Duke’s 2001 Dominance: The Night They Proved They Didn’t Need Carlos Boozer to Crush UNC
In 2001, Duke was a team destined for greatness. They had the look, the swagger, and the depth of a championship squad, and as it turned out, even losing a key piece like Carlos Boozer couldn’t derail them.
When the Blue Devils took the court against archrival North Carolina, they were without Boozer, their powerful starting center, who was sidelined with a foot injury. For many teams, losing such a critical presence in the paint might have been a death blow. For Duke? It was just another challenge to overcome. Coach Mike Krzyzewski rolled out a starting lineup featuring Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, Casey Sanders, Chris Duhon, and the electric Jason Williams. This group wasn’t just ready to compete—they were ready to dominate.
On the other side, North Carolina was in a completely different place. The Tar Heels were entering the first year of what would quickly become the disastrous Matt Doherty era. Their starting five of Jason Capel, Kris Lang, Brendan Haywood, Ronald Curry, and Joseph Forte had talent but lacked cohesion, direction, and the killer instinct that UNC teams of old were known for. Even with future NFL star Julius Peppers on the bench as a football walk-on, Carolina didn’t have enough firepower to match Duke’s relentless attack.
At first, the game carried the feel of a classic Duke-UNC showdown: tight play, fierce energy, and the sense that anything could happen. But that illusion didn’t last long. Midway through the first half, the Blue Devils flipped the switch. What followed was a devastating 19–1 run that ripped the game wide open and silenced any hope of a Tar Heel upset. By halftime, it was clear—this wasn’t going to be one of those back-and-forth classics. This was a statement.
Duke smothered UNC defensively, holding them to a miserable 29% shooting from the field. The Tar Heels failed to make a single three-pointer all night, a testament to Duke’s suffocating perimeter defense. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils thrived in transition, outscoring UNC 19–4 on fast breaks. Jason Williams orchestrated the offense with poise and explosiveness, Shane Battier showcased why he was one of the most complete players in college basketball, and Mike Dunleavy’s shooting kept UNC constantly on its heels.
The final score—79–53—wasn’t just a win; it was a dismantling. The victory sealed Duke’s third straight ACC title and further cemented their reputation as the team to beat heading into March.
For UNC, the loss was a harsh reality check. They managed to limp into the NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed in the South, but their season ended abruptly in the Round of 32 with a stunning 82–74 upset at the hands of Penn State. The cracks in Doherty’s program only widened from there. The very next year, North Carolina collapsed entirely, finishing a dismal 8–20. By 2003, Doherty’s infamous “intensity” had worn thin, and UNC had no choice but to force his resignation, paving the way for Roy Williams to take over and eventually restore the program to glory.
Duke, meanwhile, was just hitting its stride. The win over UNC was almost symbolic—a sign of the unstoppable force they were becoming. Without Boozer, they had proven they could adapt, persevere, and still dominate. And when Boozer returned in time for the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils became an even scarier juggernaut. They stormed through March Madness, winning every game by double digits, and capped off the season by cutting down the nets as national champions.
That 2001 championship would be the third of Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary career, but far from his last. Over the next two decades, Coach K would add two more national titles, becoming college basketball’s all-time winningest coach with 1,202 victories before retiring in 2022. Remarkably, this thrashing of UNC marked a milestone in that journey: it was win number 600 for Coach K, almost the perfect midpoint in one of the most iconic coaching careers in sports history.
Looking back, the 2001 Duke-UNC clash wasn’t just another rivalry game—it was a defining moment. It was proof that Duke’s championship DNA ran deeper than any single player. It was a night when legends like Battier and Williams showed why they’d be remembered among Duke’s greats. And it was a stark reminder to Carolina fans that, for a time, their most hated rival was operating on an entirely different level.
Duke didn’t just win that night—they sent a message to college basketball: We’re the best, and nothing’s going to stop us.
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