Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs Buffalo

No. 7 Duke pulled away from Buffalo in the second half to beat the Bulls 82-59 on Saturday night and move to 8-1 on the regular season. With the win, the Blue Devils have now won six straight games and are undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season. 

Revisiting the Keys to the Game

• Control the glass: The Blue Devils could've faired poorly in this category if not for Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. The duo combined for 19 rebounds and the Blue Devils as a team only outrebounded the Bulls 43-42. Buffalo was able to stay in the game longer than Duke would have hoped due to the Blue Devils poor shooting and inconsistent rebounding in the first half. Senior Amile Jefferson—who entered the game as one of the top rebounders in the nation—also finished with eight boards in the victory. 
• Stay out of foul trouble: The Duke big men were a physical presence down low, always harassing the Buffalo post players and contesting any shots close to the rim. As a result, Jefferson finished with four fouls and Ingram finished with three despite playing solid defense all evening. As games get more physically demanding and the opponents get tougher, the Blue Devils will need to do a better job defending without fouling.
• Maintain composure: The Blue Devils escaped the upset and were able to beat the Bulls convincingly in Cameroon Indoor Stadium. With an extended period of rest coming due to final exams, Duke started strong against the Bulls and ensured that there would be no upset Saturday night. After some early shooting struggles, Duke scored 11 points in a row to extend its lead to 20 midway through the second half. Ingram led the charge in the first half to help get a lead against Buffalo early, with more than 15 points before the break in his second consecutive contest. 

Three key plays

• 7:24 remaining, first half: Brandon Ingram makes a three-pointer off of a slick kick-out from Marshall Plumlee. The 3-pointer gave the Blue Devils an 11-point lead and Buffalo was unable to narrow the margin for the rest of the game.
• 7:16 remaining, second half: After the Bulls cut the lead to 12 with seven minutes to play, sharpshooter Matt jones sinks a three to extend the lead and the Blue Devils went on a 5-0 run in the next two minutes to extend the lead even further and put the game out of reach.
• 1:40 remaining, second half: Luke Kennard put the nail in the Bulls’ coffin with a shot from downtown to make it 80-57 in the waning moments of the contest. Although the game was not in doubt, Kennard shook off some of his struggles in the first half and showed the stroke that makes him a big factor coming off the bench during the remainder of the season. 

Three Key Stats

• Ingram scores 20 points for the second straight game: The Blue Devils may have been in trouble without Ingram in this one. The freshman went 8-for-15 and scored 23 points, after scoring 24 points in Wednesday's outing against Indiana. The key for the forward appears to be starting fast as the Kinston, N.C. native has averaged 16.5 points in the first halves of his last two games. 
• Marshall Plumlee finishes with four assists: The center finished with a career-high in assists, marking the development of the big man that Duke has always envisioned. Plumlee has taken a larger role in the offense this season–largely due to his improved ability to score in the paint or off of rebounds—and Saturday’s matchup provided a glimpse of that expanded role. 
• Duke shot 40.7 percent from the field: The Blue Devils finished with a season low shooting percentage and the team's hectic schedule may have had a lot to do with it. Coming into the game, Duke had played nine games in 23 days, including three games this past week. With a long period of rest coming, look for the Blue Devils to use the break to become refreshed and rejuvenated before finishing non-conference play. 

And the Duke game ball goes to…Brandon Ingram