Duke Blue Devils Storm Back To Edge Past No. 5 UNC Tar Heels

by Pablo MenaFebruary 18, 2016, 12:26 pmNews, Z-Home Slider >

Grayson Allen led the 20th-ranked Duke Blue Devils with 23 points to rally to a 74-73 victory over the No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Wednesday night.

Duke Blue Devils Storm Back To Edge Past No. 5 UNC Tar Heels

Allen scored a pair of free throws with 1:09 left to play for the lead, and Brandon Ingram added another 20. The Blue Devils have now won five straight games, and also won their last game by a single point, over top-10 league opponent Virginia. This also marks the first time Duke has won consecutive regular-season games against top-10 opponents when not ranked in the top 10, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The only other times were during the 1990 NCAA tournament and 1980 ACC tournament.

“These kids have gotten so close,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They’ve done an incredible job. At one time we had four freshmen and a sophomore out there. To have the toughness that they displayed with that youth is incredible.”

During their game against the top-ranked Tar Heels, Duke essentially relied on just five players the entire second half after losing Matt Jones to a first-half injury.

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With this victory, Krzyzewski passed Dean Smith for most road wins against top-five teams (15) in NCAA history.

Brice Johnson had 29 points and 19 rebounds for North Carolina, and Justin Jackson added another 13 points for the Tar Heels, who were leading by eight with about seven minutes left.

“I told them I was sorry, that I should’ve gotten us a better shot at the end,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said, admitting he should have called timeout before the last possession.

Duke (20-6) will next visit No. 18 Louisville on Saturday, while North Carolina (21-5) will host No. 11 Miami on Saturday.

Caption: CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 17: Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket against Isaiah Hicks #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at Dean Smith Center on February 17, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)