Beyond the arc: Duke Basketball vs. Miami

No. 18 Duke (15-4, 4-2 in the ACC) earned its first road win of the season, knocking off Miami 67-46 on Wednesday at the BankUnited Center. The Blue Devils were led by freshman phenom Jabari Parker, who had 17 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and three blocks. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood added 12 points and six rebounds and sparked a big Duke run at the end of the first half that gave the Blue Devils a 33-21 lead at the break. The Hurricanes (10-8, 2-4) were successful in slowing down the tempo of the game, but gave up too many offensive rebounds and committed too many turnovers to keep up with Duke. Miami fought hard after getting behind 42-23 early in the second half but was unable to make enough plays to make a comeback in front of celebrities LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Stay Poised on the Road: The Blue Devils did a tremendous job of keeping their poise on the road, executing an aggressive game plan to wear down the Hurricanes. Duke did not get rattled when Miami made small runs and instead responded by crashing the offensive glass and showing patience against the Hurricane zone. The Blue Devils earned their first road win of the season because they finally showed enough poise and urgency to win in a hostile environment. Duke’s poise culminated in an emphatic Hood alley-oop jam with 3:49 left in the contest that was a fitting exclamation point
• Continue to Utilize Their Depth: Duke utilized the five-man substitution patterns that have become common of late and the practice paid dividends—the Blue Devils were able to play with force because everyone got plenty of rest. Duke’s bench also played very effectively. Sophomore guard Rasheed Sulaimon had nine points and four assists and graduate student Andre Dawkins knocked down two treys. Most importantly, the Blue Devil bench played outstanding defense, allowing Duke to extend the lead even with its stars resting.
• Force Miami to Play Inside-Out: Duke’s defensive game-plan was effective, but the Hurricanes’ abysmal shooting made it difficult to determine to whom the credit belonged. Miami shot 36.2 percent from the floor, 20 percent from 3-point range and 62.5 percent from the free throw line. The Blue Devils played great defense and forced Miami to play inside-out, but the Hurricanes also helped Duke by missing plenty of open looks.

Three key plays:

• 0:55, first half: Hood caps an 11-0 Duke run with his second consecutive dunk, this one coming off a tremendous steal. The Mississippi State transfer’s jam put the Blue Devils up 33-19 and gave Duke complete control because of Miami’s offensive struggles. Hood’s aggressiveness on both ends of the court also reflected Duke’s overall attitude as a team.
• 17:31, second half: After tremendous ball movement, freshman guard Matt Jones knocks down a dagger 3-pointer to give Duke a 42-23 advantage early in the final period. Jones has brought tenacious defense and aggressiveness to the starting lineup but will need to take advantage of his open looks in the coming weeks to continue justifying his increased role.
• 7:05, second half: Sulaimon carves up the Miami zone and finishes in traffic for an old-fashioned 3-point play, giving Duke a 56-38 lead. Sulaimon had just made a long 3-pointer but did not settle for another attempt from long range, attacking the basket to continue the trend of aggressiveness from the Blue Devils.

Three key stats:

• Duke takes advantage of 15 offensive rebounds: The Blue Devils dominated the glass for a change, taking full advantage of their extra possessions in a slower-paced game to the tune of 18 second-chance points in the first half. Duke shot just 42.9 percent from the floor but was able to compensate by aggressively crashing the glass—the Blue Devils enjoyed a 42-28 rebounding advantage. The Blue Devils will need to continue crashing the glass with contests against Florida State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse looming.
• Duke holds Miami leading scorer Rion Brown to two points: Brown, Miami’s only key returning player from a season ago, was held in check by Duke’s guards on Wednesday. The senior was unable to get going early in the contest and never got in a rhythm, finishing 1-of-6 from the field. Brown’s struggles epitomized his team’s ineptitude—the Hurricanes have not been able to score consistently this season when their best player is unable to score. Wednesday night was no different.
• Parker gathers 15 rebounds: The freshman phenom is starting to drag himself out of his recent funk by playing with more aggression. Parker has worked with assistant coach Jeff Capel on being more aggressive and the extra work showed on Wednesday. The Chicago native had six offensive rebounds and frequently created his own offense by crashing the glass against the Miami zone. If Parker can continue his tenacious rebounding, the Blue Devils could see their postseason prospects continue to improve.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Jabari Parker