The Duke basketball team proved why it should be in consideration for the No. 1 ranking in the country during its comeback victory on the road against No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday afternoon while it displayed its most dangerous characteristic – its balance.
The No. 4 Blue Devils typically rely on the firepower of Cameron Boozer to win games – and he was dominant in the second half with 16 points after just two points first half – but it was the supporting cast that showed up at various points of the game that made the biggest difference.
Nik Khamenia, who made his second consecutive start, led Duke with nine points in the first half on three made 3-pointers. Dame Sarr, who has struggled throughout the first month of the season, also turned in a productive opening half with a made triple.
It’s something that hasn’t been seen all the time from Duke except for its victory on Tuesday against No. 15 Florida, which saw Isaiah Evans hit the game winning 3-pointer.
It has usually been Cameron Boozer or bust for Duke.
Evans, again, hit a massive 3-pointer with 3:59 remaining to put Duke up by two points, 55-53, and drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with a minute to play and knocked down all three free throws that extended the lead to five, 60-55.
However, it was the often-criticized point guard Caleb Foster who hit the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left that pushed Duke’s lead to six, 63-57, and iced the game at the free throw line.
Foster finished with 12 points in the game – 10 coming in the second half – and proved that Duke is more than Cam Boozer.
This team is greater than the sum of its parts because it always hasn’t looked pretty and yet somehow the Blue Devils continue to find ways to win basketball games, and that’s the most important thing.
Duke will get a much deserved 10-day break before they host Lipscomb on December 16 which will set up another trip to Madison Square Garden on December 20 to battle with No. 19 Texas Tech.