Duke rolls to rivalry win over UNC. Observations from the rematch.

DURHAM, N.C. — It wasn’t the same without Caleb Wilson. It just wasn’t.

But it was Duke and North Carolina and all the rest that comes with the rivalry game in Cameron Indoor Stadium as the nation’s top-ranked Blue Devils faced the No. 17 Tar Heels.

The Blue Devils, who can chew up teams defensively, used a flurry of steals and turnovers in the second half to surge ahead and take a 76-61 victory.

Freshman Cameron Boozer, in what likely was his final home game, gave Duke fans and rowdy Crazies one to remember: 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

The Heels knew they’d be without Wilson, the electrifying and effervescent freshman forward whose season ended Thursday after he suffered a broken right thumb in practice and underwent surgery. Chapel Hill was a somber place Friday when that news broke.

Wilson had 23 points when the Heels upset Duke, 71-68, at the Smith Center on Feb. 7. Despite an injured left hand in UNC’s next game, against Miami, there was hope he might be cleared to play against Duke.

But the Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1 ACC) were not expected to play the game with sophomore center Patrick Ngongba out with a foot injury then had junior guard Caleb Foster go out in the first half after injuring his right foot.

But senior Maliq Brown stepped up with 15 points and nine boards for Duke. And everyone had a hand in forcing 14 UNC turnovers.

That will be of concern for the Blue Devils next week, when they’re the top seed in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte and then the NCAA Tournament. And the ACC Tournament could mean another matchup against North Carolina, the No. 4 seed in Friday’s semifinals.

The Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6) kept it close Saturday for a half, keeping the pace their liking. A late run by UNC in the half made it a 39-34 Duke lead, creating some uneasiness in Cameron as the Tar Heels seemed to gain confidence.

Then came the second half.

When UNC’s Luka Bogavac hit a 3-pointer in the first minute of the half, the Heels were within 41-40. Wilson was leading the cheers on the UNC bench.

But after Seth Trimble’s basket made it 47-44, the Blue Devils ignited. Cayden Boozer hit a 3. Dame Sarr had 3, then a breakaway dunk after a steal that had the building at full tilt and Duke coach Jon Scheyer slapping the court, wanting more.

A 16-0 run left the Heels in too big a hole. Duke’s biggest lead was 25 points at 71-46 with six minutes remaining, although Cameron stayed loud until the end.

Derek Dixon had a team-high 17 points for UNC.

Observations from the game:

Brown starts, stars

Scheyer has said Brown should be a candidate for the sixth-man award nationally and it’s hard to argue that. The senior forward comes prepared to come off the bench and deliver whatever is necessary.

On Saturday, he was needed to be a starter. On “Senior Day” at Cameron, Brown first took in the applause before the game, then went to work.

With Ngongba unable to play in the first half because of foot soreness, Brown was often matched against 7-footer Henri Veesaar. He had three of Duke’s seven first-half steals. He scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Brown is an ever-active, aggressive defender who anticipates well. He’s also a bit wily in sniffing out plays, and does not back down physically.

On a second-half play, he battled inside with Veesaar for an offensive rebound, leading to a Sarr 3-pointer and 53-44 lead. Momenta later, he nailed a 3 for a 58-44 lead.

The Devils needed Brown on Saturday and will need him more in the bigger games to come.

Some memories die hard

One has to wonder what goes through Mike Krzyzewski’s mind as he takes in a Carolina game in Cameron.

The former Duke coach, who has his name on the court, shows almost no emotion during games. He sat courtside Saturday with wife Mickie, and gave the crowd a wave when recognized during the first half. Krzyzewski spends time making a few pointers but never leaves his seat.

But the memories of March 5, 2022, can’t be far away, and not when it’s the final game of the regular season. In 2022, of course, it was different: Coach K’s last home game at Duke.

Duke lost, 94-81. Coach K, speaking to the crowd afterward, called the performance “unacceptable.” It was gloomy in Cameron.

Just four years ago. Wonder if Coach K remembered Saturday?

How did the Tar Heels manage without Wilson?

Wilson’s freshman campaign — and likely his college playing career — came to an end on Friday afternoon when he underwent season-ending surgery on his right thumb.

He donned Carolina Blue during the Tar Heels’ trip to Cameron Indoor, but it was a button-down collared shirt. Wilson had to watch painstakingly from the end of the bench while his team played its seventh straight game without the freshman forward — this time, knowing he wouldn’t return.

The Tar Heels could’ve used Wilson on Saturday. Duke forwards Cam Boozer and Brown combined for 18 points in the first 16 minutes of play, putting the Blue Devils up by 32-22.

Wilson was, likely, even more missed during Duke’s explosive second half, which saw the Blue Devils outscore the Tar Heels 37-27. A big reason for that was Duke’s dominance on the boards. The Blue Devils outrebounded UNC 24-10 in the second half. On the other end, North Carolina made just 11 shots from the floor after halftime.

Such is life when facing the top-ranked team in the country, on the road, without your leading rebounder and scorer.

Clutch minutes from Dixon, Veesaar help UNC claw back early

Duke scored 12 points off of UNC’s seven first-half turnovers, helping the Blue Devils race out to a double-digit lead with five and a half minutes until halftime. That’s as many turnovers as North Carolina committed in the entire game during its last matchup with the Blue Devils on Feb. 7.

The Blue Devils boast the top-rated defense in the nation per KenPom, and it’s easy to see why. Duke’s length made the Tar Heels strain for seemingly every pass and disrupted UNC’s ability to get any sort of rhythm going early on offense.

But soon after a Sarr 3-pointer put Duke up by 11 points with just under four minutes left in the first half, Veesaar and Dixon responded with some clutch plays. Veesaar hit a 3-pointer of his own to cut UNC’s deficit to eight points before Dixon went on a personal 5-0 run off a pair of free throws and a triple in transition.

That made it a three-point game at 35-32. After two straight layups from Cam Boozer, a tip-in from Veesaar gave UNC a respectable five-point deficit at 39-34 entering halftime.

Turnovers decimate the Tar Heels

UNC’s turnovers were a large reason for North Carolina’s early deficit. They also helped spark the consequential 24-2 Duke run that allowed the Blue Devils to put the game away in the second half.

When Cam Boozer muscled to the basket with just over 12 minutes remaining — posting up on Veesaar and putting on a pivoting clinic around the rim — his layup put the Blue Devils up 60-44. That capped off a 13-0 run for the Blue Devils in four minutes of action.

Duke called a timeout at the 11:09 mark, allowing the officials time to review an out-of-bounds call. At that point, the Tar Heels had committed three turnovers and failed to score for roughly five and a half minutes of game time.

North Carolina ended the game with 14 turnovers — its most in a loss this season. Its previous season-high (14) came in a sloppy 87-84 win over Wake Forest on Jan. 10. Duke stole the ball 11 times on Saturday, the season-high for a UNC opponent.