Class.

This rivalry displayed it for the second straight time. In Durham, both teams kneeled around the center circle, arm-in-arm, and honored the legendary Dean Smith who had recently passed away. It was the kind of thing that we don't see enough in sports, especially among such fierce rivals. Saturday, North Carolina recognized Mike Krzyzewski's milestone of passing 1,000 wins before the game and though the ovation was a bit awkward, it was honest and well-received by the Duke coach, who bowed and paid homage to the Smith Center crowd.

It's what good, clean, rivalries should be about. Trying to beat the hell out of one another during the game, but respecting each other before and after.

That, and the odd kick here and there. Seriously, Justise Winslow, what was that about?

Class also can be used to describe a group, as in freshmen. The Duke freshmen class scored 58 of the Blue Devils' 84 points in the seven point win Saturday night led by guard Tyus Jones. The Apple Valley, Minnesota native was -- again -- the best player in short pants for either team, scoring a game-high 24 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 7 assists and just 1 turnover while playing a good chunk of the second half with back spasms.

Oh, and he didn't hit the rim more than once in converting all 12 of his free throws.

His fellow first-timers were good as well. Jahlil Okafor, who will probably win the ACC Player of the Year Award in the coming hours, scored 14 points in what was, for him, a quiet night. Grayson Allen, who is just now becoming a factor in reserve role, added seven. And, Winslow "kicked" in 13 with a couple of steals before his night dissolved amid a sea of cheap, unacceptable fouls. But, the best of the group was Jones.

Some players just have IT. And, though "it" can't really be defined, Tyus has truckloads of it. He just has a feel for the game, for competition, for understanding what his team needs at the given moment. He's fearless, wise beyond his years -- his 18 years! Yep, he won't turn 19 until the middle of May. I'm not comparing him to any player, so don't misunderstand this, but Derek Jeter had "it". Mike Bibby had "it". This kid, he's got it.

Jones did it to the Heels in Durham, scoring Duke's final nine points in regulation to force overtime and overall scoring 14 of his 22 points in the final 10 1/2 minutes of the Blue Devils' 92-90 overtime win. Saturday night, he did it again. Sometimes it's not how many you score, but when you score. Well, Jones checked off both boxes. Eleven of his points came in the decisive 6-minute stretch of the second half as Duke took a tight game and blew it to smithereens.

Coming off a Tar Heels turnover, Jones nailed a three-pointer from just left of the top of the key, then Carolina coughed it up again, and Jones found senior Quinn Cook (20 points, 4-for-10 on 3-pointers) on the right side for a second long-range shot and suddenly, The Devils led the game by nine, 68-59. He would score eight more the rest of the way, the final half dozen coming at the free throw line. The kid is so cool I think Ice Water has Tyus Jones running through it's veins.

Typically, freshman point guards do not fare well in the NCAA tournament. It's not an absolute, for sure, but as a general rule, the tournament has not been kind to freshman in that role. Even in the one-and-done era, first year points have little to show in the way of NCAA hardware. Sure, Marquis Teague was Kentucky's point guard in 2012, but his job was really just to not screw it up and let Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd Gilchrist do a lot of the heavy lifting. Other than that, you have to go back to Gerry McNamara and Syracuse in 2003 to find a freshman point guard with a pair of scissors in his hand the first Monday night in April. No, I'm not forgetting Carmelo Anthony, I'm just illustrating a point. Or, in this case, a point guard.

I'm not saying that Tyus Jones is going to win a national championship this year, but his being 18 years of age isn't going to be the reason they didn't should Duke come up short. This kid has it, tons of it. And, on a night that started with class, he carried his freshman class to the finish line of the regular season.