No. 8 UNC topped No. 2 Duke, 81–77, on a Saturday night in a matchup that electrified fans from start to finish. A huge call in the game’s closing moments, however, will likely be one of the most memorable moments of the night for Blue Devils fans.
Trailing 79-76 with 15 seconds to go, Blue Devils guard Trevor Keels secured a pass from forward Wendell Moore on the fastbreak, pump faked from the three-point line and drove towards the basket.
Just before Keels could begin his shooting motion, Tar Heels guard Puff Johnson slapped his arm to draw a foul, but the Duke guard finished the play with a lay-up. Initially, the basket appeared to count as Keels signaled for an and-1, but the refs appeared to make the right call by whistling the play dead just before Keels’s bucket.
A stunned Keels would end up going to the line for two shots as the Duke bench and the rowdy fans sitting behind them looked on in shock.
Rather than earning Duke two points and a free throw, Keels would make his first attempt before missing the second, allowing UNC guard Caleb Love to corral the rebound and ice the game with two free throws of his own.
The potentially game-changing sequence could have led to a different outcome for Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski. But, in the end, the play will likely go down as one of the bigger “What ifs” in program history on a night when Coach K’s legendary career officially came to an end.
