HALFTIME: Duke 38, Boston College 22

Duke leads Boston College 38-22 after 20 minutes of play in its ACC opener. Freshman center Jahlil Okafor leads the Blue Devils with 13 points as Duke used a 13-2 run to close the half.

Okafor battled Dennis Clifford—Boston College's 7-foot center—and John Carney in the paint, and after one half of play, it would be fair to say Okafor is winning the battle. The Chicago native has 13 points—he has gone 9-of-9 from the free throw line—to go along with six rebounds and three blocks.

But the game was not all domination, as the Eagles took advantage of Duke's decision to switch on defense in the early going. Olivier Hanlan would blow by Okafor after the Blue Devil switched onto him and converted three easy layups. And whenever Hanlan or one of the other Boston College guards were contested and missed, Clifford was there to clean up on the glass. Hanlan and Clifford scored Boston College's first 15 points.

This would not last, thanks in large part to Matt Jones. Although he may not be stuffing the stat sheet, Jones has arguably been Duke's most impactful player outside of Okafor in the first half. The sophomore guard has shut down Hanlan since coming into the game with 14:26 remaining in the first half. After opening the game with four points in 5:34, the Boston College guard put up just five points in the next 14:26 with Jones guarding him.

Although Jones has been the most impactful, Justise Winslow has by far been the most exciting player to watch. The freshman swingman opened Duke's scoring from the field with a 3-pointer within the first minute. He would end the half with seven points, but none bigger than a breakaway jam on which he skied over Patrick Heckman to throw down a vicious left-handed dunk with 5:34 remaining that would be part of a 13-0 run for Duke.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• The Blue Devils have been efficient from downtown on the offensive end, knocking down 44 percent of their 3-point attempts.
• Matt Jones joined the long ball party, knocking down his first trey since Nov. 26.
• Free throws have been an Achilles' Heel for the Blue Devils all season long, but Duke seems to have quelled those issues today, as it is shooting 12-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• The Blue Devils have been stingy on defense, holding the Eagles to just 32.3 percent shooting from the field.