University of North Carolina Athletics
May's Effort One Of The Best In Duke-Carolina Rivalry
March 8, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2005
CAR-O-LINES
by Rick Brewer, Sports Information Director Emeritus
It was an effort reminiscent of some by players like Larry Miller, Charlie Scott, Phil Ford and Antawn Jamison.
Sean May was that spectacular in leading Carolina to its 75-73 win over Duke last Sunday. He dominated inside as no one else in the history of this series with 26 points and 24 rebounds.
He also had three assists and a couple of steals, once intercepting a pass at midcourt and sprinting for a breakaway dunk.
The Tar Heels needed all that to beat the Blue Devils in another of those games that have made this the best rivalry in college athletics.
"You just saw a fantastic game," said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski afterwards. "Our kids really played hard. But, we lost to some great players, a great program and a great coach. "
May had 17 of his points and nine rebounds in the first half as Carolina took a 47-41 lead. But, the Tar Heels struggled in the second half, scoring just 28 points on 30.3 percent shooting. Both teams played outstanding defense and Duke was especially effective in that second half.
Carolina had gone into the game as the best shooting team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but hit just 40.3 percent of its shots on Sunday. The Tar Heels made only one of 11 three-point attempts.
Almost everything had to come inside. May scored on short jumpers, offensive rebounds and a variety of moves for layups. Raymond Felton got his 11 points going to the basket and Jackie Manuel's five field goals were all on drives or tip-ins.
None of that came easy against a Duke defense led by Shelden Williams who finished with six blocked shots. Twice he even blocked what were going to be Carolina dunks. Though the majority of the Tar Heel points came inside, they were all hard earned. May made sure there were enough.
"He was incredible," said Krzyzewski. "Twenty-six points and 24 rebounds in a Duke-Carolina game? That's a remarkable individual performance by a really good kid."
May has worked hard to become the player he has been this year.
"I think all the off-season conditioning I did is paying off," said May. "I don't need as many breathers as I have in the past. I know I'm running better and am stronger. But, I also know I can keep improving."
Starting with the game against Duke in Durham, May has now had eight straight double-doubles. He had 23 points and 18 rebounds against the Blue Devils that night.
May certainly wasn't the only star for Carolina last Sunday. Manuel and David Noel did as good a job as possible against J.J. Redick. Redick scorched the Tar Heels for 17 points in the first half, but failed to score in the final 20 minutes.
"We kept alternating Jackie and David on him," said Carolina Coach Roy Williams. "He's constantly moving, coming off screens for shots. Plus, he's gotten so much better at putting the ball on the floor and creating his own shot. We just wanted to keep a fresh player on him and try to get his legs tired."
That probably was a factor in Redick missing all six of his shots in the second half.
"He still got some open looks," said Krzyzewski, "but he is human. And give them credit for playing really good defense. It was that combination."
Despite Redick going scoreless in the second half, Duke stayed close all the way. Lee Melchionni simply replaced Redick as the Blue Devils' outside threat. The two reversed their scoring columns. Melchionni was scoreless in the first half, but hit five of eight three-pointers after intermission, finishing with 15 points. He and Shelden Williams combined for 27 of Duke's 32 second-half points.
The final minutes were similar to the first game between the two teams. Carolina trailed 69-61 with 4:02 left in Durham before rallying to within 71-70 in the closing seconds. The Tar Heels had the ball with a chance to win at the end, but couldn't get off a good shot.
Duke had a 73-64 lead with three minutes on the clock last weekend, but never scored again. Carolina started an 11-point run with a field goal by Jawad Williams and two free throws by Marvin Williams. May was fouled as he scored on an offensive rebound and then added the free throw.
A deflection by Noel led to a turnover and Felton was fouled going to the basket with 19 seconds to go. He made his first free throw, but the second rimmed out. The ball was tipped in the air allowing Marvin Williams to grab it and hit a short jumper while being fouled. His free throw accounted for the game's final point as Redick and Daniel Ewing missed jumpers in the last 10 seconds.
It's impossible to list all the great performances by Carolina players in the Duke series. Jamison had 22 points and 19 rebounds in the 1998 ACC Tournament finals, sparking an 83-58 victory. Ford scored 34 points in his final home game, an 87-83 win over the Blue Devils in 1978.
Miller and Scott turned in two of the best performances in ACC Tournament history against Duke. Miller hit 13 of 14 shots from the floor and finished with 32 points in the 1967 finals.
Two years later Scott played what is regarded as the greatest game ever in the ACC finals. He hit 17 of 23 shots from the floor and had 40 points as he rallied his team to an 85-74 win. With Dick Grubar injured and Rusty Clark and Bill Bunting in deep foul trouble, Scott scored 27 points in the second half as the Tar Heels came back from a 43-34 halftime deficit.
May's effort last Sunday wasn't as dramatic as those, but it helped Carolina clinch the outright ACC regular-season title. It may also help make him the Player of the Year in the ACC. It was that kind of performance.
