Stock Up, Stock Down: Duke leaves Chapel Hill with unforgettable win

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 08: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes after a loose ball against Cassius Stanley #2 of the Duke basketball team during their game at Dean Smith Center on February 08, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Starting Games

This has become a troubling trend for Duke over the past handful of games.

The Blue Devils have gotten behind early and sometimes the hole was too deep to dig themselves out of, specifically in the losses to Clemson and Louisville.

Duke has trailed by at least seven points in the first half in each of its last three games but the Blue Devils had enough fight to erase those deficits and win all three of those games.

As the season rolls on, it will continually become more difficult for Duke to erase these large deficits and coming out sharper, stronger, and faster should be a major talking point as March draws closer.

Matthew Hurt

Matthew Hurt is a major X-Factor for this Duke team.

He struggled once again to adjust to the speed of the game on Saturday, and that’s typical for a freshman playing in his first ever Duke-Carolina game, but Duke’s overall success is dependent on how Hurt plays.

While the freshman from Minnesota isn’t fleet of foot on the defensive end, his offensive game needs to be more consistent as his shooting ability would extend the defense to create more room for Vernon Carey Jr. and more driving lanes for the guards.

In his last two games, Matthew Hurt has just played 17 minutes and scored only two points but he will have another chance to make a major impact on Monday night against Florida State.

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