It wasn’t the most elegant game of basketball you’ll ever see. Shots clanked, dribbles bounced awry and passes whistled into the crowd. It was not a clinic of perfect basketball, but it was still a great game. You had two teams loaded with talented players going hard at each other and trying everything they could for the win. In the end, I think the deciding factor was that some Tar Heels tried too hard and made too many mistakes.
At times I wondered if maybe they had rolled out the racks of women’s balls by accident. I have never seen so many dribbles bounce off of knees and feet or simply go flying out of a player’s hands. The box score will tell you that Duke had 17 steals last night, but don’t believe it. At least half of Carolina’s 23 turnovers were completely unforced.

Raymond Felton in particular was guilty of playing a bit too fast. He’s the fastest player in the league, maybe even in the country (I’d love to see him race with the ball against Illinois’ Dee Brown), but he has to learn his limits. He had some breathtaking drives for scores, but just as often, he flew one way while the ball went another. He should stop watching Nik Caner-Medley play. If your point guard has eight turnovers, you’re probably going to lose.
Rashad McCants can also take some baby blue blame. He seemed nervous and frustrated for much of the night. He shot frequently but not confidently.
On the other side, it’s hard to think of anyone on Duke who had a bad game. They all played well on both ends of the floor. DeMarcus Nelson (or “DeMarcis” as Raycom seems to think it’s spelled) stepped up and hit big shots and J.J. Redick, Daniel Ewing and Shelden Williams were all their regular solid selves. Redick actually showed off the full range of his game, running the offense at times, playing solid defense and even directing players around during dead balls.
(aside: despite all the orgasmic praise of Nelson coming out of nowhere, the guy was a McDonald’s All-American and expected to be a contributer to this Duke team. He’s the all-time leading scorer in California high school basketball history. The kid can play.)
That can be the one consolation for the Tar Heels – three of their best players (Felton, McCants and Jawad Williams) had sub-par games while Duke played extremely well, but the Blue Devils won by just one. The Heels were one play away from stealing the game at the end.
I expect that the game next month in Chapel Hill will be just as tight, but probably better played. I’m already looking forward to it.
I want to point out a few series numbers that I didn’t mention in yesterday’s preview. These number all point to just how ridiculously competitive this rivalry has been.

• Every single Duke-Carolina game since 1955 has included at least one ranked team. That’s 50 years!
• Last night’s game was the 36th time they’ve met when both were ranked in the top ten.
• For the youngsters who don’t understand why us older folks still instinctively think of Carolina as the conference’s top dog, consider that even with Duke’s recent dominance, the Tar Heels lead the head-to-head series by 28 wins.

For other reading on the game (and frankly, you can go anywhere to read about it):
News & Observer – here, here, here and here.
Duke Basketball Report (Carolina fans beware)
Tar Heel Blue on the last play of the game