Duke basketball: History made in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home opener

Duke basketball forward Wendell Moore and head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke basketball forward Wendell Moore and head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)

History was made in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home opener with the Duke basketball program. 

It was a historic night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium for the Duke basketball home opener for many reasons.

It was the final home opener in the legendary career of Mike Krzyzewski, and he pinned his Blue Devils (2-0) up against Army (1-1), his alma mater and the only other program he was a head coach at.

However, it was what happened during the game that made the night truly historic.

Junior forward Wendell Moore became the fifth player in Duke basketball history, the third under Krzyzewski, to record a triple-double.

Moore finished the night with a team-high 19 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Five of his six misses came from 3-point range, where he was 2-of-7 as the Blue Devils won, 82-56.

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The last triple-double record by a Duke player was RJ Barrett against NC State in the 2018-19 season.

Shelden Williams was the only other player to post a triple-double under the watch of the Hall of Famer as Gene Banks and Art Heyman also reached the feat in Durham.

Friday night was also the 40th straight home opener victory for Mike Krzyzewski, the longest active streak in the country.

Another Duke basketball player wanted to get in on the act

Paolo Banchero, on his 19th birthday, wanted to get in on the act as the freshman followed his performance against Kentucky with his first double-double.

Banchero added 18 points and 12 rebounds to the winning effort as his freshman counterpart Trevor Keels struggled with his shot (4-of-14, 1-of-6 from 3-point range) but still added ten points and six steals.

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Point guard Jeremy Roach was the only other Blue Devil in double figures with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting as Joey Baker chipped in nine points off the bench.

It will not be long before Duke is back on the court as Krzyzewski’s squad wraps up its portion of the Duke Veteran’s Day Showcase against Campbell on Saturday night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium (8 p.m., ESPN+).