Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Miami

The Blue Devils entered Tuesday's home tilt against Miami looking for improvements on the defensive end. They never came.

No. 4 Duke was run out of its own gym by Miami 90-74 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Like N.C. State—which handed the Blue Devils their first loss of the season Sunday—the Hurricanes took advantage of Duke's susceptible perimeter defense, especially on pick-and-rolls. Miami shot 66.7 percent in the second half, got 47 points from lead guards Angel Rodriguez and Manu Lecomte and hit 10 3-pointers to end the Blue Devils' 41-game home winning streak. Duke lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2009.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Fix defensive rotations and close out on shooters: Same song, different verse. The Blue Devils looked lost on defense and were out-hustled by a hungrier team. Rodriguez and Lecomte got whatever they wanted by attacking off high ball screens to either score themselves or set up easy looks for teammates. Duke got away with lackadaisical defense at times early in the season, but the inability of the Blue Devil guards to stay in front in man-to-man defense has been exposed so far in ACC play.
• Limit Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski called Rodriguez's 24-point, five-rebound, five-steal performance one of the best Cameron has ever seen, but Duke did not take away any of the Kansas State transfer's primary options, which was its goal. Like N.C. State's Trevor Lacey, once he got in rhythm after a personal first-half 8-2 run, Rodriguez was able to control the rest of the game. And once the Blue Devils started paying too much attention to the lightning-quick point guard, McClellan and Lecomte made Duke pay, combining for 37 points.
  
• Keep composure for 40 minutes: The Blue Devils have struggled to defend lead guards in pick-and-rolls all year, but the way Duke panicked just like it did Sunday against the Wolfpack and showed its inexperience was arguably more worrisome Tuesday night. Rodriguez and company embarrassed the Blue Devils with a few highlight-reel dunks when the outcome was decided in the last two minutes and it looked like Duke and its coaches were searching for answers for much of the second half. Miami seized control with a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead with 15:20 left in the game and never looked back. A 10-0 Hurricane run shortly after took the life out of the Blue Devils and Cameron Indoor Stadium.
  

Three key plays:

• 8:15, first half: Rodriguez caps his personal 8-2 run in a span of 39 seconds with a beautiful inside-out dribble move to easily get by Tyus Jones and convert a fastbreak layup. The 5-foot-11 guard has made a name for himself on the big stage throughout his career and was at it again against Duke. After knocking down two long 3-pointers, Rodriguez started attacking off the bounce on plays like this and the Blue Devil defense was at his mercy from that point on.
• 9:30, second half: Duke had cut the lead to seven with less than 10 minutes remaining, but after a Tonye Jekiri offensive rebound Lecomte—who scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half—finds McClellan after attacking off the dribble for a wide open triple.The Hurricanes were not afraid of the Blue Devils and their response when Duke threatened to make a comeback was to attack with more aggression. Miami came up with the big 50-50 balls when the game turned and Jekiri's offensive board was a perfect example.
• 5:48, second half: Amile Jefferson misses the front end of a one-and-one to cap a trip with two missed Rasheed Sulaimon 3-pointers and three missed free throws. Okafor and Jefferson gathered offensive rebounds for the Blue Devils to keep the possession alive, but swingman Justise Winslow missed a pair from the charity stripe and Duke came away empty down by 14. The Blue Devils had their chances to make a comeback with some timely offense just as they did Sunday, but the shots that needed to never fell.
  

Three key stats:

• Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow go 3-of-15 from the field, combine for just eight points: Duke's less famous freshman starters carried the team at times earlier in the year, but the last two games have gone 7-of-34 from the field and have not delivered on either end of the floor. Teams are daring players not named Jahlil Okafor to beat them, but Jones and Winslow appear to be lacking confidence and hitting a wall in the middle of their freshman campaigns. The Blue Devils' best shot at bouncing back Saturday at No. 6 Louisville likely starts with getting the duo going in some way early in the game.
• Miami uses 12 steals to earn 13-3 edge in fastbreak points, 21 points off turnovers: It's hard to pinpoint one statistic that explains how porous Duke's transition defense was after poor Blue Devil possessions, but that became the story of the game in the second half. Duke gave up countless easy buckets before its defense was set to a Hurricane squad that shot 66.7 percent after halftime. The Blue Devils never took the time to get organized on either end of the court once the game started slipping away and were sped up for the second consecutive game.
  
• 29 and 27 from starting frontcourt not nearly enough: Jahlil Okafor and Amile Jefferson had their way at times in the paint, racking up 14 offensive rebounds and scoring when given one-on-one opportunities. But once the Blue Devils fell behind, the duo stopped getting touches inside and Duke's outside shooting woes continued. Blue Devils not named Quinn Cook were 2-of-14 from 3-point range and Duke was an abysmal 10-of-20 from the free throw line. Having such a big edge in most games down low will not do the Blue Devils much good if they do not stay committed to their game plan, even when behind.
  

When the winningest coach in college basketball history calls your performance historic, you've done something right. Like Lacey, Rodriguez simply took over by getting hot from the outside then keeping his cool when Duke tried to ramp up the pressure. The Kansas State transfer was also a key reason the Blue Devils struggled offensively late in the game, as his constant activity in passing lanes and as a help defender led to 12 Hurricane steals.

On the evening, Rodriguez finished with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range, five assists, five steals and four rebounds and backed up his word after saying he was looking forward to playing in Cameron before the game.