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Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Albany

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Last year, 15th-seeded Lehigh upset the second-seeded Blue Devils in the Round of 64. The Blue Devils, who are a No. 2 seed again this year, did not suffer the same fate this time around, knocking off 15th-seeded Albany 73-61.

Photo credit: Caroline Rodriguez/The Chronicle

Here’s your postgame recap:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

  • Time off for Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry. Prior to today’s matchup, the Blue Devils hadn’t taken the court in a week. In their last time out on the hardwood, Maryland handed them an 83-74 defeat in the quarterfinal round of the ACC tournament. Curry, who led the team in scoring against Albany with 26 points, showed no signs of rust after the week off. Kelly added eight points and six rebounds.
  • Getting the good Rasheed Sulaimon. ‘Sheed returned to the starting lineup today after getting replaced by Tyler Thornton the previous two games. The freshman guard, who has alternated between hot and cold this season, didn’t have a particularly good or bad game today. He put up seven points and pulled down two boards.
  • Defend the 3-pointer. The Blue Devils struggled to defend Albany from behind the arc. The Great Danes shot an unbelievable 60% from long range on 9-of-15 3-point attempts.

Three key plays:

  • 0:09, first half. After missing two attempts from the charity stripe less than a minute earlier, Rasheed Sulaimon made two free throws, giving the Blue Devils a comfortable 35-26 lead going into halftime.
  • 15:35, second half. Mason Plumlee set up fellow senior Seth Curry for a three-point jumper.  Curry made the shot, giving Duke a 14-point lead–its largest of the game.
  • 5:26, second half. Albany junior Luke Devlin cut the Great Danes’ deficit to 10 with a layup, giving them an opportunity to crawl back into the game.

Three key stats:

  • Albany made 60% of its 3-point attempts. The Great Danes, who have been potent from long range this season, continued their red-hot shooting from behind the arc today. They knocked down 9-of-15 3-pointers against the Blue Devils. Even though Duke led the entire way, Albany’s  hot shooting kept them in it
  • Duke shot 58.7% of the field. Albany was hot from beyond the arc, but the Blue Devils were hot from everywhere. Curry and Plumlee led the way, going 10-of-14 and 9-of-11, respectively.
  • The Great Danes scored nine points off Duke turnovers. The Blue Devils committed 11 turnovers in today’s game. Albany capitalized on their mistakes, scoring nine points off these turnovers. These points, in conjunction with the Great Danes’ 3-point shooting, allowed Albany to keep up with Duke.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Mason Plumlee. The senior forward was efficient all game, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He went 9-of-11 from the field.

And the Albany game ball goes to … Jacob Iati. The senior guard scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds for the Great Danes. He made 75% of his three-point attempts.

 

Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Miami

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When then-No. 1 Duke and Miami met Jan. 23 in Coral Gables, Fla., the Hurricanes handed the Blue Devils a 90-63 drubbing, marking the third-worst loss by a No. 1 team in Division I history. No. 3 Duke exacted revenge against No. 5 Miami in exciting fashion tonight, taking down the Hurricanes 79-76 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Here’s your postgame recap:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

  • Production from the power forward spot: Will the White Raven fly? Tonight marked not only the return of the White Raven, but also the best performance of his career. To say that senior Ryan Kelly showed no signs of rust when he returned to the hardwood after being sidelined due to injury Jan. 8 would be an understatement. The forward led the team with 36 points and seven rebounds after weeks of not practicing. Josh Hairston had two points and two rebounds while Amile Jefferson didn’t see any action.
  • Get Mason Plumlee his shots. Recently, Plumlee has been below his season averages of 10.3 field goal attempts and 7.6 free throw attempts per game. That didn’t change tonight, as he took nine shots from the field and made just four trips to the free throw line.
  • The point guard matchup: Quinn Cook vs. Shane Larkin. Larkin won the point guard matchup as far as scoring is concerned. The sophomore floor general led Miami in scoring with 25 points, while Cook scored 15. Cook doled out five assists, one more than Larkin, and both point guards pulled down four rebounds.

