FINAL: Duke 73, Michigan 71
Smith is fouled immediately after receiving the in-bounds pass and hits one free throw. After the rebound, Michigan pushes the ball down the court and Morris shoots a floater that bounces high off the rim and lands in Nolan Smith's hands, sealing the victory for Duke. That's all for today as Duke edges out Michigan in the final minutes to move on to the Sweet 16.
Check out The Blue Zone and The Chronicle for game story and analysis.
0:10 2nd Half: Duke 72, Michigan 71
Darius Morris drives and lays it in for two. It's a one point game.
0:19 2nd Half: Duke 72, Michigan 69
After Dawkins misses a 3-point attempt from the corner, Novak dives into the Duke bench hoping to secure the ball for Michigan, but it's Duke ball. Nolan drives and dishes the ball to Irving who lays it in easily for two.
1:18 2nd Half: Duke 70, Michigan 69
Hardaway Jr. lays in an easy two after Michigan's timeout, and then hits a jumper on Michigan's next possession. It's a four point game. Duke wastes their next possession, unable to put up a shot before the shot clock expired. And it's now a one point game as the hot-handed Hardaway Jr. sinks a three. Coach K calls a timeout, and this crowd is on its feet.
3:20 2nd Half: Duke 70, Michigan 62
Smith hits both to put Duke up ten. A Michigan turnover is followed by an agile drive to the hoop by Smith, good for two. Smith adds two more free throws on the next possession. Jordan Morgan lays it in for two, and then Morris follows with a jumper as the shot clock expires to make it an eight point game. Morgan slams it home again, and Duke turns the ball over but the Wolverines can't capitalize on their next possession. Blue Devils add two off a Ryan Kelly put-back from an Irving miss. Irving has not hit any field goals today, scoring nine points from free throws.
7:32 2nd Half: Duke 62, Michigan 54
Morgan throws down a ferocious slam that brings the Wolverines to within six, bringing the maize-clad fans to their feet. Irving sinks two free throws, but Morgan responds by making two of his own. Kelly receives a good pass down low for an easy two, and then after a Michigan turnover Nolan Smith is fouled under the basket. He will shoot two. Duke is still dominating on the glass, out-rebounding the Wolverines 28-16.
9:20 2nd Half: Duke 58, Michigan 50
On Duke's first possession after the media timeout, Ryan Kelly has a strong take to the hoop and picks up the foul for the 3-point play. Smotrycz lays one in from beneath the basket for Michigan, and Singler follows with a beautiful spin move to the basket, also picking up a foul and sinking the shot. Novak hits another three for Michigan just before Singler commits his fourth personal foul, prompting Coach K to take him out of the game momentarily. Hardaway Jr. delivers a nice lay-in through the lane before Coach K called a timeout.
11:56 2nd Half: Duke 52, Michigan 39.
After Curry drew a charge, Dawkins nails a three with a hand in his face to put Duke up by 13. The past four minutes have completely shifted the momentum in this game, as Nolan Smith and the Blue Devils have pulled ahead with a comfortable lead.
13:42 2nd Half: Duke 49, Michigan 39
NOLAN'S ROLLIN'. The senior nailed a jumper out of the gate, and then shook Tim Hardaway Jr., literally sending him to the floor, on the next possession before pulling up and hitting another shot. It was nasty, to say the least. Smith continues his dominance by finishing an And-1 off of a breakaway.
15:46 2nd Half: Duke 42, Michigan 37
Michigan's Jordan Morgan beats Miles Plumlee for a bucket, but Nolan Smith responds with a long three from the top of the key. After Morgan is called for a travel, Coach K literally jumps out of his chair, yelling and pumping up his team as they congregate on the bench during the media timeout. Coach K also looks to the crowd behind the bench to make a little noise. There's always several turning points in the game, and I think Coach K wants his team to pull away now.
16:59 2nd Half: Duke 39, Michigan 35
Miles Plumlee puts back a Smith miss for two, and Morris responds with a wide-open layup for Michigan on the other end. The sloppiness from the first half continues as both teams are turning the ball over and taking low-percentage shots. Miles missed a jumper and Morris missed a good 3-point look. Coach K calls for a timeout, looking to settle down his squad.
HALFTIME: Duke 37, Michigan 33
Well after 20 minutes of play, it's clear that 3-point shooting and free throws are making a huge impact in this contest. Michigan has been able to count on timely shots from downtown to keep them in this game and with positive momentum. The Wolverines are shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc, compared to the Blue Devils' 27.3%. Meanwhile, Duke has been able to consistently get to the line, but they are not taking full advantage, shooting a mediocre 57.1% from the charity stripe. Michigan has had less chances, going 4-for-5 from the line. Fortunately for the Blue Devils they are absolutely dominating on the glass. Mason Plumlee and Singler have combined for 11 of Duke's 17 rebounds. The Wolverines' small stature is showing, as they have only been able to collect eight rebounds.
