MIAMI — No. 2 Duke’s men’s basketball is in the Watsco Center for a ACC matchup against Miami. After 20 minutes of play, the Blue Devils have jumped out to a 47-32 lead:
Hurricane downgraded to a drizzle
Without leading storm-brewers Matthew Cleveland and Nijel Pack, it was always going to be an uphill battle to create offense for Miami. The Hurricanes did themselves no favors out of the gate, missing their first four 3-pointers and five of their first six baskets. Duke’s fourth-ranked defense was smothering, drying up perimeter shooters Brandon Johnson and A.J. Stanton-McCray. The latter had an early moment to forget, airballing a three with 15:11 left in the half down 11-2.
New crew of meteorologists
With 13:07 remaining and Duke with a controlling 15-4 advantage, head coach Jon Scheyer trotted out an eclectic group of Blue Devils to tame the Hurricanes. The lineup included 3-point specialist Isaiah Evans, slasher Caleb Foster, paint presence Patrick Ngongba II, facilitator Sion James and ace Cooper Flagg. While the group has certainly not seen much time on the floor together, they put together a few highlight-reel moments. Foster slashed hard to the rack from the corner baseline and finished with a nice layup that rolled around the rim a few times before falling in. Moments later, Ngongba sent a Miami layup attempt into the third row to keep the Duke advantage at 17-6 with 11:51 to go. By trying new combinations of lineups, Scheyer hopes to establish chemistry that can be deployed in any situation come March.
Mixed paint results
After failing to connect early from deep, Miami began to attack the paint in order to attain high-percentage looks. The Blue Devil defense rose to the occasion, swatting away four attempts. Freshman Khaman Maluach added two to his season ledger, while James added one of his own.
At the same time however, The Blue Devils were outrebounded 18-11, including giving up 10 offensive rebounds to the Hurricanes. While their undisciplined work on the blocks resulted in only six second-chance points for Miami, a superior team could punish Duke for such transgressions.
Proctor injured right before half
Tracking back on a fast break, junior Tyrese Proctor contested a layup attempt by Divine Ugochukwu. The two bumped knees and Ugochuwku landed on Proctor’s foot. The awkward landing immediately put the Australian in pain, as he hobbled directly into the locker room before the Duke medical staff could reach him. The guard has been an integral piece in Duke’s lineup, averaging 12.0 points and 3.2 assists per game.
Player of the half: Isaiah Evans
Evans continues to electrify off the bench. The freshman from Fayetteville, N.C., immediately provided the jolt, nailing a pull-up three just to the right of the center of the arc. On the next possession, he immediately went back to the same spot and jacked up another. The ball went cleanly through the hoop as he was fouled, initiating a four-point play that ignited the Duke traveling support. His last three of the run with 8:27 to go gave Duke a 29-14 advantage and plenty of momentum that the Blue Devils carried with them the rest of the half. Evans finished with 16 points and five 3-pointers in the first half.
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