No. 1 Duke closed the regular season in dominant fashion Saturday night, defeating rival North Carolina 76-61 at Cameron Indoor Stadium while celebrating senior night.
Brown led the emotional night on the floor, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and five steals in a standout performance. Cameron Boozer added a double-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists as the Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1 ACC) avenged their earlier loss in Chapel Hill and finished the regular season atop the conference.
The Blue Devils led 39-34 at halftime behind 12 points from Boozer and maintained control early in the second half as Cayden Boozer and Cameron Boozer answered a quick North Carolina push.
The decisive stretch came midway through the half when Duke erupted for a 20-2 run. Dame Sarr sparked the surge with a corner 3-pointer, a steal and a fast-break dunk before Brown drilled a three to cap an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to double digits.
Duke’s defense finished the job, holding the Tar Heels to just 27 points after halftime.
The victory, however, came with concern as guard Caleb Foster exited late in the first half with a foot injury and did not return while Patrick Ngongba II never saw the court with a presumed foot injury. The Blue Devils still have to get through the ACC tournament, but will surely want its two starters back before the official start of March Madness. But, for now they will have plenty of time to enjoy this win, earning a double-bye in the conference tournament.
Dame got Cameron rockin ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZiXwgp4Zko— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026
Dame got Cameron rockin ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZiXwgp4Zko
Duke honored its three seniors before tipoff in its regular-season home finale against North Carolina, recognizing Maliq Brown, Cameron Sheffield and Jack Scott for their contributions to the program. With Duke up big, all three seniors got to share the court together to finish the game.
- Brown: A transfer from Syracuse, became one of the nation’s premier defensive players during his time in Durham. He's led the country in defensive box plus-minus this season and emerged as a versatile frontcourt anchor, highlighted by his elite efficiency around the rim and disruptive presence on-ball.
- Sheffield: Joined Duke after three seasons at Rice, where he started 55 games and averaged 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds as a junior in 2022-23. In Durham, he provided veteran depth and experience while appearing in key rotation minutes and earning NCAA Tournament action last season.
- Scott: Arrived from Princeton after three seasons with the Tigers, where he appeared in 67 games and helped provide frontcourt depth. Scott brought experience and versatility to the Blue Devils’ roster during his time in Durham.
Senior Night frames! 📸 pic.twitter.com/yYDKctGVJm — Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026
After North Carolina cut the deficit to just three, Duke went on a 20-2 run, currently on a 16-0 run, its longest run in ACC play this season. They've been dominant on the board and continue to force UNC into careless turnovers as the Tar Heels have lost the ball five times during the run with the Blue Devils turning defense into offense.
Cam is elite pic.twitter.com/Lu1ni6Z4CC — Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026
Duke is challenged an out-of-bounds call between Zayden High and Sarr on the baseline. Was ruled initially ruled UNC ball, but after the review the challenge was successful, giving Jon Scheyer another challenge to use later on.
Sarr has been all over the place tonight. 10 points, three rebounds, a block and a steal in 26 minutes.
In other Duke health related news, Patrick Ngongba II entered the Blue Devil's regular-season finale against North Carolina as a game-time decision due to foot soreness and was not officially ruled out before tipoff. However, the sophomore center did not start and now appears unlikely to play after coming out of halftime wearing a walking boot and without a jersey.
Duke caught fire from beyond the arc as Dame Sarr buried his second corner 3-pointer out of the timeout to extend the lead to nine.
A few possessions later, Sarr stripped Derek Dixon and this time the fast break dunk counted to push Duke ahead 55-44.
Maliq Brown then knocked down a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 Duke run, forcing North Carolina to call a timeout trailing 58-44.
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026
North Carolina's Derek Dixon opened the second half with a 3-pointer that cut Duke’s lead to two, but Cayden Boozer, starting in place of the injured Foster, answered with a basket to push the lead back out.
Moments later, his brother Cameron Boozer knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to hold off a pressing North Carolina team that had trimmed the deficit to one point.
The Boozer brothers continued to lead the way as Cayden Boozer connected from beyond the arc to push Duke to the half-century mark. The Blue Devils lead 50-44 with 15:21 remaining in the second half.
Both squads are 4-of-7 to start the half, while Duke is 3-of-5 from deep to open the second half.
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 8, 2026
North Carolina knocked down a pair of free throws out the timeout to cut the deficit to single digits, but Cam Boozer answered by showing his court vision. Boozer found Dame Sarr in the corner for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 25-24.
Motiejus Veesaar responded with a 3-pointer of his own from the top of the key, a shot he hits at a 41% clip this season. Later in the half, Derek Dixon buried a transition 3-pointer with 1:46 remaining, cutting the lead to 35-32 and pulling North Carolina within one possession as the Tar Heels continued to build momentum.
The teams then exchanged buckets, with Duke stretching its lead to 39-34. North Carolina took a 30-second timeout with two seconds left in the half hoping to get a final shot, but Duke held on to take a five-point lead into halftime.
Boozer led the way with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists at the break. Maliq Brown added 10 points with three steals and a block. North Carolina spread the scoring around, with three players scoring eight or more points. Veesaar led the Tar Heels with nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 8, 2026
Duke guard Caleb Foster went down with an apparent right ankle or foot injury late in the first half. He immediately grabbed at his lower right leg on a defensive possession and walked off gingerly before heading to the bench. Athletic trainers evaluated him as he punched the seat in frustration and lowered his head into his hands.
Despite the setback, Duke maintained control of the game. The Blue Devils led 32–22 at the four‑minute timeout.
With 10:42 left in the first half, a scramble for a loose ball initially resulted in a UNC possession, but officials overturned the call and awarded the ball to Duke. The Blue Devils capitalized immediately, as Darren Harris knocked down two free throws to push the lead to 21–13.
North Carolina turned it over on the next trip, and Cam Boozer buried an open three in transition to stretch the margin to 11 and cap a 9–0 Duke run.
The Tar Heels missed six straight shots before Jarin Stevenson finally ended the drought with a reverse layup off a feed from Henri Veesaar at the 8:49 mark, cutting the deficit to 24–15. Veesaar followed with a block on the defensive end, helping UNC force a shot‑clock violation, and drew a foul on the next possession as the game headed into another media timeout.
DAME 🚫 pic.twitter.com/beAF6udc7K — Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026
The game opened as a fast‑paced back‑and‑forth stretch, with both teams trading baskets and pushing the tempo. Neither side called a timeout or committed a foul in the first five minutes, and Duke held an 11–9 lead at the first stoppage.
Duke extended its edge to 17–13 when Dame Sarr appeared to score on a fast‑break dunk, but officials waved it off for a travel with just under seven minutes gone. After the under‑12 media timeout, Duke’s Maliq Brown led all scorers with eight quick points, while UNC’s Seth Trimble paced the Tar Heels with six early.
CAM TO FREAK 🔨 pic.twitter.com/cMctaWB8Wn — Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 7, 2026
The Blue Devils and Tar Heels are minutes away from tip off in a matchup that has shaped decades of college basketball. Duke enters as the ACC regular season champion and the nation’s No. 1 team. UNC arrives shorthanded without Caleb Wilson but riding momentum after winning six of its last seven. And of course, everyone here remembers how the last meeting ended: I know Seth Trimble sure does.
