Duke 63, Miami 90 (final): Not much changed for either side as the clock ran out, with Miami still making seemingly every shot, especially with so many easy transition opportunities, and Duke finding only occasional chances to score. The crowd continued to be a noisy difference-maker for the Hurricanes as the Miami starters went to the bench to thunderous applause. Duke managed to avoid losing by 30 for the first time since 1984, but the loss is still the worst for Duke since that game. The Blue Devils leave the BankUnited Center having lost two of their last three games and with major question marks about their performance level as long as Ryan Kelly is out.
Duke 54, Miami 81 (3:26, second half): A coast-to-coast press break for Kenny Kadji gave the 6-foot-11 Cameroon native 20 points on the night and placed an exclamation point on Miami's energetic uptempo performance. The backcourt duo of Shane Larkin and Durand Scott, whose athleticism has flummoxed the Duke guards all night, have combined for 36 more points of their own as Miami has the Blue Devils looking visibly ready for this game to be over. Even a pair of alley-oops from Mason Plumlee couldn't re-energize Duke, and as the clock ticked under five minutes, Miami put together a breakaway slam, an authoritative block of a Mason Plumlee dunk attempt, and a corner 3-pointer in transition to extend the lead back to 27.
Duke 42, Miami 69 (7:55, second half): For Duke, it has become a battle of avoiding ignominy, as their current deficit threatens to go down as one of the worst losses of all time by a No. 1 team. Then-no. 1 St. John's fell by 41 in 1951 and Houston lost the top spot with a 32-point defeat in 1968. Amile Jefferson and Quinn Cook have attempted to key a Duke full-court press, but Miami point guard Shane Larkin's quickness has simply been too much, and the Hurricanes have broken the press for several more thunderous transition dunks that have sent an already-raucous crowd at the BankUnited Center into unrestrained frenzy.
Duke 35, Miami 63 (10:57, second half): The game continued to spiral out of reach for Duke, as the Blue Devils failed to put together any semblance of rhythm on either end. Out-of-control penetration compounded sloppy turnovers, and Miami got the ball into the paint at will against the Duke defense, getting 3-point plays and dominating the Blue Devils in all phases of the game. As the midway point of the second half approached, the Hurricanes held a shooting percentage advantage of nearly 30 percent, 56.1 percent to 28 percent.
Duke 29, Miami 53 (15:59, second half): Miami opened the second half with six unanswered points courtesy of three Duke turnovers and more missed chances at the rim for the Blue Devils. Alex Murphy finally got Duke on the board, getting to the line for a 3-point play and missing the free throw but getting his own rebound and putting it back for four straight points. Murphy drained a 3-pointer a couple of possessions later, but the Rhode Island native's efforts were not enough to atone for the Blue Devils' continued horrific shooting performance and Miami's near-60 percent showing. Duke efforts to full-court press the Hurricanes only caused more problems, as the athletic Miami backcourt broke the press for easy transition points.
Duke 19, Miami 42 (halftime): Kenny Kadji continued to assert himself against the Blue Devils out of the four-minute media timeout, with a 3-pointer to put the Hurricanes up by 20 and then a pair of free throws after he was fouled on a drive from the top of the key. Amile Jefferson finally converted a putback from point-blank range to break a long Duke scoring drought, but Durand Scott penetrated for a floater to answer. The Duke offense looked completely out of sync all the way into halftime, with a dismal 8-for-35 shooting performance, including 2-for-11 from long range.
Duke 15, Miami 32 (3:48, first half): While Seth Curry and Amile Jefferson kept the Duke streak of missed shots at the rim alive, the Miami guards went into full scoring mode, with Durand Scott finding a cutting Shane Larkin for a layup and Trey McKinney Jones nailing a 3-pointer to give the Hurricanes their first double-digit lead of the game. Scott followed up an Amile Jefferson free throw with another long-range swish to extend the Miami lead to 12. A missed out-of-control layup from Tyler Thornton and a Julian Gamble putback led a furious Mike Krzyzewski to call for timeout as the clock ticked toward five minutes. The timeout did little good for Duke, though, as a Curry brick from beyond the arc led to a Miami breakaway and an old-fashioned 3-point play for Durand Scott.
Duke 14, Miami 19 (7:18, first half): Both teams stopped attacking the rim out of the 12-minute media timeout, settling for jump shots rather than working to get inside, even with Mason Plumlee and Reggie Johnson in the game and the Hurricanes' athletic guard duo. Quinn Cook drained a 3-pointer to break a brief scoring drought after the second timeout, but Miami answered with back-to-back makes from beyond the arc, including one from Kenny Kadji, who has proven to be a tough matchup for Duke thus far. Like Ryan Kelly, who is still out for Duke with a foot injury, the 6-foot-11 Kadji can shoot from the outside, penetrate and post up. Duke has tried to defend him thus far with a combination of Amile Jefferson, Josh Hairston and Mason Plumlee. Duke's five-point deficit at the 8-minute media timeout could have been slashed but for a pair of missed opportunities at the rim from Hairston and Jefferson late in the period.
Duke 11, Miami 13 (11:52, first half): Center Reggie J0hnson entered the game for Miami out of the first media timeout to a roaring ovation. Johnson broke his thumb in December and had been projected to require a couple more weeks of recovery time, but unexpectedly joined the lineup for tonight's game. Back-to-back layups for the Hurricanes, including one off a Durand Scott steal and breakaway brought the crowd to its feet again, but an excellent save by Mason Plumlee to save another turnover led to an easy bucket from Alex Murphy against an unprepared Miami defense, and Johnson took the teams into the 12-minute media timeout with an offensive foul to give the ball back to Duke.
Duke 9, Miami 6 (13:45, first half): Despite Rasheed Sulaimon dropping a three on the opening possession of the game, the raucous Miami student section hasn't gotten any quieter.
Both teams have been going to the big men thus far, as Mason Plumlee has four points, including a strong two-handed dunk off the in-bounds pass.
Pregame
Welcome everyone to The Blue Zone's coverage of tonight's ACC matchup between No. 1 Duke and No.25 Miami. Miami is 4-0 thus far in the ACC, its best start to conference play in 15 years. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm here at the BankUnitedCenter in Coral Gables, FL.
Starters
Duke: G Quinn Cook, G Seth Curry, G Rasheed Sulaimon, F Amile Jefferson, F Mason Plumlee
Miami: G Shane Larkin, G Durand Scott, G Trey McKinney Jones, F Kenny Kadji, F Julian Gamble
Check back here for live analysis throughout the game and follow @dukebasketball on Twitter for instant updates.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.