Three key plays:

  • 4:57, first half. Sophomore Quinn Cook dished the ball to Kelly, who knocked down a three-pointer to make the score 27-25 Miami. Less than two minutes before, the Hurricanes had a seven-point advantage. After Kelly trimmed this advantage to two with his shot from long range, Miami called a timeout in an effort to regroup.
  • 2:08, first half. Cook made a layup, capping a 13-4 run that gave the Blue Devils a 33-31 lead. After Duke rallied back from its seven-point deficit, they never trailed by more than three points for the rest of the game.
  • 1:56, second half. Cook converted on a three-point jumper, giving the Blue Devils a 75-65 lead that they would not relinquish. Duke’s 10-point advantage was its largest of the game.

Three key stats:

  • Ryan Kelly scored 45.6% of Duke’s points. With almost half of the Blue Devils’ points, Kelly carried the Blue Devils to a tightly-contested victory. Kelly’s night ended with a career-high 36 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field—7-for-9 from three point range.
  • The Blue Devils shot 47.8% from long range. Duke’s sharp shooting from behind-the-arc was key in the win, as 33 of the Blue Devils points came from three-pointers. The three-point percentage was aided greatly by Kelly’s 7-for-9 performance. The rest of the team was just 4-for-14. Miami’s three-point field-goal percentage, by contrast, was 28.6.
  • Miami outrebounded Duke 37-25. Teams have been having their way with the Blue Devils—who were outrebounded 33-21 by Virginia Thursday—on the boards. Rebounding is an area that Duke will need to work on as the postseason draws closer.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Ryan Kelly. The senior forward turned in a career performance tonight, carrying the team with 36 points and seven rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-9 from long range. He also made nine of 12 shots from the charity stripe. Kelly was undoubtedly the best player on the floor tonight.

And the Miami game ball goes to … Kenny Kadji. The senior was the only player on the floor with a double-double, scoring 17 points—including two threes—and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Maryland

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When Duke and Maryland met at the end of January, the Blue Devils cruised to an 84-64 victory at home. At Comcast Center in College Park, Md. this evening, the Terrapins avenged this 20-point defeat, upsetting No. 2 Duke in an 83-81 nail-biter that came down to the final seconds of the game.

Here’s your postgame recap:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

  • Can Len find his form? Maryland sophomore Alex Len, who was averaging 12.5 points going into tonight’s matchup, stepped onto the hardwood in the midst of a five-game funk. His recent slide ended tonight, as he keyed the Terrapins’ offense with a team-high 19 points. Pulling down nine boards, the 7-foot-1 center neared a double-double.
  • The rested Terrapins vs. the weary Blue Devils? Maryland’s last time out on the court before this evening was Sunday, when it fell to Virginia 80-69 at home. Duke, on the other hand, played its third game of the week tonight after tightly-contested matchups against Boston College and North Carolina in the past seven days. The Blue Devils exhibited clear signs of weariness in the second half, when the Terrapins took an early lead that they would not relinquish until the waning moments of the game.
  • It’s ‘Sheed’s time to shine, the sequel. Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon dropped a career-high 25 points against the Terrapins when they traveled to Durham to face the Blue Devils. ‘Sheed’s road performances have been underwhelming, a trend that he looked to reverse in Duke’s last trip to College Park, Md. for a long time. Although the guard struggled from the field tonight—going 4-for-12—he was a key contributor in the game, finishing with 16 points and tying the score twice in the second half. He knotted the score 81-81 in the final seconds of the game after the Blue Devils trailed for the majority of the second half.

Three key plays:

  • 0:44, first half. Maryland sophomore Nick Faust capped the Terrapins’ 5-0 run with a three-point jumper, sending them into the locker room with a 35-34 halftime lead and energizing a raucous home crowd.
  • 18:11, second half. After Sulaimon tied the score 37-37 with a three-pointer following a quiet first half, Len made a layup that gave Maryland a lead that it held onto for almost the entire second half.
  • 0:17, second half. Sulaimon made his third free throw after getting fouled on a three-point attempt, knotting the score at 81-81 and giving the Blue Devils hope after they were behind for almost of the entire second half. That hope was dashed after two Seth Allen free throws gave Maryland an 83-81 lead and eventually the victory.

