SOUTH BEND, Ind.—No. 4 Duke played well Wednesday, but not well enough to win. A 10-of-20 showing from the free-throw line, several missed lay-ups and a sloppy first half led to the Blue Devils' eventual demise at Purcell Pavilion.
There were bright spots, like Jahlil Okafor's 22 points and 17 rebounds, Quinn Cook's three first-half treys and Tyus Jones' 12 second-half points. But nothing may be more important to Duke's long-term success than the re-emergence of Justise Winslow.
The 6-foot-6 swingman has been in a major funk of late, hitting just seven of his 30 field goal attempts since the Jan. 11 road loss to N.C. State. In the same five-game stretch, Winslow was just 5-of-15 from the free-throw line and 3-of-15 from long range.
The cold spell wasn't just about Winslow's shooting ability; the Houston native has been dealing with rib and shoulder issues that kept him off the floor for much of head coach Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th career win Sunday at St. John's, when the freshman played a career-low 10 minutes and did not start the second half.
Three days later, Winslow looked well on his way to getting back to his early-season form, scoring 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from downtown.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said a sharp-shooting Winslow changed the complexity of the game, revealing that he had instructed his players to give the freshman some cushion the perimeter, extra space that cost the Fighting Irish. When they had to honor Winslow's shooting, they couldn't double-team Jahlil Okafor as effectively, giving the freshman more room to maneuver down low.
Winslow played 30 minutes Wednesday, a potential sign that he is not as banged up as he has been in recent weeks. The Blue Devils will need his athleticism and shooting in order to avoid their second losing streak of the year Saturday at No. 2 Virginia.
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