Duke wins ... sigh

I expected the Blue Devils to win, but to be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be as close as it was. The Heels were managed to come back from a 17-point deficit to walk away with a respectable 4-point loss. Granted, had J.J. Redick’s shooting game been on in the first-half, the score would have been a lot different, but UNC definitely fought hard.

 

Redick scored 22 of his 35 points in the second half and drained five 3-pointers. Carolina’s Reyshawn Terry had a big night with 17 points. The forward provided a surge of energy for the Heels early in the first half to keep the game fairly close. But come halftime, his team just couldn’t hang on.

 

Hansbrough added 14 points and 9 rebounds. Duke’s Josh McRoberts overpowered his counterpart, David Noel, with a season-high 17 points.

 

The game was hyped up, as it should be, but it shadowed over some other big games. No. 4 Villanova came back from being behind 12 points at halftime to beat Saint Joseph’s 71-58. Kyle Lowry stepped up big for the Wildcats, scoring 17 out of his 25 points in the second half. The win gave ‘Nova reign over the Big 5 – one of the most heated conference rivalries between Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, La Salle, Penn and Temple.