WASHINGTON—For most of the game, both offenses lit up the scoreboard with mid-range jumpers and long 3-pointers from all over the court.
But it was a shot from just a few feet away from the rim that turned out to be the biggest one.
Marshall Plumlee’s offensive rebound and putback through contact with 1:14 remaining proved to be the difference-maker as fifth-seeded Duke outlasted 12th-seeded N.C. State 92-89 Wednesday in the second round of the ACC tournament at the Verizon Center. Plumlee suffered a blow to face from teammate Matt Jones earlier in the second half—resulting in what Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski confirmed was a broken nose after the game—but returned to the floor just a few minutes later and ended up making the game’s most important play.
“No doubt, that’s Marshall Plumlee to the max,” Blue Devil freshman Luke Kennard said. “We expect him to make big plays for us, and that’s exactly what he did—with a broken nose, that’s what it looks like…I’m proud of the way he played, I’m proud to be his teammate and that’s just the way he is.”
For the most part, the game was a shooting clinic, and both teams finished shooting better than 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range. The Blue Devils (23-9) put together one of their most fluid offensive performances in weeks with consistent ball movement that led to four players scoring at least 17 points.
It was not offense, though, but defense that helped Duke shut the door on the Wolfpack (16-17). After Plumlee’s key bucket, Kennard missed a jumper, giving N.C. State a chance to potentially tie the game with 30 seconds left.
The Wolfpack put the ball in the hands of dynamic point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber—who finished with a game-high 29 points and seven assists—with their season on the line, hoping he could make a play as he had on numerous occasions already to bring N.C. State back from a late nine-point deficit. But as Barber drove to the hoop and tried to dish out to one of his teammates, the Blue Devils got a hand on his pass and sophomore Grayson Allen scooped up the loose ball to secure the win.
“We knew that they got us a couple times on that. Knowing their history, they like to go to plays that they know will work,” Jones said. “We just have to trust in our game plan. We’ve been through that play over and over in the scouting report, and we just had to trust in that.”
With Duke in the driver’s seat after building an 84-75 lead following a rare scoring drought for N.C. State, Barber answered the bell for the Wolfpack. The ACC’s leading scorer drained a triple from the corner while being fouled by Kennard, and made the free throw to complete the four-point play and cut the Blue Devil lead to 86-81.
After Kennard answered with a jumper, Barber once again sliced through the Duke defense for a layup that brought the Wolfpack within five with less than four minutes to play.
The Blue Devils had tried a myriad of defenders on Barber—placing Allen, Jones, Kennard and point guard Derryck Thornton on him at various points—and Allen picked up his fourth foul guarding the Newport News, Va., native late in the second half. Barber continued to torment Duke and hit another step-back jumper to bring his team within one.
“Barber has been a great, great player. Not a good player, but a great player,” Krzyzewski said. “He not only produces points, but he produces attention with his extended dribble. That attention creates openings for talented players like [Caleb and Cody Martin] and Rowan [and Abdul-Malik Abu]. But it starts with that kid. He's just been a sensational player.”
In a surprise move, Krzyzewski switched up his starting lineup against the Wolfpack, inserting Kennard in place of Thornton. Kennard had not started since Feb. 20 at Louisville—his only start since the beginning of February—but promptly rewarded Krzyzewski’s faith in him with two quick layups and had a strong offensive game with 22 points.
After struggling mightily and being held scoreless in the first half of the team’s last game against North Carolina, freshman Brandon Ingram had no such troubles off the bat Wednesday. The 6-foot-9 swingman scored just 10 points against the Tar Heels, but he reached that mark before 10 minutes had ticked off the clock against the Wolfpack.
Ingram displayed his full scoring arsenal, draining his first four 3-point attempts and lighting it up for 19 first-half points, though the Kinston, N.C., native was held to just three second-half points.
“Brandon is such a special player for us…he always has an edge on him,” Kennard said. "After the UNC game, we could tell he was ready to play again. I knew he was ready to play again. In practice, he was ready to go. He had a little edge to him, and it showed tonight.”
The Blue Devils will take on fourth-seeded Notre Dame Thursday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Duke squared off with the Fighting Irish once during the regular season, dropping a 95-91 contest at home Jan. 16.
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