No. 4 Duke cannot seem to pull away from a struggling Wake Forest squad, which has matched Duke in offensive power and has won the battle down low on the Blue Devils’ senior night. Duke heads into the locker room leading 35-34 Here are five observations from the opening 20 minutes:
Player of the half: R.J. Barrett
It appeared as though freshman R.J. Barrett was the only Blue Devil who showed up to play on the offensive side of the ball. Wake Forest sent double-teams his way to limit his opportunities, but he took every chance he got to attack the basket in 1-on-1 situations. He scored a game-leading 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, and was relentless near the rim.
Can’t get the lid off the basket
Despite getting a plethora of open looks from beyond the arc and in transition, the Blue Devils could not seem to get their shots to fall to begin the game. Duke shot just 33 percent from the field in the first five minutes, holding the team back from dominating the game as most expected out the gate. Duke picked up its percentage as the half went on, but never looked comfortable in its half-court offensive set.
Half-court defense on point
Wake Forest did not fare much better from the field, as Duke locked up and forced the Demon Deacons into multiple bad shots, some of which actually went in. The Blue Devils also put pressure on every dribble taken, forcing six turnovers in the first period of play.
Rebounding woes for Duke
Duke barely outrebounded Wake Forest 20-17 and struggled to control the paint in general. The fact that Antonio Vrankovic received a spot in the starting lineup for senior night over junior Marques Bolden didn’t help matters much, and the Blue Devils' above average defensive stance was somewhat wasted by Duke's inability to corral boards after missed shots by Wake Forest.
Cam Reddish missing in action
Freshman Cam Reddish’s first half was less-than-desirable, as the Norristown, Pa. native missed both of his shots before sitting out most of the first half due to foul trouble. A lot of Duke’s offensive struggles in the first half were in part due to Reddish’s ineffectiveness both from deep and in the paint. He finished the half with zero points, one rebound and three turnovers—all on charges.
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