It was another eventful Tuesday for the Duke Blue Devils as the men’s basketball team took center stage at Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic.
Freshman forward Mark Mitchell made his Garden debut one to remember as he gave Duke a spark on both ends of the court.
The Kansas City, Kansas native was the primary defender on Iowa superstar Kris Murray and held him to just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting, his lowest scoring output of the young season.
The All-American candidate had been averaging 21.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game entering Tuesday’s matchup.
Mitchell also shined offensively for the Blue Devils with 17 points, one point off his career-high, on 6-of-8 shooting from the field in addition to five rebounds, one assist, and a block.
More Duke Blue Devils news
Duke football head coach Mike Elko has already been awarded with the ACC Coach of the Year and now he has a chance to win another award.
Elko was named a finalist for the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, given to the man who put together the best coaching job of the season.
.@CoachMikeElko has been named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award! pic.twitter.com/QC7LN4gXG0
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) December 6, 2022
Sonny Dykes of TCU, Willie Fritz of Tulane, Jim Harbaugh of Michigan, Lincoln Riley of Southern California, Kirby Smart of Georgia, Jon Sumrall of Troy, Jeff Traylor of the University of Texas at San Antonio are the other finalists.
None of the coaches have previously won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the winner will be announced on December 20.
Mike Elko was also named as the Associated Press All-ACC Coach of the Year while Graham Barton was named as a First-Team offensive tackle and Dewayne Carter (defensive tackle) and Jalon Calhoun (all purpose) were named to the Second Team.
We had three named to the @AP All-ACC teams with Coach Elko as the Coach of the Year! 😈 pic.twitter.com/ivtVxZky52
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) December 6, 2022
ACC Basketball News
It was a busy night of basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference but the biggest surprise came in Massachusetts as Boston College fell to New Hampshire, 74-71, in overtime.
Boston College lost to Duke on Saturday, 75-59, and it marked the third straight loss for the Eagles after its 21-point loss against Nebraska last week.
Earl Grant’s team is likely to finish last in the ACC this year with non-conference losses to Maine, Tarleton State, and New Hampshire.
No. 5 Virginia held on for a nail-biting victory at home against James Madison, 55-50.