They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and numbers.
Each week, the Blue Zone will dissect five key numbers from last week's action in Duke sports, whether they be historic or underwhelming. This week, let the numbers take you inside a huge week for Blue Devil men’s basketball, football and women’s soccer.
15-2
After trailing by as many as 17 points late in the second half, Duke closed the game on a 15-2 run to stun then-No. 7 Florida. The Blue Devils had already pulled off two come-from-behind wins in the PK80 Invitational—from a six-point deficit against Portland State and a miraculous 16-point comeback with Grayson Allen fouled out against Texas. Against the Gators late Sunday night, Gary Trent Jr. nailed four late free throws to lift Duke to the Motion Bracket title.
Find out the whole story—Just do it: Duke storms back for PK80 title game win vs. Florida and IN HIS BAG: Duke gets 34 points from Marvin Bagley III to rally past Texas
1
In the past 25 years, only one Blue Devil did what Marvin Bagley III did twice in a row against Texas and Florida—Christian Laettner. Bagley became the first player since Laettner in 1992 to score at least 30 points and grab 15 rebounds, doing so with 34 and 15 against the Longhorns and 30 and 15 against the Gators. With Bagley’s help, Duke now has the No. 1-rated offense in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offensive efficiency metric.
Find out the whole story—Marvin Bagley III's historic performance saves Duke men's basketball
12
Although the Blue Devils’ rush defense started out the season No. 1 in the nation for a brief moment, it was the pass defense that shone throughout the course of the season. After a 31-23 win against Wake Forest Saturday to clinch bowl eligibility, Duke finished the regular season No. 12 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. Against the Demon Deacons, the Blue Devils limited quarterback John Wolford, who led the ACC in passer rating before Saturday, to just 16-of-33 passing for 191 yards and picked him off twice.
Find out the whole story—BOWLY COW: Duke football explodes in second half to win regular-season finale
0
During women’s soccer’s run to the Final Four, Duke has not allowed a single goal. In the process, the Blue Devils outscored UNC Greensboro, Oklahoma State, Texas and Baylor 15-0. Duke will take on UCLA in the College Cup Semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Orlando.
Find out the whole story—FOUR-LANDO BOUND: Duke women's soccer clinches program's fourth College Cup appearance
2
After sagging off on defense around the arc for most of the game, Lexie Brown jumped for two consecutive steals that she took back for coast-to-coast layups to help the Blue Devils hold on to beat No. 18 Oregon State 72-65 Saturday. Brown’s layups put Duke up eight points with 2:47 from which it never looked back. The win marked the Blue Devils’ eighth consecutive victory against a ranked team at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Find out the whole story—Duke women's basketball holds off No. 18 Oregon State's rally to win at home
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.