Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. N.C. State

In their second road conference game, the No. 2 Blue Devils once again got their opponent's best shot. Wednesday Duke responded and prevailed at Wake Forest, but the Blue Devils weren't as fortunate this time around. N.C. State stunned Duke 87-75 at PNC Arena in Raleigh Sunday afternoon to hand the Blue Devils their first loss of the season, making 10 of its 16 3-pointers and holding Duke to just 36.9 percent shooting for the game. The Blue Devils lost to the Wolfpack at the same venue for their first loss of the season two years ago and lost to Mercer on the same court in the NCAA tournament last season.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Don't wait to turn it on: Although the Blue Devils got off to a much better start Sunday on the offensive end than they did Wednesday, they never looked locked in defensively. Freshman center Jahlil Okafor scored eight quick points for Duke, but like the Demon Deacons, the Wolfpack exposed several flaws in the Blue Devil defense. Forward Abdul-Malik Abu got two early dunks and the jump shooting of star guards Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey kept N.C. State step for step with Duke. When the Blue Devils went into an offensive drought as Okafor stopped producing due to aggressive double teams, the Wolfpack pounced and seized control of the game late in the first half.
• Make life difficult for N.C. State's dynamic trio: Duke slowed down Anthony "Cat" Barber, who had just four points and four turnovers for N.C. State, but the Blue Devils had no answer for Turner or Lacey. The duo hit huge jump shots throughout the game, especially Lacey, who finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, despite missing the end of the game due to cramps. Turner came alive in the second half also, hitting three 3-pointers to help N.C. State build a 19-point lead with 5:43 left in the contest.
• Limit transition opportunities: Although the box score says the Wolfpack only owned a 9-8 edge in fastbreak points, Duke was sped up by N.C. State's fast-paced offense and frequently took quick shots that led to open looks for Turner and Lacey on the perimeter on the other end of the court. The Wolfpack were also able to get their forwards involved and get easy second-chance points by attacking before the Blue Devil defense was set. Duke's defense had flaws earlier in the season in victories, but N.C. State showed that the Blue Devils definitely have a lot of work to do if they want to become an elite defense team.

Three key plays:

• 3:35, first half: Abu finds fellow forward Kyle Washington open beyond the arc and Washington knocks down a 3-pointer to give the Wolfpack their first lead of the game. The jumper was part of a personal 7-0 run by Washington and part of an N.C. State 11-0 run that occurred as Duke went almost five minutes without scoring near the end of the first half. The Blue Devils went from leading by six to trailing by four at the break and never regained the lead because they could not get Washington and company out of rhythm.
• 5:43, second half: As he had all game, Lacey creates space for his jump shot off the bounce, rises and knocks down a 3-pointer to extend his team's lead to 19, the largest of the game. The Alabama transfer was on fire all game long and Duke had no answer for him or his teammates in the second half. The triple capped a 10-1 run that put the Wolfpack firmly in control late in the game despite Lacey's cramps.
• 2:21, second half: The Blue Devils tried to rally after falling behind by 19 points, by far the largest deficit they have faced all season. Duke used an 11-0 run to cut the lead to eight with more than three minutes remaining, but after Rasheed Sulaimon had his shot blocked, the Blue Devils could not get the stop they needed when forward BeeJay Anya came flying in for a monstrous tip-slam to extend the lead to 10 after an N.C. State miss. Anya had 14 points and six rebounds for the Wolfpack, which consistently out-hustled Duke en route to pulling off the upset.

Three key stats:

• N.C. State shoots 55 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from 3-point range: The biggest story of the game was the Wolfpack's ability to continue making tough jump shots throughout the game, then punishing the Blue Devils when they tried to pressure the ball and left the paint exposed. N.C. State became the first team to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against Duke in a game this season and its 3-point percentage was by far the best mark of any Blue Devil opponent. Led by Anya, Washington and Abu, N.C. State held a 40-26 edge in points in the paint, taking advantage of its success from the perimeter by attacking inside late in the game.
• Tyus Jones, Matt Jones, Justise Winslow go 5-of-27 from field, 2-of-15 from 3-point range: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski switched up his starting lineup for the first time Sunday and the results were not pretty. With a small lineup featuring guard Matt Jones instead of forward Amile Jefferson, Duke struggled to get stops with Justise Winslow at the four and eventually got stagnant when the Wolfpack started doubling Okafor hard and the Blue Devils settled for 3-pointers instead of attacking the basket. Matt Jones struggling with his outside shot is not new, but Tyus Jones and Winslow also were too content to settle for outside shots and their inability to convert haunted Duke. The Blue Devils went just 7-of-27 from long range as a team and far too often settled instead of attacking a defense that was out of position.
• N.C. State blocks 10 shots: Anya and Washington had four rejections apiece as N.C. State punished Duke late in the game when the Blue Devils tried to attack without moving the ball first. Two key rejections on Rasheed Sulaimon on separate possessions clinched the victory for the Wolfpack, who got stagnant offensively themselves after building their 19-point lead. N.C. State sped Duke up with its offensive execution and the Blue Devils did not handle playing from behind well. Sulaimon fought harder than most of his teammates, but finished with 11 points on just 4-of-12 shooting, often settling for tough shots when his team could not afford empty possessions.

And the Duke game ball goes to... Jahlil Okafor

The 6-foot-3 guard finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and added four steals. Because he missed the end of the game due to cramps, the numbers don't reflect his full impact on the outcome, but Lacey looked like one of the best players in the country against Duke Sunday afternoon.