Duke vs. UNC: Video Highlights, Analysis and Grades

The North Carolina Tar Heels got revenge for their earlier loss to Duke today in the regular season finale at Cameron Indoor and got it emphatically, winning 88-70. 

Now, let's take a look at how that happened.

Must-See Highlights

This was just a night where everything went right for UNC.

Miles Plumlee was one of Duke's few bright spots.

Grades of UNC's Key Players

Kendall Marshall: A

Coming into this game, it would have been hard to make a case for North Carolina's guards over Duke's. But not only did Marshall outscore each of Duke's players, his 20 points were more than anyone from either roster. 

He also brought his teammates into the game, as Marshall had 10 assists.

Tyler Zeller: A-

He did a tremendous job putting away the memory of the first game between the two teams, where Zeller collapsed. At Cameron, he silenced the Crazies, scoring 19 points with 10 boards. 

With Zeller not making the same mistakes that he made in Chapel Hill, Duke already had a tough hill to climb. 

John Henson: B

Like Zeller and Marshall, Henson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. With Zeller and him combining for 32 points and 20 rebounds, Duke was left hopeless in the paint. 

Harrison Barnes: B-

In terms of percentages, this will hardly go down as Barnes' best game at UNC. Still, he found a way to score 16 points. 

This wasn't his finest overall performance, but another 16 points from North Carolina's top player made it even more difficult for Duke to hang with the Tar Heels.

Grades for Duke's Key Players

Miles Plumlee: A-

In his last game at Cameron, Miles was the best Duke player, scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. 

He did have a hard time consistently answering the Tar Heels' inside presence, but Plumlee's offensive performance was good enough to win. 

Mason Plumlee: B+

Ironically, Duke's problem was not a lack of an inside presence. The younger Plumlee had a solid 17-point output, which led the team. 

At the beginning of the game, if you had told the Blue Devils that they would get 33 from the Plumlees, I am guessing that they would have liked their chances. 

Austin Rivers: C-

Rivers had an okay performance in terms of points, scoring 15. With a stronger game from some of his other perimeter players, his performance would have been good enough to contribute to a win.

Unfortunately, he was only 1-of-8 from behind the arc. In the previous meeting, he was 6-of-10. 

Ryan Kelly: F

Kelly just didn't show up in this one. He made only one basket for two points. By contrast, the forward had 15 points when the two teams met in February.

Deciding Factor: Three-point shooting

Yes, Duke did make more threes than UNC, but it only made two more, and North Carolina also shot at a higher percentage. 

The Tar Heels had the advantage on the inside, so Duke's best chance in this game was to shoot well from the outside. That didn't happen and as a result, this one was never close. 

Game MVP: Kendall Marshall

He did a great job shutting down Duke's outside shooters, helping North Carolina dominate the game in every way.

What's Next

Both teams will head to the ACC Tournament. Either can still earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a good showing. The worst-case scenario for either is a No. 2 seed, which isn't exactly a bad fallback plan. 

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