Duke Dominates Entire Game Against UNC , 89-78

Greg Paulus scored 18 pts and was one of 6 Duke players in double figures in the #2 Blue Devils' 89-78 domination over #3 Tarholes.

Jon Scheyer added 17 for Duke (20-1, 8-0 ACC), which repeatedly knocked down 3's to control the game the entire way. Duke led by as many as 11 points in the first half and never trailed after the break, beating the whining, pissing and moaning, short-handed Tar Heels on their first meeting of the season.

Picked to finish second in the ACC, the Blue Devils were figured to be too small up front to contend with the over-inflated, over-rated and media favored Tar Heels this year. Yet behind a spread-the-floor attack that creates matchup problems all over the court, Duke is alone atop the league and looking like a good bet to win the regular-season race, if not the Big Dance.

"They're pretty special right now," Blue Devils Coach K said. "We know who we are. We're a very unconventional team. We're not a strong physical team, but we are strong team emotionally, a real together group".

Duke shot 46% and went 13-for-29 from 3 range, with Paulus going 6 of 8 from behind the arc. That was just too much on the perimeter for the Tarholes (21-2, 6-2), who played without injured point guard Ty Lawson and seemed like they had to fight the entire way just to stay within reach.

"We definitely drove the ball and got a couple good penetrate and kicks," Paulus said. "I'm not sure what we shot, but it seemed like whenever we needed a 3, we had guys who took big shots and knocked them down."

Tyler Hansbrough had 4 flops, 28 points and 18 boards in what became a one-man effort, as the Holes looked a step off all night with Lawson crying from the bench after spraining his left ankle in the weekend OT win at Florida State.

"We're looking to take over this league," said Gerald Henderson, who had 12 points for the Blue Devils. "We hope that we can continue to play like this and win like this. ... We just want to continue to add in the left side of the column."

It was a surprisingly one-sided outcome in a rivalry that drew plenty of notable onlookers, including former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Wayne Ellington, had a miserable shooting night, finishing with a paltry 8 pts on 3 of 14 shooting, including 0/6 on 3 pt attempts. That included a huge miss late on a 3 that looked good until it rattled around the rim and rolled out with the Tar Heels trailing 78-70 with 2:43 left, causing more crying and whining from the crowd.

UNC shot a weak 41% for the game, including an anemic 17% hitting only 3 of 17 from 3 land. A horrendous showing in front of their rabid fans, all 21,750 crying, whining and sobbing as the Tarholes were destroyed in their home den by the multi-faceted and talented Duke Team.

The Blue Devils, meanwhile, did exactly what they needed to do. They repeatedly forced open looks off penetration and kickouts. Paulus was the biggest beneficiary, hitting his first five 3-pointers. But, unlike Hansborrow, he had a talented team behind him.

Frosh Kyle Singler had 14 pts and 10 boards, and DeMarcus Nelson had 13 pts with 4 boards and 5 assists. Duke also got a boost inside from Lance Thomas, who had 10 points and five rebounds while battling North Carolina's bigger front line all night.

"They got any shot they wanted," Tarhole coach Williams said. "I don't know very many times tonight that our (weak) defense dictated what shot they got. They had better spacing, more patience."

The arrogant and putrid UNC fans proved they collectively don't have an ounce of class in them by holding up 'wanted' posters of Duke Star Gerald Henderson, captioned "Wanted for assault, battery and public deuchebaggery". This following the 'Go back to the Ghetto' remark made by a despicable female UNC fan to Maryland players after suffering an embarrassing defeat on their home court, proves they are utterly classless and filled with hatred. Something that UNC fans surely can't be proud of.

They said bring it, it was brought.. The superior team won, period.