In a battle between two ACC heavyweights vying for first place, Duke’s prolific 3-point perimeter attack lifted the Blue Devils over Florida State, avenging their January loss to the Seminoles.
Playing in a raucous environment, No. 5 Duke (24-4, 11-2 in the ACC) was poised from the opening tip. Taking the court in his home state for the first time in his college career, Austin Rivers got off to a hot start. The dynamic freshman, who played point guard much of the night, was connecting on 3-pointers and also getting to the rim at will.
“Our 3-point shooting is probably the difference in the game,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
As No. 15 Florida State (19-8, 10-3) began to help on Rivers’ penetration, Duke was able to get quality looks on the perimeter for Andre Dawkins, who made the Seminoles pay. The junior sharpshooter was 5-for-8 from 3-point range, totaling 18 points in the first half, to take the crowd out of the game.
In the second half, the Blue Devils continued to shoot the ball well from distance, connecting on 13-of-28 long-range attempts on the night. After quiet first halves, Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry stepped up down the stretch, combining for 16 points in the second half. The two juniors each hit timely 3-pointers to help prevent Florida State from sustaining any kind of momentum.
Rivers continued his stellar play in the second half, finishing with 20 points, his 24th double-figure output of the season.
“They have a good basketball team, and I think they compliment each other very well,” Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. “[Rivers’] strength is shooting threes and getting to the basket, and when you can spot up three or four guys who are capable of knocking down threes, their offensive system was difficult for us to defend.”
And unlike the teams’ first meeting in Durham, the Blue Devils never lost their composure, even when Florida State made several runs in the second half.
“We were able to get stops where we needed them and guys knocked down huge shots,” Dawkins said. “Last game in the second half is where we faltered defensively a little bit, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
The Blue Devils defensive ball pressure prevented the Seminoles from getting into any kind of rhythm or consistent quality shots. The Seminoles two leading scorers, Michael Snaer and Ian Miller, shot just 10-for-24 from the field and were visibly frustrated much of the contest.
Hamilton’s squad also had a few disciplinary lapses throughout the night that ended up costing the Seminoles in the end. Florida State fouled Duke on four 3-point shots, giving the Blue Devils an easy eight points, four of which came on a crucial four-point play by Kelly.
The Duke frontcourt may have been the unsung heroes of the night, though. Despite being outrebounded 41-36 by a physical Seminoles frontcourt and battling foul trouble for much of the game, Mason and Miles Plumlee, along with Kelly, did just enough to neutralize the physical trio of Okaro White, Xavier Gibson and Bernard James and seal a pivotal ACC road victory.
“You can’t let fouls affect how you play,” Miles Plumlee said. “We really brought it defensively tonight.”
And the timing of what is becoming a more and more balanced Blue Devil attack could not be better. Duke is now riding a five-game winning streak and appears to be clicking on all cylinders with three regular season games remaining.
“People want to nitpick on our team,” Krzyzewski said. “This team has done an unbelievable job and we are getting better.”
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