Three key stats:

  • Maryland made 60 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Terrapins entered the game hitting 47.2 percent of their field goals. Their efficient shooting tonight played a key role in their signature win against the Blue Devils.
  • The Terrapins outrebounded the Blue Devils 38-17: Maryland had its way against Duke on the boards, grabbing more than twice as many rebounds as the Blue Devils. Duke allowed the Terrapins—who pulled down eight offensive rebounds—to collect too many second-chance opportunities.
  • Duke senior Mason Plumlee scored only four points and fouled out: Duke needed a strong performance from Plumlee, a National Player of the Year contender. He didn’t deliver, however, scoring four points and fouling of the game.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Seth Curry. Curry started the game with 6-for-6 shooting from the field. He finished with 25 points, leading the Blue Devils in scoring.

And the Maryland game ball goes to … Alex Len. The Maryland center had an outstanding game on both ends of the court. He led the Terrapins in points and rebounds with 19 and nine, respectively, and defensively, he limited Plumlee to four points.

Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Florida State

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After eking out a close 75-70 win against Wake Forest Wednesday night, the Blue Devils (19-2, 6-2 in the ACC) traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on Florida State (12-9, 4-4). In convincing fashion, Duke defeated the Seminoles 79-60.

Here’s your postgame recap:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

  • High scoring output from the seniors: Seth Curry matched his 21-point performance against Wake Forest with 21 points against the Seminoles. Mason Plumlee, however, had a relatively quiet game with just eight points. Sophomore Quinn Cook and freshmen Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson picked up the slack with 18, 14 and 11 points, respectively.
  • Taking care of the ball: The Blue Devils turned the ball over 10 times today, compared to 15 times against the Demon Deacons. Plumlee, who coughed it up seven times against Wake Forest, had just two turnovers this afternoon. Sophomore Alex Murphy didn’t take good care of the ball off the bench, turning it over three times in just 13 minutes of play.
  • Fighting fatigue: In its second road trip in four days, Duke exhibited no signs of fatigue. The Blue Devils jumped out to an 18-2 lead in the first 5:39 of play and held onto to their commanding lead over the course of the game. If they were tired, they sure weren’t showing it.

Three key plays:

  • 18:55, first half: Plumlee was the first person to score in today’s matchup. His layup, assisted by Jefferson, kicked off Duke’s 18-2 run and set the tone for a dominant performance by the Blue Devils, who did a great job of sharing the ball.
  • 17:54, second half: Florida State junior Okaro White ended Duke’s 8-0 run with an alley-oop, making the score 50-24. By this point the game already seemed pretty well in hand for the Blue Devils.
  • 8:33, second half: Curry made a contested three-point jumper with a hand in his face, frustrating the Seminoles’ defense. Curry’s triple gave Duke a 70-45 lead.

Three key stats:

  • Duke’s 60.8 field-goal percentage: Duke went 31-for-51 from the field, hitting 11 of 18 three-point attempts. The Blue Devils’ field-goal percentage against Florida State was significantly higher than their average field-goal percentage of 46.7.
  • The Blue Devils’ 20 assists: Duke shared the ball remarkably well against the Seminoles. The Blue Devils dished out 20 assists, compared to their average 14.7 assists-per-game. Quinn Cook led the team with six helpers and Tyler Thornton added five off the pine.
  • Duke’s 23 rebounds: The Seminoles’ roster features three seven-footers. In spite of this and Mason Plumlee’s first half foul trouble, the Blue Devils outrebounded Florida State 23-21.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Quinn Cook. In addition to scoring 18 points, the point guard handed out six assists and turned the ball over only once. The point guard also buried four of his six three-point attempts this afternoon.

And the Florida State game ball goes to … Aaron Thomas. The freshman provided a spark off the bench for the Seminoles, leading the team with 14 points. Thomas was the only Seminole to score in double figures against a stifling Duke defense.

 

The key three: Duke basketball vs. Florida State

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Coming off its first road win of the season against Wake Forest Wednesday night, No. 5 Duke (18-2, 5-2 in the ACC) will face Florida State (12-8, 4-3)  at 2 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Blue Devils defeated the Seminoles on the road last season but lost to them at home and in the ACC tournament.