In the next half, Duke needs to shore up its outside shooting, or create more opportunities in the paint either with the Plumlees or guards cutting off of screens. If the Wolverines stay hot, this game could get interesting, so stay tuned...
1:03 1st Half: Duke 34, Michigan 31
Jon Horford enters the game and throws down a powerful dunk over Ryan Kelly, drawing the foul and sinking the shot. The Blue Devils look sloppy. Singler is having trouble with his shot from the foul line as he finally sank one after missing his first three attempts. Smith committed an aggressive foul on the ball on defense, and then Duke couldn't score as Mason turned the ball over.
3:09 1st Half: Duke 33, Michigan 28
Strong take to the hoop by Smotrycz, and after he is fouled by Miles Plumlee he sinks the shot for a 3-point play. Alley-oop from Smith to Mason puts Duke up three, but Smotrycz responds with a three to tie the game. Irving hits two free throws after picking up a generous foul call, and then Smith nails a three on the next possession after a Mason Plumlee offensive rebound. Singler misses the first shot on a one-and-one, and Michigan takes advantage as Novak hustles down the floor and lays it in for two. Ryan Kelly shows us his range by dropping a three from downtown to put Duke up by five.
6:46 1st Half: Duke 22, Michigan 20
Zack Novak hits a three from the corner for Michigan immediately after the timeout, and Singler follows with an air-ball on a 3-point attempt despite having an open look from the top of the key. Curry can't sink a 3-point attempt on the next possession and then commits a foul. The Wolverines snag an easy two on the in-bounds play, but Irving responds by making two shots from the charity stripe, and then checks out. Dawkins enters the game for Duke, maybe he can help with the current 3-point woes. And he does, hitting a trey from the corner. Novak hits another three to bring Michigan to within four, and then Mason slams home a missed 3-point attempt by Singler. Evan Smotrycz hits a three for Michigan, and then after Kelly hits a jumper, Novak hits his third three to make it a two-point game. Michigan is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. Duke needs to match the hot-handed Wolverines on the perimeter, or look down low more to the Plumlees.
11:57 1st Half: Duke 13, Michigan 6
Mason Plumlee had a huge block in the lane, and Smith pushed hard down the court but was called for a charge on his drive to the bucket. Good ball movement by Duke as Singler receives a quick pass from Irving and nails a 3-pointer from the corner.
13:26 1st Half: Duke 10, Michigan 6
Duke used a full court press after the media timeout, making it difficult for the Wolverines to set up their offense. Singler finished a nice take to the hoop for two, and Smith dropped a floater on the following possession. It's been a somewhat sloppy start here today, with both teams combining for seven turnovers already. Kyrie Irving just checked in for the Blue Devils.
15:57 1st Half: Duke 6, Michigan 4
After Duke won the tip, Singler and Curry miss three good scoring opportunities, but strong offensive rebounding kept the ball in the Blue Devils' possession. Singler took advantage, hitting a jumper to put Duke on top. The Blue Devils committed three straight turnovers, two of which were by Mason Plumlee. Michigan's Darius Morris was able to turn one into a fast break layup, but Michigan couldn't capitalize on their other chances. Nolan had a nice drive to the bucket for two, and Miles Plumlee made his presence felt with a huge, two-handed slam off a pass from Singler.
Pregame:
Hello everyone and welcome to The Chronicle's live blog of today's second round matchup between one-seed Duke and eight-seed Michigan. The mostly Carolina blue crowd is on its feet as Harrison Barnes just sank a 3-pointer with four minutes left to play to give the Tar Heels a slim two point lead over Washington. But let's switch our focus to the next contest, where an undersized Michigan team (no starter is over 6-foot-8) is going to need a solid defensive effort to slow the Blue Devils, fresh off a 87-45 blowout of Hampton. Check out the preview posted below to learn more about the important matchups today as Coach K looks to win his 900th game, just two shy of the all-time leader Bob Knight.
Today's probable starters for Duke:
#5 Mason Plumlee, F
#12 Kyle Singler, F
#21 Miles Plumlee, F
#2 Nolan Smith, G
#30 Seth Curry, G
Michigan:
#52 Jordan Morgan, F
#0 Zack Novak, G
#1 Stu Douglass, G
#4 Darius Morris, G
#10 Tim Hardaway Jr., G
Wow, a controversial ending to the Carolina game where a last second Isaiah Thomas 3-point attempt is swatted out of midair as time expires. Carolina wins 86-83 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Of note, Duke is welcomed to the floor for warmups by a barrage of boos from the Carolina faithful. Duke can expect a somewhat hostile environment today, as many Carolina fans are remaining in the arena to watch the Blue Devils.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.