Duke basketball: Dereck Lively historic stat line against Tennessee

Duke basketball center Dereck Lively had a historic stat line against Tennessee. 

It was unfortunate that the Duke basketball season came to an abrupt end against Tennessee in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament but freshman center Dereck Lively made some history in the loss — although it might not have been the history he would have liked to make.

Lively did not score in the Blue Devil 65-52 defeat but did manage to record 11 rebounds and an assist in 36 minutes on the floor.

However, the 7-foot-1 defensive anchor did not have the chance to score because he did not attempt a shot — a field goal or a free throw.

According to CBS Sports, Lively is the only player in college basketball history since 1960 with at least 10 rebounds and no field goal attempts in a Men’s NCAA Tournament game.

Dereck Lively was not known as an offensive threat this year for Duke but was coming off of a performance in the Round of 64 against Oral Roberts in which he went 2-for-3 from the field with four points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks.

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The top ranked incoming freshman only did not take a shot attempt in two other games this year for the Blue Devils, an overtime loss against Virginia in which he played just 11 minutes and a blowout victory against Florida State in which he saw only 13 minutes on the floor.

Duke basketball center still mulling future plans

Dereck Lively could have had a larger role offensive for Duke after the team learned that freshman forward Mark Mitchell would not play against Tennessee because of a knee injury suffered in practice the day before but no one knew the Blue Devils would be limited until minutes before tipoff.

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Many expect Dereck Lively to move onto the NBA this offseason as he finally became to realize the impact he can have on a game defensively — whether it be blocking shots or switching on smaller players in ball screens.

There has been no official announcement yet from any player on the Duke roster regarding future plans.