Boozer, No. 1 Duke take over after halftime to beat 17th-ranked rival North Carolina 76-61

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to help No. 1 Duke beat No. 17 North Carolina 76-61 on Saturday night in a rivalry rematch.

Maliq Brown added 15 points as Duke led by a single possession early after halftime before taking over with 16 unanswered points in what ballooned to a 24-2 surge.

The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) completed a second straight one-loss run through ACC regular-season play, this one coming a month after losing at North Carolina on Seth Trimble's last-second 3-pointer. Duke has won eight straight, including a neutral-court victory over then-No. 1 Michigan and a romp against No. 13 Virginia.

The loss capped a rough 24 hours for the Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6). They appeared on the verge of getting star Caleb Wilson back from a fractured left hand just in time for March Madness — and maybe this game — only for him to suffer a season-ending broken right thumb during a non-contact drill Thursday.

The freshman was on the bench with his right thumb wrapped in a black brace as North Carolina fell to 5-2 without him.

Derek Dixon had 17 points for North Carolina, which trailed just 47-44 on Trimble's drive with 16:45 left before Duke made its decisive push. The Tar Heels went six minutes without a point and managed one basket over more than 10 minutes as Duke blew the game open.

Duke played without starting big man Patrick Ngongba II, who sported a boot on his right foot after halftime after going without one before. Then starting point guard Caleb Foster came up hobbled with 4:51 left before halftime and checked out, grabbing at his right foot before leaving the bench area. He returned in the second half wearing a boot of his own on his right foot.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have a double-round bye to Thursday's quarterfinals at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, holding the No. 4 seed.

Duke: The Blue Devils play in Thursday's ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

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Duke's Dame Sarr (7) jumps to block a shot by North Carolina's Zayden High (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

Duke's Cameron Boozer (12) handles the ball as North Carolina's Zayden High, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker scored less than two minutes apart in the second period and the Buffalo Sabres held on to win their sixth game in a row, 3-2 over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Josh Doan scored 16 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 lead and Alex Lyon made 23 saves for Buffalo, which played the first of a five-game homestand and has now earned a point in 13 of its last 15 games.

Thompson extended his point streak to a career-best 10 games (six goals, five assists) with his goal with 7:21 to play in the second period. Zucker made it 2-1 with 5:43 to play in the period.

Zachary L’Heureux scored his first goal of the season to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 1:17 of the second period and Matthew Wood added a power-play goal with less than four minutes to play to pull Nashville within 3-2. Juuse Saros made 21 saves.

With an assist on L’Heureux's goal, Nashville’s Jonathan Marchessault now has 300 career NHL assists.

The Sabres are now 29-2-0 this season when they have the lead after two periods.

The Predators, coming off a 6-3 win over Boston, have now lost four of their last five games.

The game was Sam Carrick's first in a Buffalo uniform since he was acquired in a trade from the New York Rangers, and he played a critical role in the victory by winning two crucial faceoffs against Ryan O'Reilly in the final minutes.

Predators: Visit the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.

Sabres: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Nashville Predators left wing Zachary L'heureux (68) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault (81) is stopped by Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) makes a blocker save during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) falls in front of Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)