Duke Blue Devils vs Miami Hurricanes Basketball Recap

Duke Blue 74 – Miami (FL) 63

Duke (13-0) defeated Miami (11-4) 74-63 in the ACC opener for both schools at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.

Duke star point guard Kyrie Irving remained on the bench with his right foot in a boot after a toe injury sustained 3 weeks ago, and although this might have been the Blue Devils most serious test to date, Duke continued to roll in his absence. His coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Irving’s injury is scheduled to be reevaluated this week.

Miami coach Miles Brand brought a team into Durham that most consider to be one of the top contenders for the second spot in the ACC this season, and they did not disappoint that perception.

The first half of the first-half was closely contested and efficient for both offenses - but after both schools turned up the defensive pressure, the game was nearly scoreless from the 12 minute mark when Duke held a 17-12 lead – until Blue Devile guard Nolan Smith drained a jumper from the paint with 5:06 remaining and then scored the next 11 points for the Blue Devils, culminating in a 37-24 point margin at intermission.

Defensive pressure from both teams was a step more difficult than either team was accustomed to during non-conference play. In the first half Miami shot an abysmal 27%, and Duke shot only 45% after hitting 30% of their attempts before Nolan Smith found the hot hand. The two teams combined for 15 first-half turnovers.

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Nolan Smith had 15 points to lead all scorers before the break. Kyle Singler and Andre Dawkins had seven points each. Mason Plumlee contributed nine rebounds and two points for the Blue Devils. Reggie Johnson led with seven first-half points for the Hurricanes, benched for the final 15 minutes of the half after picking up two quick fouls.

The Hurricanes pulled within nine points more than once in the second half, but were never able to close the gap, the final margin was 11.

Nolan Smith had a great night, finishing with 28 points leading all scorers. Andre Dawkins came off the bench to fill the second guard spot in Kyrie Irving’s absence with 16 points, and Kyle Singler had 14 points and eight rebounds for Duke. Mason Plumlee contributed 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Starting guard Seth Curry - normally a valuable contributor for Duke - left the game with four fouls and no points after 18 minutes.

The Hurricanes hit 43% of their field goals for the game, but only three of their 17 three point attempts. They were led by Reggie Johnson with a career high 22 points, and even though he was saddled with his fourth personal foul – an intentional elbow with six minutes remaining – his presence was key to Miami keeping the game from becoming a blowout.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski notched his 881st career victory with the win, 21 behind Bob Knight on the all-time NCAA Division I list.

By: David Minter
DFN Sports Staff Writer