Duke wins crucial opening leg of upcoming four-game gauntlet
As Grayson Allen missed a 3-pointer late in the second half on Monday night, the most winnable game of Duke’s toughest stretch of the season was in jeopardy of slipping away.
The Blue Devils had squandered the entirety of a 15-point second-half lead and were tied with Louisville with just over three minutes remaining.
It was then that Marshall Plumlee outfought several Louisville players for an offensive rebound, drew a foul and sank two free throws to put Duke back in front. The Blue Devils fed off Plumlee’s aggressiveness for the rest of the game and pulled away for a crucial 72-65 victory over the 13th-ranked Cardinals.
Duke’s victory was vital because wins should be hard to come by during a two-week stretch in which the Blue Devils (18-6, 7-4) face nothing but the ACC’s top three teams. They host No. 7 Virginia on Saturday before visiting No. 9 North Carolina and this same Louisville team next week.
Brandon Ingram’s rapid development was the biggest reason Duke won the opening leg of its four-game gauntlet. The highly touted freshman had 18 points and 10 rebounds, aggressively attacking the rim at one end and attacking the defensive glass with a vengeance at the other.
Allen struggled with Louisville’s length when he attacked the rim, but he compensated by sinking four threes. Plumlee scored 10 points, protected the rim effectively and teamed with Ingram to keep Louisville off the offensive glass.
Credit Louisville for continuing to play hard in spite of its administration’s cynical decision to rob it of the chance of playing in the postseason this year. Damion Lee shot only 3-for-15 from the field against a Duke defense determined not to let him beat them, but freshman Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points and reserve point guard Quentin Snider had a couple huge forays to the rim.
It had to be bitterly disappointing for Louisville to go cold in the final minutes and waste such an impressive comeback. The Cardinals fell a half game behind North Carolina in the ACC standings and the Blue Devils got a win they desperately needed given the upcoming schedule.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
