TOP 25 MEN: Tar Heels hit boards to beat Duke

In the final five minutes of another heated Duke-North Carolina men’s basketball game, the ACC’s best rebounding team wouldn’t let the Blue Devils have but one shot each time down the floor.

That’s how fifth-ranked North Carolina came away with a 79-73 victory over Duke on Wednesday night in front of a sweaty, unhappy sellout crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.

With the Devils missing too many free throws and not getting extra chances, there was no way to make up ground once UNC went ahead on Brandan Wright’s inside bucket with 4:37 left.

The Tar Heels crafted that lead after Carolina coach Roy Williams inserted perhaps his best defensive players, and not coincidentally giving the Heels a more mature lineup on the floor with Bobby Frasor, Wes Miller and Marcus Ginyard.

Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson drove for a score to put Duke up 50-40 with 16:47 left in the game. The Heels put the clamps on the Devils, who went scoreless for more than 5 minutes.

Duke led 52-47 until Miller, taking a pass from Hansbrough, who was double-teamed, drained a wide-open 3-pointer from the wing. Hansbrough scored from the baseline to tie it at 52.

(1) Florida 71, Georgia 61: At Athens, Ga., Corey Brewer scored 18 points, Al Horford added 17 and the Gators (22-2, 9-0 Southeastern Conference) pulled away for a victory over the Bulldogs (13-9, 5-5).

(4) Wisconsin 71, Penn State 58: At State College, Pa., Alando Tucker scored 24 points, Michael Flowers added 12 and the Badgers (23-2, 9-1 Big Ten) pulled away to beat the Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-8).

(7) Pittsburgh 60, West Virginia 47: At Morgantown, W.Va., Sam Young scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Panthers (21-3, 9-1 Big East) to a win over the Mountaineers (18-5, 7-4).

(9) Kansas 97, Kansas State 70: At Lawrence, Kan., Brandon Rush scored 18 points and the Jayhawks (20-4, 7-2 Big 12) routed the Wildcats (17-7, 6-3).

(11) Marquette 67, Rutgers 47: At Milwaukee, Ousmane Barro had 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles (21-4, 8-2 Big East) to a win over the Scarlet Knights (9-15, 2-9).

Oklahoma 67, (17) Oklahoma State 60: At Norman, Okla., Nate Carter scored six of his 18 points in the final minutes to help the Sooners (14-8, 5-4 Big 12) preserve a win over the Cowboys (18-5, 4-4).

(18) Alabama 80, Mississippi State 79: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Ronald Steele drove the length of the court for a layup with 6.7 seconds left to give the Crimson Tide (18-5, 4-5) a victory over the Bulldogs (12-10, 3-6).

(20) Kentucky 95, South Carolina 89: At Lexington, Ky., Ramel Bradley scored 21 points and Bobby Perry added a season-high 18 to help the Wildcats (18-5, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) beat the Gamecocks (12-10, 2-7).

(21) Southern Illinois 60, Bradley 50: At Carbondale, Ill., Tony Young scored 25 points to lift the Salukis (20-5, 10-3) to a victory over the Braves (16-9, 7-6) and remain tied atop the Missouri Valley Conference.

(22) Georgetown 73, Louisville 65: At Louisville, Ky., Roy Hibbert scored 20 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Hoyas (17-5, 7-2 Big East) past the Cardinals (16-8, 6-4).