Duke guard Brandon Ingram talks about how this rivalry game against North Carolina was different than other games throughout the season. (0:56)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – As far as Duke-North Carolina games go, this meeting didn’t have quite the buildup as in past years. The Blue Devils’ three-game losing streak and subsequent drop in the polls made it seem as if Wednesday's game would be lopsided, even after Duke reappeared in the top 25 this week.

Thank goodness the game isn’t played on paper. Duke’s 74-73 victory ended up being another classic in a rivalry full of them.

Player of the year?

Brice Johnson had the kind of big game in an actual big game that helps win awards. The ACC Player of the Year race has plenty of worthy candidates, including two others who were on the floor at the Dean Smith Center. Johnson's play overshadowed that of Duke’s Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram in the first half.

For the third time this season, Johnson posted a double-double in a half. (The other two times came against Florida State.)

Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon and N.C. State’s Anthony "Cat" Barber will be in the POY conversation, too. But Johnson’s 29 points and 19 rebounds against the Blue Devils is one of those special performances that stays etched in the minds of voters when it comes time to cast ballots.

Ingram shines

Carolina spent as much time recruiting Ingram as just about any player in Roy Williams’ tenure. It could have been a tough game for Ingram, getting booed just about every time he touched the ball early on. But the Kinston, North Carolina, native shrugged off a 2-of-10 performance in the first half and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Duke. Ingram went 5-for-11 in the second half.

Razor thin

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has ended several postgame news conferences by saying his team can’t afford another injury. So seeing Matt Jones go down in the first half with a left ankle injury not only changed how the Blue Devils played against Carolina, it could ruin the rest of the season if he’s out for long.

The Blue Devils were already operating with a short rotation when senior forward Amile Jefferson suffered a foot injury in December. Jones, who has started all 26 games, was like an elder statesman in the backcourt. If he has to miss an extended period, Allen and freshmen Derryck Thornton and Luke Kennard might never leave the court. Duke’s guard rotation has been limited to those four players all season.