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Austin Rivers capped off an unbelievable late Duke comeback by knocking down the game-winning three at the buzzer to beat UNC, 85-84.
Austin Rivers scored 29 points, a Duke freshman scoring record against UNC, including a ridiculous buzzer-beating three as the Blue Devils stunned the Tar Heels on Wednesday night, 85-84. Rivers' shot immediately elevates him into Duke-UNC lore, with the game-winner falling into place among some of the best moments of the series. And it all came after a surprising late-game collapse by the Tar Heels, who seemed to have everything under control for much of the second half.
Rivers was understandably excited after the game, amped up just moments after his game-winner went in. In a live shot on the court, Rivers said he came into the matchup "pissed off" because he felt people were underestimating Duke. Later, he was a bit more measured when reflecting on the win.
"Obviously this is my favorite win I've ever had in my entire life," Rivers said. "And it's because we were down the whole game. The whole game, we were down. They just kept it on us -- 10-point lead, 10-point lead. And then there was 3 minutes left and probably everybody thought we were going to lose, and we just kept fighting. To get a W, it's amazing."
More from SI.com: How Austin Rivers' buzzer beater went down
It was a bad last few minutes for Tyler Zeller, who was in the spotlight with the game on the line. His accidental tip-in, into his own basket, gave Duke two points and brought the Blue Devils within two. At the line with a chance to put North Carolina up three, he made the first and missed the second free throw, setting up Rivers' heroics.
And then there was the final possession. Zeller, at 7-feet tall, got caught on a switch, stuck defending Rivers on the perimeter. The Duke guard dribble around, measured Zeller and drained the game-winning three right over him as time expired, stunning the Tar Heels.
But there was no singular person at fault for the late-game meltdown. North Carolina held a double-digit lead for most of the second half and was up 10 with two and a half minutes to go. From then on, the wheels came off, with Duke hitting a barrage of threes while North Carolina was unable to answer on the other end.
"It really hurts just because of how we played the whole game. For us in the last three minutes just to give it up like that is really depressing," John Henson said after the loss.
If you missed it, here's Rivers' shot one, along with the entire late-game sequence, one more time:
Via BIAHTroyMachir
Never a dull moment in the Duke-UNC series.
Austin Rivers had himself one heck of a game at the Dean Dome, scoring 29 points in a one-point Duke win. It was the last three points, though, that will be replayed over and over again, and rightfully so. It was only a game-winning buzzer beater over a seven-footer that failed to close out.
But there was more to this story. There was the big lead North Carolina built in the second half; the absolute collapse over the last two minutes of the game; And Tyler Zeller's odd own-bucket, in which he tipped a Duke shot that had no chance of even hitting rim into his own basket. Oh and the ending.
Zeller had a chance to give UNC a three-point lead just moments after his own-basket, but couldn't convert his second of two free throws. Rivers brought the ball into the front court, dinked around for a bit without doing much at all, then buried a three as the horn sounded.
The North Carolina Tar Heels squandered a 13-point lead in the second half, witnessing a late comeback by the Duke Blue Devils and losing, 85-84. With the ball in his hands for the final shot of the game, Duke freshman Austin Rivers took a deep three-point shot that fell through the net for the road victory. Rivers scored 29 points on 9-of-17 shots, hitting on six three-point shots. His father, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, cheered from his seat, excited as much as the entire Duke team.
Rivers' final shot gave Duke its only lead of the second half. But it was team effort to get the team back into the game. Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry each added 15 points of their own while Mason Plumlee pulled down 14 boards. The team made just 35 percent of its three-pointers, but sinking 14 of 40 shots is nothing to scoff at in this game.
North Carolina relied on strong games from Tyler Zeller (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Harrison Barnes 25 points) to maintain the ultimately doomed second half lead. John Henson added 12 points and 14 rebounds. However, Zeller also tipped in a shot by Duke's Ryan Kelly that was clearly going to miss on the downward arc. He also missed a couple of free throws toward the end of the game.
