Five takeaways from UNC basketball’s Senior Night loss to Duke on March 8

The North Carolina Tar Heels did all they could to try and beat Duke on the basketball court Saturday night in Chapel Hill.

UNC trailed by 15 points with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half, then cut its halftime deficit to one point. North Carolina played its best basketball early in the second half, holding a game-best 7-point advantage just 4:16 in, then the Blue Devils took over when RJ Davis went to the bench for a breather.

When the final buzzer sounded inside the Dean Dome, Duke left with a 82-69 victory that sucked the life out of Tar Heel Nation.

The Blue Devils (28-3, 19-1 ACC), who ended their regular season on an 8-game winning streak, won the ACC Regular Season Championship for the first time since Coach K’s final year. UNC (20-12, 13-7) dropped to the fifth seed in this coming week’s ACC Tournament, when it will face the winner of Pitt/Notre Dame on Wednesday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday night, North Carolina once again proved it could play with the country’s best teams. RJ seemingly couldn’t miss, playing a major factor on anchoring the Tar Heels’ massive comeback, finishing his final game in the Dean Dome with 20 points.

In the end, Duke proved to be too much for UNC. North Carolina will need to win at least three games in Charlotte for a shot at the NCAA Tournament, but winning the entire ACC Tournament is the easiest path.

While you’re still thinking about how the Tar Heels can extend their season, make sure you read our five takeaways from tonight’s game.

UNC can play with the big boys, but struggles to close out

When UNC took a 56-49 lead over Duke just 4:16 into the second half, thanks to a Ven-Allen Lubin layup, the Dean Dome erupted. You’d think there was an earthquake if you were in attendance like me. Chapel Hill was extremely happy and all looked well.

Just under five minutes later, the Blue Devils took a 61-59 lead they never relinquished, on a Kon Knueppel layup. Duke took over offensively from that point on, scoring 21 more points, while North Carolina couldn’t buy a bucket.

The Tar Heels needed to play picture-perfect basketball tonight for a shot at winning. UNC didn’t play well long enough – and now needs a deep ACC Tournament run, to make it deep into the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina’s second-half cold stretch came at the worst possible time

The Tar Heels trailed 43-42 at halftime, then scored 14 points in the first four minutes. After Lubin’s layup with 15:44 remaining in the second half, North Carolina only scored 13 points for the rest of the game.

I get it – Duke has an amazing defense. But you’re UNC and playing your greatest rival on Senior Night, with the stakes much higher than just any regular Tobacco Road Rivalry.

Cold stretches like tonight’s can’t happen. The Tar Heels need to quickly lock in for the ACC Tournament, which they’ll need a deep run in for any hope of playing in the Big Dance.

I know RJ needs his rest, but there’s no reason he should’ve left the floor

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis took RJ out of the game with 14:23 remaining in the second half. Several tweets on X revealed that RJ had cramps, which are bound to happen when you have a usage level like him.

Nearly three minutes later, RJ re-entered the game. The only problem: UNC’s 56-49 lead turned into a 59-59 tie, which was part of Duke’s 12-0 run.

RJ leaving the game didn’t help, but his return didn’t help either. If Hubert kept RJ in the game, simply just taking an extended timeout, who knows if the game would be different?

The Tar Heels play better basketball with Drake Powell on the floor

While Drake Powell can go off for 10+ points on any night, North Carolina’s star small forward is better known for his lockdown defense.

Powell did a solid job guarding Duke superstar Cooper Flagg tonight, helping limit him to 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Tonight was Flagg’s lowest point total since a February 5 victory at Syracuse, when he totaled just 11 points.

As a team, UNC played better with Drake Powell on the floor tonight. Without Drake on the floor, the Tar Heels looked lost.

North Carolina’s tournament chances are all but over

UNC can play with the country’s top teams. The Tar Heels looked significantly better Saturday against Duke than in early February, when the Blue Devils ran circles around Cameron Indoor Stadium. But in the end, they couldn’t get a quad 1 win and are now 1-11 in that area this season.

While North Carolina won six consecutive games coming into the Duke game, pushing itself to the 20-win mark, they are still on the wrong side of the bubble. And now, going into the ACC Tournament, they really need to win at least three games which includes beating Duke. That’s something they failed to do twice this season.

The odds are against UNC and right now, I wouldn’t expect them to be playing much longer in March. And that will be the second time in four seasons they will miss out on the big dance.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Tar Heels Wire’s five takeaways from UNC-Duke basketball rematch