Duke seized control early and shot the lights out from 3-point range, rebounding from a tough loss to Maryland with an 88-56 shellacking of Virginia Tech on the road in Blacksburg, Va. After close conference tilts against Boston College, North Carolina and Maryland, the Blue Devils made this one look easy with their first convincing win in two weeks.
Here's your postgame recap:
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Can Mason bounce back? After a poor showing against Maryland's Alex Len last week, Plumlee bounced back in a big way against the Hokies. Plumlee turned in one of his most complete performances of the season, scoring 13 points, grabbing 12 boards, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots.
- Can Duke stop Erick Green? The Blue Devils never seemed to control Green, who entered play as the nation's leading scorer. But thanks to a slew of Duke 3-pointers early in the contest, this game was never close enough for Green to play a factor. His 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting constitutes a respectable game, but a performance the Blue Devils could afford to allow in a 32-point blowout.
- Is this the new Josh Hairston? It appears so. The junior forward finished with 11 points on the evening—just two off of his career high— for the second consecutive contest despite playing with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Hairston continues to show off his newfound confidence and efficiency on the offensive end, converting on 4-of-6 shots from the floor and 3-of -4 attempts from the foul line in just 21 minutes of action. As Duke continues to wait for the return of senior forward Ryan Kelly, Hairston's inspired play may be just what the team needs in the frontcourt.
Three key plays:
- 18:19, first half. With the Hokies out to a 4-0 lead, Seth Curry set the tone for Duke's shooting from deep all night, nailing a 3-pointer, the first of his five on the evening.
- 17:33, first half. Curry nailed his next attempt from deep, giving Duke a 6-4 lead, one it would never relinquish all night. The trey was assisted by Plumlee, who recorded five dimes, the first four of which were for 3-pointers.
- 19:21, second half. Duke led by 20 going into halftime and Josh Hairston didn't let the Hokies come out and make a run out of the break, scoring the first points of the period en route to his second consecutive 11-point performance.
Three key stats:
- 5 Duke turnovers: Although the second half of blowout victories can often lead to sloppy execution for many teams, the Blue Devils took excellent care of the ball throughout tonight's contest, turning the ball over just five times. Tyler Thornton did an excellent job manning the point in the second half, dishing out five assists without turning the ball over once.
- Blue Devils shot 12-of-17 from 3-point range: Duke's 3-point shooting was on display from start to finish and was one of the main reasons why the Blue Devils were able to put this game away early. Curry led the way for Duke, hitting 5-of-6 attempts from downtown en route to a team-high 22 points. On the other end of the floor, the Blue Devils also defended the perimeter, allowing the Hokies to convert on just 1-of-16 3-point attempts.
- Duke held a 34-25 edge on the glass: After being outrebounded by Maryland 40-20 in its loss last Saturday, the Blue Devils bounced back and posted their largest rebounding advantage since defeating Clemson Jan. 8. Mason Plumlee led the way for Duke with 12 boards.
And the Duke game ball goes to... Mason Plumlee. When Mike Krzyzewski calls your performance "an almost perfect game," you know you've done something right. Plumlee took just six attempts from the field Thursday night but made significant contributions on both ends of the floor. Whether it was grabbing rebounds, controlling the paint with his defensive presence and blocking shots or dishing out a team-high five assists, Plumlee imposed his will on Virginia Tech.
And the Virginia Tech game ball goes to... Erick Green. Despite playing from behind the entire game, the nation's leading scorer got plenty of looks at the basket. Netting 22 points on 8-of-14 from the floor is nothing to shake your fist at, it just wasn't enough to keep this game within reach.
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