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Archives for November 22, 2025

Welcome to Duke vs. Carolina Rivalry

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CHAPEL HILL – Losses left Duke and North Carolina looking for something to square their attention on the task at hand this week.

So they have each other.

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The neighboring rivals meet Saturday in North Carolina, playing for the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of this annual matchup.

“The great thing about sports is redemption is always a week away,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “There will be no shortage of people who want to win the game on Saturday.”

The Blue Devils (5-5, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) pretty much had their aspirations of reaching the ACC championship game dashed with last week’s 34-17 loss to Virginia.

“(We need) the focus and fortitude to put it behind us and focus on what is a really, really important week for the program,” Diaz said. ” … All of our attention goes forward to getting a win on the road this weekend down in Chapel Hill.”

The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 28-12 loss at Wake Forest. The Tar Heels were held without a touchdown in a game for the first time since October 2016.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said he’s aware of the importance of the game regionally.

“Everybody knows each other pretty well, and (I’m) looking forward to being a participant in this event,” Belichick said.

If the Tar Heels want to participate in the postseason, they will need victories this week and next to reach 6-6 for the regular season. Up next is NC State (5-5).

North Carolina is averaging 18.7 points per game (16th out of 17 ACC teams), but has managed to stay within striking range in several games.

“They’re playing to their strength,” Diaz said. “They’re playing in low-scoring games that turn into one-score games.”

Duke is giving up 29.6 points per game, 13th in the ACC.

Duke’s offensive numbers look far superior to those for the Tar Heels. Quarterback Darian Mensah is averaging a league-best 300.7 passing yards per game, while Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard is averaging 70 rushing yards per game.

North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez has thrown for 158.3 yards per outing, with Demon June the team’s top rusher with 45.2 yards per game.

Prior to becoming Duke’s coach, Diaz said he made three visits to the New England Patriots when Belichick was still the coach there for what he referred to as “professional development” opportunities.

Duke, which already won games at Syracuse, Cal and Clemson, would finish off an undefeated road slate in ACC play with a win Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Big East Update: Nov. 22

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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS – Butler held a commanding 48-29 rebounding advantage in its win over South Carolina at the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday afternoon.  Xavier erased a 14-point second half deficit but ultimately fell, 78-77, against Georgia at the Shriners Children Charleston Classic.
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Butler 79, South Carolina 72 – Box Score 
The Bulldogs led wire-to-wire over the Gamecocks, jumping out to a double-digit lead early after a 10-0 run midway through the first half. Butler led by as many as 15 with 14 minutes to go.  Finley Bizjack led four Butler players in double-digits with 18 points, while Michael Ajayi posted his fifth consecutive double-double, with 15 points and 14 rebounds.  Butler’s 79 points was a season-low; its 92.4 points per game is good for 35th nationally.
Georgia 78, Xavier 77  – Box Score
Xavier powered back from 14 points down in the second half to take a 77-75 lead after a 3-pointer from All Wright with 1:38 to play.  Georgia connected on the game winning shot from beyond the arc with 11 seconds to go.  Tre Carroll posted his first double-double of the season, with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Wright and Jovan Milicevic each had 19.
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Three BIG EAST teams are in action today, beginning with 4-0 Georgetown hosting Wagner at noon.  Marquette and Central Michigan play at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Providence and Penn State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut at 4 p.m. ET.
ESPN+
Wagner at Georgetown – Noon ET – Watch
Jeremy Huber (pxp); Martin Bahar (analyst)
truTV
Central Michigan at Marquette – 2 p.m. ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst)
Providence vs. Penn State – 4 p.m. ET –
Brandon Gaudin (pxp); Robbie Hummel (analyst)

Nets Beat Celtics in NBA Cup

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. scored 33 points and Nic Claxton recorded his first career triple-double, fueling the visiting Nets to a 113-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday to salvage a split of their home-and-home series. Porter sank 13 of 21 shots from the floor — including 4 of 6 from 3-point range — to extend his career-best run of games with at least 20 points to eight in a row. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

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Brooklyn, which avenged its 113-99 home court setback on Tuesday, improved to 1-2 in NBA Cup Group B play. The Celtics, in turn, fell to 1-2.

Noah Clowney scored 19 points and Claxton had 18 to go along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Rookie Egor Demin added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Nets, who have recorded all three of their wins this season on the road.

Jaylen Brown collected 26 points and eight rebounds while dealing with foul trouble for the Celtics, and Anfernee Simons added 23 points off the bench.

Boston trimmed a 15-point deficit down to four at 96-94 following a 17-4 run to start the fourth quarter before Demin drained a crowd-silencing 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining. Porter sandwiched shots from the interior along with a 3-pointer to push Brooklyn’s lead to 106-97 with 2:50 to play. Neemias Queta made a tip-in to bring the Celtics within three points at 71-68 midway into the third quarter before the Nets ignited a 19-4 run. Ziaire Williams threw down a dunk in transition to cap the sequence.

Brooklyn capped a 40-point second quarter with an 11-2 run. Demin scored four points during that sequence and recorded a crucial steal and set up a Clowney for a layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Nets a 62-53 lead at halftime. Porter drained a 3-pointer to stake Brooklyn to a 19-12 lead with 5:14 remaining in the first before Boston began a 16-3 run to end the quarter. Payton Pritchard converted three times from beyond the arc and Luka Garza added a 3-pointer during that sequence and the Celtics took a 28-22 lead after 12 minutes.

Brooklyn converted 43 of 82 shots from the floor (52.4%), while Boston attempted eight more shots, but sank one less field goal (42 of 90, 46.7%).

–Field Level Media