Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs Louisville

After getting back to its winning ways at home against N.C. State Saturday, Duke defended its home court once again in a 72-65 victory against Louisville in the 1000th game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Behind a combined 37 points from freshman Brandon Ingram and sophomore Grayson Allen, the Blue Devils held the Cardinals off down the stretch and emerged with their first victory against a ranked opponent. 

Revisiting the three keys to the game: 

• Clean the glass: Both Ingram and Marshall Plumlee were beasts on the glass, combining for 18 rebounds and helping Duke finish with a 33-32 advantage against Louisville in rebounds. Duke’s big men crashed the boards aggressively the whole game and Ingram's length was especially key as he tipped numerous balls to himself to end possessions. The Blue Devils corralled the ball when it mattered most, securing a crucial defensive rebound in the final minute of the game to give Duke a chance to milk the clock.
• Contain the Cardinals penetration: The Blue Devils were able to handle the Cardinals perimeter playmakers, holding guards Quentin Snider and Trey Lewis to just 23 points combined. Louisville's leading scorer coming into the contest—graduate transfer Damion Lee—returned from injury after missing the previous game but was held to only 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting from the field. