HALFTIME: Duke 51, Indiana 42

Led by Brandon Ingram's 18 first-half points, the No. 7 Blue Devils lead Indiana 51-42 at halftime of their Big Ten/ACC Challenge showdown Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke came out on fire, drilling jumpers on its first four trips downcourt to grab an early 10-6 lead. Ingram led the charge, pouring in eight points before the first media timeout, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Indiana locked down briefly on the defensive end after the first timeout and rattled off 10 straight points of its own to grab its first lead of the game. The Hoosiers made their first three 3-pointers of the night and poured in seven of eight shots to flip a 10-4 deficit into a 21-15 lead.

Head coach Tom Crean has urged the Indiana backcourt to push the pace on both ends of the floor. Point guard Yogi Ferrell and shooting guard James Blackmon Jr. have tried to catch Duke napping in transition, finding success from time to time. Ferrell has tried to draw contact during his shifty drives into the lane, but has not gotten the whistle so far.

Duke jumped back in front as Allen led the fast break off of an Indiana miss. The Jacksonville, Fla., native drove straight down the middle of the floor before dishing to Ingram in the left corner. The freshman deposited his fourth triple of the first half, then finished a lay-up on the Blue Devils' next trip.

Ingram's length then forced an Indiana turnover that Matt Jones converted on an uncontested fast break. The Duke lead ballooned to six before the Hoosiers called timeout. The Blue Devils extended their lead to as many as 13, but Indiana drilled two corner 3-pointers to cut the lead to seven. Allen hit an awkward runner just before the buzzer to create the halftime margin.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Ingram's 18 first-half points came on an extremely efficient 7-of-8 shooting performance in just 12 minutes.
• Indiana has switched between man-to-man and a 2-3 zone defense in the early going, which seems to have given the Blue Devils pause before getting into their halfcourt offense.
• Luke Kennard chased down a loose ball as he tumbled out of bounds that wound up in another Ingram 3-pointer, trimming the Indiana lead to 26-25 heading into the under-eight TV timeout.
• It seems as though Matt Jones has collected every other loose ball this half. The junior has nine points, but his hustle after the 50-50 balls has earned the Blue Devils extra possession after extra possession. Duke has taken advantage, scoring 14 second-chance points.
• Ferrell has struggled from the floor in the first half, heading to the locker room with five points on 2-of-7 shooting. Swingman Troy Williams picked up his third person foul and sat on the Indiana bench for the remaining 2:50 of the period.
• Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is in attendance behind the Indiana bench. Harbaugh and Crean are brothers-in-law.