The search for a silver lining is difficult. The North Carolina Tar Heels were down by as much as 32 last night and, after the 16:00 mark of the first half, were never in the game. After the game was decided, though, Carolina did show some life in the second half. Or at least they took advantage of Duke lifting their collective foot off the gas.
The 17 point loss is awful, but looks a lot better than it should. In fact, UNC outscored Duke in the second half.
Drake Powell continued to fight in the second half, despite the futility of the effort, but it was not a great start for Powell.