pointers on the season, knocked the Tar Heels out with a pair of threes. Meanwhile, a tired Carolina went cold, shooting only 32 percent in the second half and 39 percent for the game.

Duke shot 61 percent in the second half and 56 percent for the game as Kon Knueppel led four Blue Devils in double figures with 17 points.

The Tar Heels were actually winning the points in the paint battle 24-22 before being outscored 29-10 over the last 12 minutes when the Devils controlled the points in the paint 18-4.

"We were getting to the basket and scoring and then (after the first few minutes of the second half) we weren't able to score or draw any fouls," Coach Davis said.

Flagg, who was saddled with three fouls in the first half in just nine minutes of play, played the entire second half without being called for a foul.

Carolina, now 20-12 and 13-7 in the ACC, saw a six-game win streak come to an end and figures to need a deep run in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte to reach the NCAA Tournament. They'll open ACC tourney play Wednesday as the fifth seed in a 2:30 pm matchup against the winner of the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game.

With their eighth straight win, Duke moves to 28-3 overall and 19-1 in the ACC to take the league regular season title outright.

Box score

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