Blue Devils hold off Boston College in 93-82 win led by interim head coach Jeff Capel to win second straight conference game.
Duke Basketball started hot at home against Boston College but faltered late allowing the Eagles to close within single digits. The Blue Devils ultimately closed the game out with free throws to win 93-82. Jayson Tatum led the team with 22 points while Grayson Allen added a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Here are our takeaways from the game:
Impact of Amile Jefferson
One of the reasons Duke struggled in the second half was due to the absence of Amile Jefferson. Without Jefferson, the Blue Devils missed his post scoring, rebounding, and defensive presence. Harry Giles recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds in his second straight start while Marques Bolden struggled with only 2 points and Chase Jeter is out with an injury.
Giles, Tatum, and Bolden all struggled with foul trouble which led to Tatum playing at center late. The redshirt senior captain went down in the first half after recording 11 points with a right foot injury and never returned. The extent to his injury is unknown after suffering a season-ending broken foot last season, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on his health.
Next: Expectations for Duke Basketball Without Coach K
Defensive Struggles
Duke started off the game playing excellent defense holding the Eagles to only 34 points in the first half. However, after leading by as many as 25 points BC was able creep back in the game late shooting 55.9% from the field. The team was unable to stop the penetration of the Boston College guards Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson combining for 40 points.
New Lineup
Mike Krzyzewski made a change to the starting lineup in his final game before surgery leading to a blowout of Georgia Tech. It was a great move by the coaching staff, who starred offensively against the Yellow Jackets and the first half against Boston College. Moving Grayson Allen to point guard has paid off extremely well, and he recorded a career-high in assists today. Frank Jackson and Matt Jones were also key of the bench scoring 15 and 10 points respectively. Leading scorer Luke Kennard struggled to get going in this game with 9 points, but will hopefully be able to bounce back next game.
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Duke was able to get the win, but the Blue Devils will need to improve with games at No. 12 Florida State and at No. 9 Louisville next week. We will keep you updated on any injury news and updates on Amile Jefferson.