Duke will host Maryland on Saturday while North Carolina looks to rebound with a contest against Virginia.
For more on the Blue Devils, head over to Duke Basketball Report. For Tar Heels updates, visit Carolina March. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes around the college hoops world.
The No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels saw its three-point lead at halftime, 43-40, against the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils turn into a lead as large as 13 points, 57-44, in the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, Austin Rivers was able to hit on back-to-back three-point shots to keep the Tar Heels from extending lead even further and allowing Duke to keep the game within striking distance. The Tar Heels hold a 69-60 lead right around the 10-minute mark of the second half.
But even Rivers hitting those shots wasn't able to staunch the North Carolina offense that much. Kendall Marshall has been able to slash through the Duke defense and now has 13 points and seven assists. Harrison Barnes has picked up his shooting and now has 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
Rivers has 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 on three-pointers. The team is 10-of-29 from beyond the arc.
For more on the Blue Devils, head over to Duke Basketball Report. For Tar Heels updates, visit Carolina March. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes around the college hoops world.
One of the greatest rivalries in college sports is living up to the hype as the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take a three-point lead over the 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Wednesday night.
Senior forward Tyler Zeiler was seven of 17 from the floor and pounded the glass in the first half, leading all playerswith 19 points and eight rebounds. The Tar Heels have also gotten 10 points from junior forward John Henson and six points from Harrison Barnes, all from the free throw line.
For the Blue Devils, Austin Rivers has a team-high 13 points at the half, with Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins scoring eight points apiece. Dawkins also has a game-high three fouls through 20 minutes, with Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, who leads Duke with four rebounds tonight, entering the second half with two fouls.
For more on the Blue Devils, head over to Duke Basketball Report. For Tar Heels updates, visit Carolina March.
Edit: Syracuse-Georgetown is in overtime and Duke-UNC has been pushed back to 9:10. It can be seen on ESPN or, if Cuse-Georgetown keeps running over, ESPN3.
One of the greatest rivalries in all of sports adds another chapter to its storied history this evening, as the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils and No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels square off in ACC action at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Duke is at its best when it gets a balanced effort at the offensive end of the floor. The team is averaging almost 80 points per game (79.8), behind a healthy .482 shooting. Four players are averaging double figures coming into this contest, led by Rivers' 14.5 PPG. The standout freshman is followed in the scoring column by Ryan Kelly and Curry at 12.6 PPG each. Mason Plumlee headlines the play down low, averaging a near double-double with 11.6 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game. Plumlee, who is delivering on nearly 60 percent from the floor (.592), ranks second in the ACC in rebounding. Andre Dawkins (9.7 PPG) is inching closer to double digits, as he is the team's top threat from long range, hitting 51-of-125 from behind the arc.
There aren't many teams that can match Duke's offensive proficiency, but North Carolina is one of them. The Tar Heels lead the nation in scoring at 84.1 PPG, and possess three of the ACC's top nine scorers and two of the top three rebounders. UNC boasts of the nation's premier frontcourt, as Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller are a dominating trio. Barnes can score from anywhere on the floor and ranks third in the league at 17.3 PPG. Zeller (15.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG) and Henson (14.3 PPG, ACC-leading 10.0 RPG) are a devastating duo around the rim. Kendall Marshall isn't much of a scorer (6.5 PPG), but is as good as any point guard in the nation in getting his teammates involved, ranking second nationally with 9.8 APG.
Location: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 8th, 9:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN, ACC Network
For more on the Blue Devils, head over to Duke Basketball Report. For Tar Heels updates, visit Carolina March.
Austin Rivers Delivers, Duke Stuns North Carolina, And The Rivalry Reigns
by Andrew Sharp
Duke came back from a 10 point deficit late, and Austin Rivers hit a buzzer beater three to break North Carolina's heart Wednesday night. Just like that, the most storied rivalry in college hoops has another chapter.Continue reading »
Feb 09 10:32a