Here are your three keys to today’s game:

High scoring output from the seniors

Senior Mason Plumlee’s career-high 32-point performance propelled Duke to victory against the Demon Deacons while classmate Seth Curry chipped in 21 points. Although freshmen Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaimon have shown flashes of brilliance over the course of the season, they can’t be relied on for consistency. Jefferson was scoreless against Wake Forest, and Sulaimon had a quiet game as well, only scoring six points after dropping a career-high 25 points against Maryland in the game before. A good showing from the seniors in this afternoon’s matchup will be crucial to earning another road win.

Taking care of the ball

The Blue Devils turned the ball over 15 times against the Demon Deacons. Plumlee was responsible for seven of these turnovers, with three of them due to offensive foul calls. Playing 36 minutes, he had the ball in his hands a lot, but seven turnovers is still too many. Against a Florida State squad that is looking to capitalize on the Blue Devils’ mistakes and hand them another ugly defeat, it will be important for Duke to play a cleaner game and take better care of the rock. And, of course, much of that burden falls on point guard Quinn Cook, who turned it over three times against Wake Forest, just his second three-turnover game since the end of November.

Fighting fatigue

In their second road trip in four days, the Blue Devils will need to battle fatigue, especially with limited depth because of Ryan Kelly’s continued absence due to a foot injury. Duke has struggled in true road games this season, falling to No. 19 N.C. State and No. 14 Miami and eking out a close win against an unranked Wake Forest squad. After playing the Demon Deacons, the Blue Devils had little time to recover before they traveled to Tallahassee. They will need to start fresh from the opening whistle, a task that they have struggled with throughout the season, to avenge their loss to the Seminoles in the ACC tournament last season.

 

Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Miami

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No. 25 Miami defeated No. 1 Duke 90-63, handing the Blue Devils their second straight road loss.

Here’s your postgame recap:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

  • Starting strong: The Blue Devils started on an even lower note than they did against Georgia Tech. Duke’s 27.3% field-goal percentage shooting in the first half against the Yellow Jackets sent the Blue Devils into the locker room down 28-27. Against Miami, Duke shot 18% from the field, entering the locker room with a 23-point deficit. During the Coach K era, the Blue Devils have never overcome a halftime deficit of more than 16 points.
  • Thriving under pressure: In tonight’s matchup, Duke was under pressure to prove its ability to win on the road and play well in the absence of senior starter Ryan Kelly. The Blue Devils crumbled under this pressure, especially sophomore Quinn Cook, junior Tyler Thornton and senior Seth Curry. Cook went 1-for-12 on the evening, and Thornton and Curry did not make any of their combined 17 shots.
  • Playing to its strengths: Duke played to its strengths against Georgia Tech, with senior Mason Plumlee scoring 14 points in the paint and Curry hitting 6-of-7 from long-range. Plumlee shot less than 50% from the field against the Hurricanes, while Curry missed all 10 of his shots.

Three key plays of the game:

  • 9:45, first half: Miami senior Durand Scott made a 3-pointer that kicked off a 33-5 run by the Hurricanes. The result of this run was an insurmountable Miami lead that doomed the Blue Devils to their second loss this season.
  • 17:43, second half: Duke sophomore Alex Murphy hit a field goal that marked the first two of his nine second-half points.
  • 00:00, second half: The Blue Devils walked off the court. Their loss to the Hurricanes was one of the ugliest defeats faced by a top-ranked team this season. The best thing they can do right now is to move on as they prepare to take on Maryland Saturday in a key home game.

Three key stats:

  • Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry missed all 17 of their shots: A strong veteran presence was critical to winning a game without Ryan Kelly’s big-man presence. Thornton and Curry weren’t able to provide that against the Hurricanes, missing one shot after another.
  • Miami shot 56.9% from the field: The Hurricanes broke through the Blue Devils’ defense with ease tonight. Miami’s 56.9 field-goal percentage is the highest that the Hurricanes have had all season.
  • Four Hurricanes scored in double figures: Tonight’s matchup featured a balanced scoring effort by Miami. Scott led the way with 25 points, and senior Kenny Kadji, sophomore Shane Larkin and senior Trey McKinney Jones chipped in 22, 18 and 10 points, respectively.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Alex Murphy. Murphy provided an unexpected spark off the bench, scoring 11 points and recording a 62.5 field-goal percentage.

And the Miami game ball goes to … Durand Scott. In addition to leading the Hurricanes in scoring with 25 points, the senior guard pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists.