‘The Shoe Game.’ On UNC’s blowout Duke win, Zion Williamson and busted sneakers.
It was probably going to be hard for the actual game between Duke and North Carolina to match up to the hype that preceded it. It seemed as though everyone in the sports world wanted to see the game Wednesday night.
It was the most talked about thing on many of the “talking head” shows all day. ESPN ran a countdown, across its networks, as the game got close. Celebrities, including a former president, came to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch.
Probably the player everyone wanted to see most was Duke’s sensational freshman Zion Williamson, but Williamson went down with an injury less than a minute into the game, when his foot literally burst through his shoe and forced him to land awkwardly. President Obama had the call (and later some well wishes).
Williamson played 33 seconds. The game was never what everyone expected.
Without Williamson, Duke seemed a little lost. North Carolina went up by more than 20 points in the second half and took a surprisingly easy 88-72 win.
Of course, Duke was severely hampered playing without its best player and probably the best player in the nation, but Tar Heels fans would point out that wing Leaky Black (ankle) and center Sterling Manley (knee) also didn’t play. After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Williamson suffered a mild knee sprain. He didn’t know how long his star would be out.
Still, any win, for either side, is reason for a social media celebration. And Wednesday belonged to the Tar Heels and star Luke Maye. Maye had 30 points, 15 rebounds and made 14-of-24 shots.
Zion’s bizarre injury
Zion Williamson broke his shoe on the first possession of the game. He literally busted through his white Nike shoe and appeared to clutch his left knee. Williamson was wearing the Nikes that are made for NBA player Paul George (Williamson wore adidas in high school and in summer ball).
It will no doubt be one of the many memorable storylines this rivalry has produced (and create a few memes Nike won’t like very much).
“What a bizarre happening to start a game,” announcer Jay Bilas said.
Williamson was taken into the Duke locker room. Later in the half, Duke officials announced that Williamson would not return for the game. Popular online sports doc Dr. David Chao wrote that he believes Williamson has a mild MCL injury and should be back for the ACC Tournament.
Chao is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon/sports medicine specialist who spent 17 years (1997-2013) as the head team physician for the San Diego Chargers.
And of course, social media had a lot to say, including the best basketball player in the world and a former ACC star from Louisville. A sampling.
First half 3-point shooting?
Duke and UNC both wanted to play fast during the first half. Both teams also took a lot of 3-pointers.
And both teams missed a lot of 3-pointers.
UNC led 42-32 at half, but went 1-of-14 from distance. Duke? It was 2-20. The difference was North Carolina scored 34 points near the basket.
For the game, Duke was 8-for-39 from 3 and North Carolina was 2-20. But the Tar Heels finished with more than 60 points inside.
Spike and the Prez
About a half-hour before tip time, former President Barack Obama walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium to a huge applause. Filmmaker Spike Lee and baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. were at the game, too.
Obama sat courtside with former Duke player Reggie Love, a close friend of the former President who once his personal aide.
Obama scrimmaged with Roy Williams’ Tar Heels in 2008 during his first presidential campaign, and he hosted teams from both schools at the White House after they won national championships. UNC came in 2009; Duke in 2010 and ‘15.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 11:10 PM with the headline "‘The Shoe Game.’ On UNC’s blowout Duke win, Zion Williamson and busted sneakers.."
