Sensational Duke basketball duo pulls off a rare feat

Two Duke basketball stars joined an elite list with their last performance.

Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett never did it. Neither did Shelden Williams and JJ Redick nor most other all-time Duke basketball pairs. What they never did, well, it looked like child’s play for freshman power forward Paolo Banchero and junior small forward Wendell Moore in Monday night’s 107-81 home victory by the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (6-0) over The Citadel (3-2).

According to a tweet from the Duke basketball program’s official stats account, Banchero and Moore became only the fourth Blue Devil teammates to contribute at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists apiece in the same game.

Banchero totaled 28 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Meanwhile, Moore finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.

Three past Duke basketball duos to accomplish this feat

The other Blue Devil greats who have each poured in 20-5-5 or more on the same day are precisely that: greats.

Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, who are now on the Blue Devil bench as members of Mike Krzyzewski’s staff, did so in Cameron Indoor Stadium to topple Charlotte on Nov. 17, 2009, three games into what became a national championship campaign. Scheyer, presently Coach K’s named successor for the spring, tallied 20-6-5. And Smith put up 24-5-5.

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More than 30 years earlier, Mike Gminski and Jim Spanarkel went for 22-9-5 and 20-5-6, respectively, to help defeat then-No. 9 Louisville on Feb. 18, 1979, in Charlotte.

As for the first time it happened, Gene Banks and Jim Spanarkel went for 28-11-5 and 31-8-8, respectively, on Jan. 28, 1978, while dominating ECU in Durham.

However, none of the above former Blue Devil duos managed these awe-inspiring numbers without committing a single turnover. No, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore are now alone on that list.

Impressive stuff.