No. 25 Miami defeated No. 1 Duke 90-63, handing the Blue Devils their second straight road loss.
Here’s your postgame recap:
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Starting strong: The Blue Devils started on an even lower note than they did against Georgia Tech. Duke's 27.3% field-goal percentage shooting in the first half against the Yellow Jackets sent the Blue Devils into the locker room down 28-27. Against Miami, Duke shot 18% from the field, entering the locker room with a 23-point deficit. During the Coach K era, the Blue Devils have never overcome a halftime deficit of more than 16 points.
- Thriving under pressure: In tonight's matchup, Duke was under pressure to prove its ability to win on the road and play well in the absence of senior starter Ryan Kelly. The Blue Devils crumbled under this pressure, especially sophomore Quinn Cook, junior Tyler Thornton and senior Seth Curry. Cook went 1-for-12 on the evening, and Thornton and Curry did not make any of their combined 17 shots.
- Playing to its strengths: Duke played to its strengths against Georgia Tech, with senior Mason Plumlee scoring 14 points in the paint and Curry hitting 6-of-7 from long-range. Plumlee shot less than 50% from the field against the Hurricanes, while Curry missed all 10 of his shots.
Three key plays of the game:
- 9:45, first half: Miami senior Durand Scott made a 3-pointer that kicked off a 33-5 run by the Hurricanes. The result of this run was an insurmountable Miami lead that doomed the Blue Devils to their second loss this season.
- 17:43, second half: Duke sophomore Alex Murphy hit a field goal that marked the first two of his nine second-half points.
- 00:00, second half: The Blue Devils walked off the court. Their loss to the Hurricanes was one of the ugliest defeats faced by a top-ranked team this season. The best thing they can do right now is to move on as they prepare to take on Maryland Saturday in a key home game.
Three key stats:
- Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry missed all 17 of their shots: A strong veteran presence was critical to winning a game without Ryan Kelly's big-man presence. Thornton and Curry weren't able to provide that against the Hurricanes, missing one shot after another.
- Miami shot 56.9% from the field: The Hurricanes broke through the Blue Devils' defense with ease tonight. Miami's 56.9 field-goal percentage is the highest that the Hurricanes have had all season.
- Four Hurricanes scored in double figures: Tonight's matchup featured a balanced scoring effort by Miami. Scott led the way with 25 points, and senior Kenny Kadji, sophomore Shane Larkin and senior Trey McKinney Jones chipped in 22, 18 and 10 points, respectively.
And the Duke game ball goes to … Alex Murphy. Murphy provided an unexpected spark off the bench, scoring 11 points and recording a 62.5 field-goal percentage.
And the Miami game ball goes to … Durand Scott. In addition to leading the Hurricanes in scoring with 25 points, the senior guard pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists.
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