The Duke Blue Devils snapped their two game losing streak with a 63-52 victory versus the Louisville Cardinals at the Yum Center.
After the Duke Blue Devils lost two consecutive games it was easy to see that changes needed to be made. As bad as the Blue Devils had been shooting the past two games, their biggest weakness was their inability to stop anyone from scoring. NC State scored 87 points and then Miami scored 90 points in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke hadn’t been able to slow down opposing guards. They weren’t able to stop dribble penetration. Playing man-to-man defense has been the staple for Duke basketball under coach K. This team sensed it would not win many games in ACC play unless they made a change.
Coach K knew it. Duke ditched the man-to-man defense versus Louisville and it paid off. Coach K stole a page from his friend and new ACC rival, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. The Duke Blue Devils basketball team played a 2-3 zone. The 2-3 zone was clearly working as they only allowed Louisville to score 20 points in the first half and 52 points for the game.
Jan 17, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) dribbles the ball against Louisville Cardinals guard/forward Wayne Blackshear (25) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
The Louisville Cardinals have struggled to shoot the ball from three this year but have three big men and some explosive guards. The zone forced Louisville into 29.5 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent shooting from three-point range.
The Blue Devils played their best defensive game since before the holiday break. The great defensive play allowed the Blue Devils to go on a huge run that lasted over 15 minutes.
Down 12-9 with 8:45 remaining in the first half the Blue Devils woke up. Matt Jones hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 12 and that was the start of a 37-12 run for Duke. The stretched from the 8:45 mark of the first half to 13:14 mark of the second half.
When the run was over Duke had taken a 46-25 lead and was in complete control of the game. Amile Jefferson and Jahlil Okafor were major contributors for the Blue Devils throughout the entire game.
Okafor was held to only four points in the first half on 2-3 shooting. Louisville was using a combination of zone and rotating Mangok Mathiang, 6-10, Chinanu Onuaku, 6-10, and Montrezl Harrell, 6-8, to slow down Okafor. Through 20 minutes of play the plan was working. Okafor wasn’t scoring but the attention he drew was creating space and easy shots for his teammates.
The second half was a different story as Okafor took over the game. He was dominant and was getting any shot he wanted. Okafor scored 14 second half points on 6-7 shooting to finish the game with 18 points.
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For the second consecutive game Jefferson has played tremendous. For most of the season Jefferson was only grabbing rebounds and playing defense. Over the past two games he has shown some offensive ability to go along with his rebounding and defensive ability.
Jefferson finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds. If Duke needed a big rebound or a big basket it seemed as if Jefferson was the one getting the ball.
The Blue Devils held off a late attempt at a comeback by Louisville. The Cardinals were down 54-36 with 7:31 left and needed to make a run immediately if they wanted any chance to win the game.
As Louisville is known to do they brought the pressure. Their defensive pressure intensified and the full-court press was forcing Duke to turn the ball over or rush their offense.
The Cardinals closed the gap to 11 points, 58-48, with 1:18 left in the game. That was the closest Duke would allow Louisville to get. The Blue Devils made their free-throws down the stretch and walked out of the Yum Center with a much-needed victory.
This was the type of game that can rebuild a team’s confidence and get them back on track.
Game MVP:
It is tough to single out one player to be game MVP when there were two players who deserve credit for the win. Both Amile Jefferson and Jahlil Okafor were outstanding for Duke. Jefferson and Okafor played well on both ends of the floor. They combined to score 37 points on 14-17 shooting from the field, 9-11 from the free-throw line and recorded 14 rebounds.
Duke does not win this game without the performance by the two Duke big men. Jefferson and Okafor were also responsible for keeping Harrell to only 10 points.
Jan 17, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Amile Jefferson (21) shoots against Louisville Cardinals forward/center Mangok Mathiang (12) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Game Notes:
Duke played much better on both ends of the floor tonight. Their defense was fantastic and they shot the ball much better, but not from three. The past two games Duke shot 36.9 percent versus NC State and 43.9 percent versus Miami. Both were Duke losses.
On Saturday versus Louisville, Duke shot 48.8 percent from the field, but only 26.7 percent from three. The shot selection was better and the Blue Devils weren’t settling for the three. Rather than shoot a three, they were attacking the basket and playing patient offense to get the best shot possible.
Louisville continues to struggle on offense. Their defense is outstanding. They create turnovers and rebound the ball well. The one thing the Cardinals cannot do is shoot the ball well.
On Saturday, versus a Duke zone defense, Louisville was a lousy 18-61 from the field, 29.5 percent, and 4-25 from three, 16 percent. The shooting is really holding Louisville back from being one of the best teams in college basketball.
What’s Next for Duke:
Duke earned a much-needed victory and won’t have much time to rest. The Blue Devils travel to Pittsburgh to face the Pitt Panthers on Monday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The Peterson Events Center will be loud and ready for Duke.
Tyus Jones will look to build some momentum from his performance today. He was aggressive while he scored 10 points and dished out eight assists. Duke will need Jones to play at a high level to continue to win games.
With the win, Coach K now has 998 career victories. If the Blue Devils win on Monday then Saturday’s showdown with St. Johns at Madison Square Garden could be career win number 1,000 for the legendary coach K.