CHAPEL HILL – Welcome to the Duke-UNC basketball rivalry, Harrison Ingram.

Ingram was smiling, laughing, talking – and, most importantly, getting it done with his scoring and rebounding for the Tar Heels on Roy Williams Court in his debut against the Blue Devils.

There was even a moment where Ingram had a brief chest-to-chest interaction with Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. By the time the clock hit triple zeroes at the Smith Center on Saturday, No. 3 UNC had earned a 93-84 victory against No. 7 Duke in the first top-10 matchup between the Tobacco Road rivals since 2019.

Ingram had 21 points – his most as a Tar Heel – and 13 rebounds in a double-double showing to help UNC (18-4, 10-1 ACC) beat Duke (16-5, 7-3) for the first time since Jon Scheyer took over as head coach.

Ingram also knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers as four Tar Heels finished in double figures. Armando Bacot had 25 points and 10 rebounds to join Ingram in the double-double club. RJ Davis had 17 points and Seth Trimble scored 10 points for UNC.

UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot bullies Duke

In his first nine games against Duke, Bacot averaged 15.1 points and 9.4 rebounds with three straight double-double performances. Make it four in a row for Bacot, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in his last game against the Blue Devils at the Smith Center. Bacot's too-small taunt after a three-point play was a fitting celebration for his performance.

PUSHING THE PACE: Armando Bacot, UNC basketball overwhelm Duke with a vintage trait of the Tar Heels

INGRAM'S JOY: UNC basketball's Harrison Ingram giving Tar Heels something Hubert Davis loves to see

BACOT'S DUKE MEMORIES: UNC basketball's Armando Bacot has mixed memories vs. Duke – but this time's different

Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach tried to keep Duke close, but turnovers crushed the Blue Devils

Jared McCain (21 points) and Jeremy Roach (20 points) combined for 41 points to lead the Blue Devils, who didn’t get the consistent contributions they needed from other players aside from Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski finished with 22 points and five rebounds, but Duke’s bench was outscored 14-6 and the Blue Devils had 10 turnovers that the Tar Heels (who had five turnovers) turned into 17 points. Duke is 2-9 under Scheyer when it has 10 or more turnovers and gets bested by an opponent from 3-point range.

UNC overwhelms Duke with first-half pace

It was a frenetic start with one timeout in the first 12-plus minutes, which favored UNC. Playing at its preferred pace, UNC had 10 points off six Duke turnovers and a 12-3 advantage in fast-break points in the first 20 minutes. Even with the hectic pace, the Tar Heels finished the first half with one turnover and 10 assists. UNC led 45-35 at halftime, using a 14-7 spurt in the final four minutes to create separation.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at @rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Harrison Ingram, Armando Bacot star in UNC basketball's win vs. Duke