After each Duke basketball game this season, check back here for the Player of the Game and more. Bouncing back from a close loss at Wake Forest, the Blue Devils trounced Louisville in a 84-59 victory, and the Blue Zone is here to break down the contest:
One player: Jeremy Roach
Team captain Jeremy Roach once again proved his consistent shooting and strong defense against Louisville Wednesday night. Going 72.7% from the field and 3-for-4 from three with 19 points, the Leesburg, Va., native was absolutely unstoppable. He cemented his big performance with two first-half threes that gave Duke a large 23-13 lead. Roach has proven his scoring abilities all season long with dependable shooting, strong free throws and high 3-point percentages. While working with a big freshman class, the senior guard has shown himself to be a trustworthy veteran that is able to command attention on the court and help the team dynamics to lead the Blue Devils to more wins heading into the postseason.
One word: Dominance
Despite a rocky start with Duke only leading by five points, the Blue Devils quickly pulled away. Roach dominated the court with 19 points, followed closely by sophomore forward Mark Mitchell with 17 and freshman guard Jared McCain with 14. These leading scorers controlled the court and left no room for the Cardinals to operate. With a final tally of 84-59, Duke overpowered Louisville by 25 points. The Blue Devils have been on a tear against lower-caliber opponents, recently beating Notre Dame, Boston College and Miami by 18, 15 and 29 points, respectively. With its dominant dismantling of the Cardinals Wednesday, Duke will look to continue this successful trend against tougher opponents like Virginia and North Carolina.
One stat: 43-24 rebounding margin
Racking up 43 rebounds in the contest, the Blue Devils proved that they wanted the ball against Louisville. With a dominant performance on both the offensive and defensive glass, the home team tied its biggest rebounding margin of the year at 19. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski forced the Cardinals’ hand with 10 boards, while freshman forward Sean Stewart was close behind with nine. Duke is proving that it is willing to fight in the paint to take back the ball, which will be increasingly important as the Tobacco Road Rivalry looms.
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