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Off the cuff: You didn't think a Carolina-Duke game was going to be a blow out did you? The Tar Heels were up by 16 with less than six minutes to play but no one left the arena or stopped watching on TV. Still, Carolina has to have a bit of a bad taste in its mouth after having to hang on. Maybe that will serve them well going up against No. 1 Virginia in the championship game. The Tar Heels also should want to show they are better than the team that shot 30 percent against Virginia and turned the ball over 19 times in a losing effort earlier in the season. The Carolina-Duke game was a weird one. Carolina got off to a 13-point lead as Duke was only two of 10 from the field and turned the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes. But Wendell Carter and Marvin Bagley, offensively and defensively, got the Devils back in it. Grayson Allen showing his butt, literally, seemed to motivate Carolina as he picked up the flagrant foul against Garrison Brooks. Brooks hit both free throws and scored 10 points as Carolina's bench outscored Duke's bench 16-0. The media tried to get some comment from Allen and Coach K about the less-than-classy flagrant foul. After being pressed, Coach K said, "Do you think that was the only time someone was hipped in the game?" My answer would have been, "yeah, I do." The officiating was suspect as there were some phantom fouls and then guys getting hacked wasn't called. But that's not unusual for a Carolina-Duke game. They let things go but then try to reign in the emotions with the phantom fouls. UNC's Cam Johnson was unfairly called for a fould when Gary Trent kicked his leg out as if a signal to the official that he was fouled. Johnson had a couple of big baskets but a couple of ill-advised long threes that missed late in the game helped Duke during that 13-0 run. Carolina will have to shoot better and not be as sloppy in order to beat Virginia in the championship game.
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