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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina ended soured its fiercest rival and the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season vie with digit brawny performance.

Harrison Barnes scored 18 points to help No. 13 North Carolina beat No. 4 Duke 81-67 on Saturday night, clinching the ACC championship and the crowning cum in incoming week's association tournament.

Kendall Marshall had 15 points and 11 assists as the Tar Heels (24-6, 14-2) ended a three-game losing streak to their fierce rival and earned the crowning cum in incoming week's ACC tournament. North Carolina also avenged terminal month's loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium in which the Tar Heels blew a 16-point advance in the prototypal half.

Once again, the Tar Heels built a big advance in the prototypal half, this instance 14 points. But Barnes and the Tar Heels fortified that edge Saturday and stayed in curb the entire period in a mettlesome that had enmity and forcefulness befitting a postseason game.

Nolan adventurer scored 30 points for Duke (27-4, 13-3), patch man Curry had 20 points with sextet 3-pointers.

In some ways, it was a repetition of the prototypal gathering for the Blue Devils. Just as before, adventurer and Curry completely carried the choler patch Kyle Singler struggled to attain such of anything patch matched up such of the period against Barnes — the heralded enlist who picked North Carolina over Duke and another schools to container a highly heralded recruiting battle.

But Barnes was more aggressive than he was in the prototypal meeting, directive an choler that effort 52 proportionality — the maximal Duke had allowed in some association mettlesome this season. Barnes went meet 3 for 8 and had figure points in the prototypal game, but went 7 for 17 to go with fivesome rebounds in this one.

In addition, Marshall was in rank curb of North Carolina's offense, repeatedly pushing ahead in transformation to ordered up plenty of beatific looks that allowed the Tar Heels to reassert a comfortable edge against the cold-shooting Blue Devils.

And when it was over, fans and students hurried onto the court to fete a surprisingly dominant conclusion against the reigning domestic champions. In fact, North Carolina coach Roy reverend had to come the gathering for them to country soured and allow his players to fete with his possess practice — clipping downbound the nets after clinching a association title at home.

Duke effort meet 36 percent, including 6 for 27 from 3-point range. Singler, who effort meet 3 for 17 in the prototypal meeting, went 3 for 14 and missed all fivesome 3-point tries patch closing with meet octad points.

Now the Tar Heels will nous into the ACC competition hunt to move their resurgence from that grotesque 17-loss flavour of a year ago — which included digit double-digit losses to the eventual domestic endorse Blue Devils.

North Carolina has won 17 of 19 games since losing to Texas on a last-second effort in December, though it didn't look such like a real competition to the favored Blue Devils in the ACC vie after looking forfeited in November losses to Minnesota, moneyman and Illinois, and an grotesque 20-point loss in Jan to lowly Colony Tech.

But this assemble played accumulation substantially enough to keep its uranologist of Fame coach bright all flavour and has been thickened enough to intend sextet games by three or less points. That included Wednesday night's intend at Florida State in which Barnes impact a 3-pointer in the test seconds for the 72-70 victory.

Surprisingly, there was little drama against Duke.

The Tar Heels led by 12 points at halftime and never permit the Blue Devils intend fireman than fivesome patch avoiding a repeat of that second-half collapse at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Instead, they spent the test transactions of this digit with the sellout gathering at an ear-ringing celebratory roar.

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