Durham, N.C.\ ? Rashad McCants drove for a layup in the final minute and brought North Carolina within a point. The basket was significant for another reason — it provided the only fast-break points of the game for either team.

“We were fortunate that we were able to get back and not commit too many turnovers where they had runs,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We committed turnovers, but they didn’t have runs where they had the numerical advantage.”

By keeping the game almost entirely in the halfcourt, the Blue Devils and their vaunted defense simply were too much for North Carolina.

J.J. Redick scored 18 points, freshman DeMarcus Nelson added 16, and No. 7 Duke forced 23 turnovers to hold off the second-ranked Tar Heels, 71-70, Wednesday night.

They were held to their lowest point total since also scoring 70 in a victory at Indiana in December.

North Carolina squandered a chance to win in the final seconds, never getting a shot off after inbounding with 18 seconds left. David Noel dribbled the ball out of bounds just as the buzzer sounded, and the Cameron Crazies raced onto the court, celebrating the Blue Devils’ 15th victory in the past 18 games in this Tobacco Road rivalry.

“It seemed like a long time, and I was just hoping that that clock went down before they got a shot off,” Nelson said. “We played some great defense, and we made them try to do something that they weren’t ready for.”

Ewing finished with 15 points and helped the Blue Devils (18-2, 8-2) move into a first-place tie with North Carolina atop the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest trails both by one-half game.

Duke finished 21-of-22 from the free-throw line and made 10 three-pointers. All but one of the Blue Devils’ baskets in the second half were threes — only a layup by Nelson with about 10 minutes left came from inside the arc.

“They slowed us down when they got the job done on offense,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “I mean, they spread the floor and controlled the tempo that way. And in their pressure defense, there’s no question that bothered us, too.”

Sean May had 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-3, 8-2), who couldn’t overcome their shoddy ball control. Point guard Raymond Felton had eight turnovers, and May added five, and the top assist team in Division One finished with only 10, 11 below its average.

“They’re good, they’re solid,” May said. “They don’t run many traps or scrambles, they’re just solid man-to-man pressure. They play better D at home just because of the fans, the atmosphere they bring. They’re almost as solid as you can get.”

Memphis 85, No. 9 Louisville 68

Louisville, Ky. — Freshman point guard Darius Washington scored 25 points, and Memphis coach John Calipari earned his 300th victory.

Rodney Carney added 24 points, and Anthony Rice had 15 — all in the second half — for the Tigers (14-10, 7-3 Conference USA), who snapped the Cardinals’ nine-game winning streak and handed Louisville its worst home loss in four seasons under coach Rick Pitino.

Taquan Dean and Ellis Myles each scored 17 points for Louisville (20-4, 8-2), which shot a season-low 33 percent (19-of-58).

No. 13 Michigan State 83, Ohio State 69

East Lansing, Mich. — Chris Hill went 8-for-10 from the field and scored 26 points to lead the Spartans. Hill was 6-for-7 from three-point range and made all four of his free throws in the highest-scoring game this season for Michigan State (16-4, 7-2 Big Ten). Maurice Ager, who was bothered by an illness, scored 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting for the Spartans, while Alan Anderson added 16 points, and Paul Davis had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Terence Dials was 10-for-18 from the field and had 22 points for the Buckeyes (16-8, 5-5), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

No. 17 Alabama 72, Tennessee 54

Knoxville, Tenn. — Kennedy Winston scored 18 points, and Alabama outrebounded Tennessee by 24. Chuck Davis had 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and Jermareo Davidson added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Crimson Tide (18-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference). C.J. Watson had 15 points for the Volunteers (11-12, 4-6), who have lost six straight to Alabama.

No. 20 Wisconsin 72, Iowa 69

Madison, Wis. — Kammron Taylor and Mike Wilkinson sparked Wisconsin’s comeback from a 13-point second-half deficit. Taylor, a sophomore, scored a career-high 26 points, and Wilkinson added 20 points and four crucial blocks for the Badgers (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten), who trailed 52-39 with 12:43 remaining. Greg Brunner scored 27 points for the Hawkeyes (15-7, 3-6).