Duke won its first matchup against North Carolina since Mike Krzyzewski retired on Saturday night, and even though both teams were unranked, the game still had the juice of a legendary rivalry.
While the 63-57 win gave Duke a big ACC win, it may have been more important for the Blue Devils to get back at UNC for how last season ended. The Tar Heels won Krzyzewski’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, then triumphed again when the two met in the Final Four for the first time ever. In that national semifinal matchup, UNC beat Duke in what would be Krzyzewski’s final game as Duke’s head coach.
Those losses were also crushing to former Duke forward Paolo Banchero, who entered the NBA draft after his lone season with the Blue Devils. Banchero attended Saturday night’s game and said afterward that the win helped him get over last season’s disappointment.
