Two games, two impressive blowout victories.
The Blue Devils came into this week riding high off of a 35-point victory over in-state rival NC State, and were hoping to continue that momentum against Miami and Florida State.
They traveled to Coral Gables to face the Hurricanes on Wednesday, looking for their first true road victory of the season.
Miami succeeded in slowing the game down and forcing Duke to play ugly for the better part of the first half, only trailing by three points with under four minutes to play before the break.
After the TV timeout, the Blue Devils managed to force a few turnovers that led to fast break points, and went on a 11-2 run to close the opening frame. Two Rodney Hood dunks capped the run, and gave Duke a 33-21 lead.
Coach K's squad kept their intensity level up to start the second half, going on another 9-2 run.
In the blink of an eye, Duke had turned a close game into a 42-23 laugher.
Miami barely threatened the rest of the way as the Devils cruised to a 67-46 victory.
The win seemed to answer critics who doubted Duke's ability to play a slow down game and questioned their defense. They out rebounded the 'Canes 42-28 and held them to 35% shooting from the field, including only 20% from long range.
Duke returned home to face Florida State on Saturday, a good team that figured to give the Devils problems due their size—the Seminoles are the biggest team in the ACC.
FSU had already recorded two wins over ranked opponents (and two losses by a combined three points), and were the last team to win in Cameron Indoor Stadium, thanks to Michael Snaer's buzzer-beater, one of his many as a Seminole.
However, the game followed a similar script from Duke's win earlier in the week.
The Blue Devils struggled shooting the ball early, finding themselves with a 14-12 lead halfway through the first frame, yet it was the Seminoles who seemed to be controlling the game.
That changed quickly, as Duke used a barrage of three-pointers and a myriad of offensive rebounds to close the half on a 29-13 run, taking a 43-25 lead into the break.
FSU threatened late in the second half, cutting the lead to 11, but the Blue Devils responded and put the Seminoles away 78-56.
Coach K's squad had their best rebounding effort of the season against the much bigger Seminoles, grabbing a 45-24 advantage, including a remarkable 26 offensive rebounds.
The Devils were also extremely aggressive, getting to the foul line 43 times (converting on 34 of their attempts), and forced Florida State into 17 turnovers.
Marshall Plumlee provided a spark off the bench, scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds—all of which were offensive—which helped turn the momentum in the Blue Devils' favor.
Rodney Hood continued his stellar play this week, recording 12 points and 6 rebounds against Miami, and followed that up with 18 & 9 against FSU—even though he was throwing up before the game.
Jabari Parker struggled offensively, going a combined 8-25 for the week, but posted two double-doubles (17 points & 15 rebounds against Miami, 14 & 14 against FSU).
This upcoming week will be the toughest the Blue Devils will have until the NCAA Tournament, as they hit the road to face #20 Pittsburgh on Monday and then face #2 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
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