Duke 64, UConn 54, 41 seconds left: Duke didn't score on its last possession, but curiously, UConn chose not to foul, and the Blue Devils burned the whole shot clock. The Huskies got fouled on the other end with just 53 seconds to play, and now the 10-point lead looks beyond UConn. Check The Chronicle's Sports Blog later this evening for reactions from Mike Krzyzewski and the players.
Duke 62, UConn 53, 1:34 left: Dyson made just one free throw but Duke had an empty trip on the other end, and UConn has called timeout. The Huskies are still in a big hole, but the UConn fans in the crowd are urging them to keep the faith, and the players look like they still think they can pull this one out.
Duke 62, UConn 52, 2:25 left: So much for a quiet ending. MSG just exploded after an offensive foul call on Scheyer, and the Duke lead is just 10, with the Huskies going to the free-throw line again. They have struggled mightily from there tonight, though.
Duke 62, UConn 48, 3:52 left: The Huskies are making a bit of noise and are at the line for two free throws, so this ending could be more interesting than we thought.
On another note, Jon Scheyer has three turnovers in two games in New York, and those are his only three turnovers of the year so far. That statistic gives him an outrageous 10.6:1 assist-to-turnover ratio; for reference, UNC's Ty Lawson led the ACC in that category last year at 3.5:1.
Duke 58, UConn 42, 7:55 left: Almost nothing new to report, which is good news for Duke fans. The Blue Devils are up 16, are dominating the pace of play and are nearly in the bonus.
Duke 58, UConn 40, 11:28 left: The Blue Devils have all the answers right now. Nolan Smith responded to a UConn dunk with a slashing layup, and then, Andre Dawkins finished off a 3-point play after two Huskie free throws. Trading baskets at this point is good business for Duke, and we'll see if that continues.
Smith appears to have fallen into a camera trying to save a loose ball and was holding his head in pain, but he did get up on his own.
Duke 50, UConn 34, 13:33 left: Five more quick points for Duke, and don't look now, but the Blue Devils are up 16. A 3-pointer by Scheyer and a tip-in by Smith pushed the lead out even further, and UConn cannot buy a basket right now.
Duke 45, UConn 34, 15:04 left: The first few minutes of the second half picked up right where the first period left off--a few blocked shots, acrobatic layups (this time from Jon Scheyer) and tough battles for rebounds down low. The score, though, hasn't rocketed upward like it did to start the game. Instead, it looks like Duke might be taking control. The pace has slowed considerably, which is certainly in the Blue Devils' favor, and Coach K's squad is getting good looks or drawing fouls on almost every trip downcourt. And notably, the team is doing it without much of an offensive contribution from Kyle Singler, who has just five points and has not shot the ball well at all tonight. We should add that he does have five rebounds and has played very good defense against a skilled UConn squad.
Another eye-opening stat: Brian Zoubek has an astonishing 10 rebounds right now, and has played a big role in keeping Duke ahead.
Second-half starters:
Duke: Smith, Scheyer, Singler, Plumlee, Thomas
UConn: Walker, Oriakhi, Edwards, Robinson, Dyson
Duke 37, UConn 28, HALFTIME: So much for boring Duke basketball. This half was exciting by any stretch, and Krzyzewski should be thrilled with his players' efforts even though they haven't been shooting well (just 29.5 percent). Ben Cohen just asked, "How is Duke winning?" The answer seems to be balanced scoring and safety with the ball: The Blue Devils have just four turnovers and UConn has 12, while Duke has outrebounded its opponent 25-20 to this point.
Duke 36, UConn 26, 1:23 left in the first half: Both benches are hyped up, the crowd is hyped, the players are excited, and the coaches are, too--so much so, in fact, that UConn head coach Jim Calhoun got a technical and might be fishing for another. In the last three minutes of action, this building got as loud as I've heard it in four visits, and all of a sudden, Duke's slender lead has become a 10-point advantage. The Blue Devils are scoring inside and along the perimeter, blocking shots and forcing turnovers.
Duke 32, UConn 26, 3:42 left in the first half: A crucial stretch as Duke extends its lead to six, but then Singler picks up his third foul on the defensive boards. Plumlee has also got three fouls right now and the Blue Devils need to be careful, but they can't get too tentative: Duke is outrebounding Connecticut 23-14, and that's one of the biggest reasons the score is in the Blue Devils' favor at the moment.
Duke has seven team fouls, so UConn is in the 1-and-1, and on the other end the Huskies have five team fouls.
Duke 25, UConn 22, 7:2o left in the first half: UConn's Stanley Robinson, who stands 6-foot-9 and is maybe its most dangerous scorer, has seen the man defending him change often--first it was Scheyer, then Singler, and now Dawkins. It's working so far, seeing as he's got just four points. On offense, the Blue Devils look confident even though they hit a cold streak for about six minutes. Scheyer nailed a perimeter jumper and Dawkins did the same, and in between, Scheyer led a flawless fast break that ended in another Nolan Smith dunk.
Duke 17, UConn 18, 11:22 left in the first half: Two fouls on Kyle Singler, but Mike Krzyzewski is keeping him on the court for now. Interesting lineup right now with Smith, Singler, Plumlee, Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly, and that group is holding its own. Dawkins hit a 3-pointer from the corner and the Huskies turned it over a moment later. The Blue Devils are down one and I'm not sure they can keep up with the pace Walker and Dyson are setting right now, but we'll see.
Duke 14, UConn 16, 12:35 left in the first half: Oh, so that's where the defense was. The score has settled down, and a couple of big-time UConn blocks have gotten the crowd riled up. The Huskies seem to have an unlimited number of tall, athletic big men, and they forced Duke turnovers on the last two possessions.
Duke 11, UConn 10, 15:27 left in the first half: FAST start to this one. In four minutes of play, there might not have been even one possession that lasted 20 seconds. After the two teams traded baskets (first down low, then from the elbow), Nolan Smith hit a wide-open 3 and followed that with a dunk in transition. But the Huskies responded quickly with a layup, and these teams just want to run. We'll see when the defense really gets here, because the offense didn't waste any time. I'm struggling to type as quickly as Kemba Walker dribbles.
Pregame: For those of you looking for yet another way to keep up with this game, Ben Cohen will be live tweeting it here.
Pregame: Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and welcome to Madison Square Garden for the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off, where No. 7 Duke is taking on No. 13 Connecticut. In the third-place game, Arizona State--which pushed Duke to the brink Wednesday night--pounded LSU.
This is the first matchup between the Huskies and Blue Devils since the 2004 Final Four, when UConn won by one point and went on to win the national title.
Pretty good crowd here this afternoon, and it sounds like a pro-Duke audience, as is the norm here at the Garden. It'll be interesting to see how the Blue Devils' stable of big men deals with the Huskies' athletic forwards and centers.
Some stats from fellow Chronicler Ben Cohen: Duke has won 21 straight games in November, 11of 12 at MSG and 11 in a row in the Preseason NIT. The Blue Devils' lone loss in this building lately came in overtime to Pittsburgh two years ago.
Starters:
UConn: Stanley Robinson, Alex Oriakhi, Charles Okwandu, Jerome Dyson, Kemba Walker
Duke: Kyle Singler, Miles Plumlee, Lance Thomas, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer
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