March 7, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jaiden High (1) blocks a shot by Duke Blue Devils forward Dame Sarr (7) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Image Cameron Boozer had 26 points and 15 rebounds as top-ranked Duke held off No. 17 North Carolina in the second half of a 76-61 win to avenge its only loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday night in Durham, North Carolina.
Maliq Brown had 15 points and Isaiah Evans had 11 for Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC), which was filled with some makeshift lineups due to some injuries that could be a concern in the coming weeks. The Blue Devils, who also got 10 points from Dame Sarr, earned the top seed and advance to the ACC Tournament on an eight-game winning streak.
Derek Dixon’s 17 points led North Carolina (24-7, 12-6), which will be the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. Henry Visar scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, while Jarin Stevenson and Seth Trimble both had 10 points.
Duke played the second half without starting guard Caleb Foster, who left at halftime with a right foot or ankle injury. Center Patrick Ngongba II did not play at all and sat on the bench in walking boots in the second half.
The Tar Heels learned Friday that freshman Caleb Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken thumb in practice. He was expected to return to Saturday’s game after being sidelined since mid-February due to an injury to his other hand.
North Carolina tied the score around 41-40 in the first minute of the second half, and immediately tied it at 47-44, but the Blue Devils took a 16-0 lead. The explosion was sparked by 3-pointers from Cayden Boozer and Sarr.
North Carolina was stalled for 10 minutes, scoring just two points as Duke’s advantage reached 69-46.
Duke led 39-34 at halftime, with Cameron Boozer scoring 12 points and Veesaar nine. Led by Brown’s first six points, the Blue Devils built a 12-point lead early in the first half. The Tar Heels used an 8-0 run within 40 seconds to help get back within range.
Duke made 11 of 20 2-pointers in the first half, but the Blue Devils were 4-for-15 from three.
–Field level media
