The Hurricanes (23-5) remain in first place in the conference with a 14-2 league record with two games remaining. They have clinched the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament. Duke improved to 25-4 and 12-4 in the ACC.

Kadji had 17 points and 10 rebounds for UM. Scott and Trey McKinney Jones added 10 points apiece. Larranaga started Reggie Johnson at center for the first time since December, and the 290-pound center had to endure taunts from the Duke students. “Eat more salad!” they chanted. He had an off night, going 0 for 5 in 17 minutes.

Quinn Cook, who had gone 1 for 12 against UM the last time, had 15 points Saturday. After nailing a three with two minutes to go, he slapped the floor, a nod to the Duke tradition. The Canes, on the urging of Sapp, had slapped the floor during that 27-point win in Coral Gables, and Cook never forgot it.

“That was an incredible atmosphere, the top in college basketball, in my opinion, and to see them that excited to beat us is a testament to all we’ve accomplished in this incredible historic season,” said UM senior center Julian Gamble, a native of Durham who knows about the Duke mystique better than anyone on the UM team. “Them respecting us as much as we respect them says a lot and means a lot. That was a great game between two great teams playing at the highest level.”

Krzyzewski concurred.

“This was a great ACC game,” Krzyzewski said. “Both teams were spectacular and then we were all privileged to see one of the performances of the ages, I think, by Ryan Kelly. Probably as good a performance as any player has had, a Duke player has had, at Cameron. Especially based on the fact he hasn’t played for two months.”

“I don’t know how that happened. But it did, we won and God bless America.”