They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and the 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 an early ACC tournament exit for Blue Devil women's basketball and a win against North Carolina for men's basketball.
22
The Blue Devils couldn't keep up on the glass against N.C. State in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, allowing Wolfpack forward forward Chelsea Nelson to rack up 22 rebounds. The ACC tournament-record board total helped N.C. State win the rebounding battle 47-37 and sent the Blue Devils packing in a 51-45 loss.
Find out the whole story—Duke women's basketball goes cold in ACC quarterfinal loss vs. N.C. State
19
Marvin Bagley III has been transcendent this year, and Saturday night was no different—he racked up his 19th double-double of the season in a 74-64 win against North Carolina. Bagley scored 21 points and pulled down 15 boards on a pure 9-of-14 shooting clip. In a four-minute stretch in the second half, he dropped eight points and racked up six rebounds, helping Duke pull away from its archrival.
Find out the whole story—'A different animal:' Marvin Bagley III's second-half eruption fuels Blue Devil comeback
0
Grayson Allen will never play another game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Let that soak in. The senior captain struggled a bit from the field in his final home game Saturday against North Carolina, but still managed to drop 15 points and dish out five assists.
“Everyone here gave me way more than I could ever give Duke,” Allen said during his postgame speech. “It’s tough when you get a lot of negativity. Y’all helped me find that love again, and y’all are a huge reason why I can stand out here with my head held high with a smile on my face.”
Find out the whole story—'Well done, my son:' Grayson Allen goes out with a win on Senior Night
25
Rebecca Greenwell and Lexie Brown went silent in Duke's loss, shooting just 25 percent from deep. Greenwell was a woeful 2-of-10 from deep, sending the Blue Devils to a 22.7 percent 3-point clip overall. Duke will have to improve from deep if it wants to avoid an early exit in the NCAA tournament.
Find out the whole story—Duke women's basketball goes cold in ACC quarterfinal loss vs. N.C. State
9
Remember how bad Duke looked on defense just a month ago? It got torched for 81 points by St. John's before getting crushed on defense by North Carolina. But the Blue Devil defense has grown up fast, worse than just nine teams in the country in defensive efficiency, according to basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's rankings. Duke looks to sustain that momentum heading into the ACC tournament, starting Thursday night at the Barclay's Center.
Find out the whole story—Looking ahead: What could Duke's path to an ACC tournament title look like?
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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.