Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of Nov. 20-26:
Football
The biggest news of the week occurred Sunday off the field. Multiple outlets reported that head coach Mike Elko was offered and will take the vacant head coaching position at Texas A&M left by Jimbo Fisher’s firing, potentially leaving Duke without a head coach for the postseason. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Elko had a meeting with players and staff Sunday and will inform the university of his decision within 24 hours. Elko spent four years in College Station, Texas, as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator before making the jump to Durham just under two years ago and helped completely revitalize the Blue Devils to a combined 16-9 record in the last two seasons.
On Senior Day and in perhaps Elko’s last game on the sideline, Duke (7-5, 4-4 in the ACC) finished things out the right way, overcoming a slow first half to take down Pittsburgh 30-19 Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils honored a 39-man graduating class, including captains DeWayne Carter, Ja’Mion Franklin and Jacob Monk. The Duke attack was led by junior wide receiver Jordan Moore, who was once again excellent, hauling in eight receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt senior wideout Jalon Calhoun also made an impact in his last home game, going for seven catches for 77 yards and a score. Duke finishes 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference, and now awaits its bowl placement — with or without its head coach. -Caleb Dudley
Men’s basketball
In the final two games of the Blue Devil Challenge, No. 9 Duke did not disappoint, collecting two victories on the week. In Tuesday’s contest against La Salle, the Blue Devils (5-1) dominated in a 95-66 victory. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor had a career night against the Explorers with 22 points, while freshman forward Sean Stewart impressed with 16 points and 10 rebounds to his name. Turning its focus to Friday, Duke went toe-to-toe with Southern Indiana. After going down in the first half, the Blue Devils pulled out an 80-62 victory behind a 21-point performance from sophomore center Kyle Filipowski. Next up, Duke will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., Wednesday night to take on Arkansas in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Women’s basketball
After a week off for Thanksgiving, Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium with a dominant 93-45 win against N.C. Central Sunday afternoon. Sophomore guard Ashlon Jackson was out for precaution, so Emma Koabel started in her place for the first time in her career. It was a well-rounded team performance with five players in double digits for points, led by junior Reigan Richardson’s game-high 22 points and a double-double by freshman Delaney Thomas. The ACC/SEC Challenge is up next for the Blue Devils (4-2), as they take on Georgia in Athens, Ga., Thursday. -Franck Djidjeu
Volleyball
It was a heartbreaking end to the regular season for Duke, as it fell in five sets to North Carolina Friday afternoon. After winning the first set, the Blue Devils (19-10, 10-8) dropped the second despite holding a 19-13 lead. Losing the second set 27-25, Duke rebounded to get the third set, before establishing a strong 16-7 lead in the fourth set. However, the Tar Heels once again came from behind, forcing three Blue Devil match points before winning the set 28-26. In the first-to-15 tiebreaker fifth set, Duke trailed the entire time as it hit for .000, cementing the defeat. With the loss to North Carolina to finish their regular season, the Blue Devils found themselves just outside the bubble for the NCAA tournament, ending their season. - Anna Newberry
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