We were finally treated to the best rivalry in college sports after a week's delay and we were not disappointed.
Carolina rode the energy of the crowd following the opening tip and got out to hot start, with Leslie McDonald sparking the offense, scoring 11 points in the half.
Rodney Hood was Duke's only response to UNC's intensity early; he also scored 11 points.
However, he picked up his second foul with around 12 minutes left and sat for the rest of the half, but Jabari Parker (10 points, five rebounds) and Quinn Cook (five points, three assists) kept the Devils out in front as they took a 37-30 lead into the break.
The second half started much of the same.
A Parker layup put the Dukies up 51-40 with 15 minutes left, but that was as big as the lead would get.
Roy Williams started switching defenses and playing a 1-2-2 and 1-3-1 zone, and that stagnated the Devil's offense.
Duke didn't hit a field goal for another nine minutes (they did hit two free throws during that stretch), and allowed UNC to catch up.
The Heels finally took the lead on a Marcus Paige three with 5:31 left, and closed the game on a 16-6 run to pull out the 74-66 upset.
Paige was spectacular in the second half, scoring all 13 of his points in the frame, including seemingly every big bucket when Carolina needed it.
McDonald also stepped up as the viable scoring option the Heels had been lacking, scorching Duke's defense for 21 points. James Michael McAdoo also chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
Cook had a great game for the Devils off the bench with 17 points, and Parker (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Hood (16 points) also played well, but Coach K's squad didn't produce outside of that.
Marshall Plumlee played some good, effective minutes and grabbed six rebounds, but no one else scored more than six points (Rasheed Sulaimon had the most with six, but on 2-10 shooting).
Duke seemed to be in control for a good majority of the game, but Ol' Roy's switch to a zone defense really turned the momentum in his team's favor.
The Blue Devils had been killing the Heels off of the dribble (Quinn Cook in particular) and getting in the lane, which resulted in easy shots.
With the switch to zone defense, Duke started getting complacent on offense. They settled for jumpers, and while some were good shots, they weren't making any of them, finishing 5-22 on threes (22.7%). They stopped playing aggressively and allowed UNC to take over the game.
When you don't hit a shot for nine minutes, you're probably not going to win the game. Yet the weird thing was, when the drought ended, Duke was still winning the game!
But that complacency on the offensive end had already effected the rest of the game, and all the momentum was with Carolina, which they rode all the way to the victory with the help of the home crowd.
Duke was just never able to recover, but the game will probably serve as a reminder of how they need to play on the offensive end. After all, they were playing that way and settling for jump shots at the start of ACC play, which was when they really struggled.
The good news is that they have their rematch with Syracuse on Saturday with a chance to redeem themselves.
And the game's in Cameron, where the Devils always play better.
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