Beyond the arc: Duke men's basketball vs. N.C. State

The Blue Devils blew a 12-point lead in a stunning 84-82 home loss to N.C. State, struggling to handle freshman phenom Dennis Smith Jr. Duke has now lost three of its last four games and has to play its next two games on the road, beginning with a matchup at Wake Forest Saturday.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Contain Dennis Smith Jr.: The Wolfpack's star point guard had a dominant game on one of the biggest stages of his career, pouring in 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He singlehandedly kept his team in the game in the first half and created all sorts of headaches for the Blue Devils in the pick-and-roll, dishing out six assists to help N.C. State get plenty of easy points down low.
• Get 3-point shooting back on track: Duke shot just 8-of-28 from beyond the arc and 2-of-14 , missing several chances to kill the Wolfpack's momentum and put them away. Junior Grayson Allen shot just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, Jayson Tatum shot 1-of-4 and Matt Jones was 3-of-8 on a cold day from the perimeter for the Blue Devils.
• Play hard for 40 minutes: For the fifth contest in a row, Duke failed to put together 40 minutes of energy and effort on defense. Although the Blue Devils started out hot and still led by nine with less than seven minutes left, they could not keep their foot on the gas and finish the game.

Three key stats:

• N.C. State throws down six dunks: Duke was slow to rotate against the pick-and-roll all game, as Abdul-Malik Abu feasted on the inside with four easy slams on his way to 18 points. Two of his dunks came in the last four minutes, with the last one giving the Wolfpack the lead for good at 74-73 with 2:37 to go.
• Ted Kapita posts a double-double in 19 minutes: Kapita—a 6-foot-8 freshman forward—did not even play in N.C. State's previous two games leading up to Monday, but he helped key the Wolfpack's victory with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double before fouling out with 5:17 remaining.
• Amile Jefferson finishes with just five points and five rebounds: N.C. State neutralized the Blue Devils' graduate student captain in the frontcourt, making Jefferson a non-factor after he hauled in 12 rebounds Saturday against Miami. The Philadelphia native did not top five rebounds for just the third time this season, though he is still clinging to a double-double average on the year.

Three key plays:

• 0:01 remaining, first half: Duke squandered a chance to hold the ball for the last shot of the half when Jones traveled with six seconds left, and Smith Jr. made the Blue Devils pay with a pull-up triple from the top of the key at the halftime buzzer. Smith Jr. scored six points in the last 30 seconds of the half to trim a 12-point Duke lead in half and give the Wolfpack life heading into the locker room.
• 1:59 remaining, second half: Smith Jr. penetrated into the lane and kicked a pass out to sharpshooter Maverick Rowan wide open on the 3-point line. Rowan—who had been having a quiet night and finished with just nine points—drilled the triple to put N.C. State in front 77-73 for their first two-possession lead of the second half.
• 0:01 remaining, second half: Duke somehow rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 20 seconds to give itself a chance to tie or win the game on its final possession thanks to several missed free throws by the Wolfpack, but Tatum dribbled off his foot and Smith Jr. picked up the loose ball to seal the victory. Smith Jr. ignored the final buzzer and threw down a tomahawk dunk on the other end of the floor to start the celebration in front of N.C. State's bench.

And the Duke game ball goes to.... Matt Jones