Allen’s three ends seesawing by rivals

And when Krzyzewski himself missed four weeks – and seven games – while recovering from back surgery, many wondered if Duke would ever live up to its preseason No. 1 ranking.

The No. 8 Tar Heels will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the No. 18 Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils had three quality scorers – Grayson Allen (25), Luke Kennard (20) and Jayson Tatum (19). “To go on the road and beat a great Notre Dame team, we were just in tough, tough situations”, Tatum said after Thursday’s victory. “Now we’re coming together”.

The Ducks build the lead back to double-digit in the second half but the home side just wouldn’t go away. Whether it was the play or not, Grayson Allen’s 3 ball with 1:16 seconds left ultimately allowed Duke to prevail and win a huge game in their quest to March. They’re as healthy as they’ve been all season now and have five players averaging double digits in points, with Luke Kennard (19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds) leading the way. They also led the nation in rebounding margin grabbing an average of 13.7 more boards per game than their opponents.

The North Carolina roster is full of talented and experienced players coming off a national championship appearance past year.

Theo Pinson’s return couldn’t come at a more crucial time for No. 8 North Carolina.

If Duke is to slow down North Carolina’s potent offense, which is sixth nationally in adjusted points per possession, according to KenPom, then it is imperative that the Devils limit the Heels on the glass and once again neutralize Berry.

SOUTH DAKOTA 82, IPFW 55: Ciara Duffy scored 21 points and Abigail Fogg aded 20 as the Coyotes (20-5, 9-3 Summit League) shot 62.5 percent from the floor to defeat IPFW at the Gates Center.

“My teammates helped me in the second half and in the locker room”, Tatum said. I just saw the score pop up on my phone-seeing that the Heels gave up 86 points-and immediately became furious.

Nate Britt stood at the free throw line with 6:49 left on the game clock and connected to put the Tar Heels up on the Blue Devils, 61-60. The Bruins (22-3, 9-3 Pac-12) moved into a third-place tie with idle California in the league standings. Freshman point guard Seventh Woods made his most meaningful contribution since the start of the ACC schedule by making two of his three shots and handing out four assists with no turnovers in seven minutes.

Fortunately for Duke, Allen has recently emerged as a comfortable and competent ball handler. One source told me he’s learned to accept what he can’t control, and now look at him.

Duke has won five of six meetings with its fiercest rival. “By comparison, UNC is averaging roughly two more made 3s and almost five more attempts compared to Williams” first 13 seasons in Chapel Hill.