5 observations from Duke men's basketball's first half against Virginia

Jeremy Roach (3) drives past Kihei Clark in the first half Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.
Jeremy Roach (3) drives past Kihei Clark in the first half Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Inside of John Paul Jones Arena, Duke is right there with No. 8 Virginia with one half to play. As the teams head to the locker room, the Blue Devils hold the advantage 27-25.

Whitehead’s return

Freshman forward Dariq Whitehead made his long-awaited return, coming off the bench just four minutes into the contest. The former five-star recruit missed the last four games after suffering a sprain in his lower left leg against Virginia Tech, and the team sorely missed his shooting ability, especially Monday night in Miami. While the Newark, N.J., native may not yet be fully healthy, his 11 minutes are a positive sign for Blue Devil fans. Whitehead played clean basketball, grabbing one rebound and committing one turnover. He will have to work his way back to full strength, just as he did early in the season, but the Duke faithful have reason to be optimistic. 

Strong start

The Blue Devils won the opening tip and freshman guard Tyrese Proctor quickly got the ball to classmate Dereck Lively II, who was fouled on the layup. Though he made both of his free throws, the Cavaliers responded with a long, clean offensive possession capped off by an Armaan Franklin layup. The two squads traded buckets through the first two minutes, but Virginia forced two consecutive Duke turnovers to swing the momentum in favor of the home team. 

It didn’t take for the Blue Devils to gain that momentum back. Junior captain Jeremy Roach put Duke’s touch-and-go offense on his shoulders, scoring 12 consecutive points and helping it jump in front of its top-10 opponent. 

Sloppy shooting

Though their strength does lie in their defense, the Blue Devils’ offense struggled to get going early. They did not make a two-point shot until the 15:41 mark, and their only field goal through four minutes was a Roach 3-pointer. In fact, Roach scored the team’s first 12 points from the floor, single-handedly keeping his squad even with, and eventually in front of, Virginia. Proctor also found his shot, making 2-of-3 3-point attempts en route to his eight-point first half. 

Scoring efficiency plagued Duke in its 81-59 loss at Miami Monday night, as the Blue Devils’ starting backcourt only made four total shots from the floor and seven-time ACC Rookie of the Week Kyle Filipowski went 4-of-12. That trend continued in the first half, with every player but Roach and Proctor shooting a combined 1-of-7. 

Rebounds galore

Duke’s size is one of its biggest advantages, and that was on full display in the first half as the Blue Devils outrebounded the Cavaliers 18-9. Through eight minutes, Duke had more offensive rebounds with four than Virginia had total. When shots aren’t falling for the Blue Devils, aggression on the glass is crucial to give them more opportunities and limit the Cavaliers’ offensive possessions. Leading the way was freshman Mark Mitchell. The forward grabbed five boards, a game-high. While he may not be a scoring machine, the Kansas City, Kan., product is showing off his defensive prowess. 

Player of the half: Jeremy Roach

The reigning ACC Co-Player of the Week looked right at home in John Paul Jones Arena. After Lively’s opening free throws, Roach was the only Duke player to score through nine minutes of play, putting up all 12 points of his first-half total. After his subpar performance against Miami, Roach came out firing. The Blue Devils have been quick to rely on Filipowski for points this season, but the freshman has not been up to the task the past two games. Aside from his offensive performance, the 7-foot freshman only grabbed two rebounds while committing four turnovers. Without his consistent play, Roach filled that hole for Duke early Saturday afternoon.


Rachael Kaplan profile
Rachael Kaplan | Sports Managing Editor

Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity junior and sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.

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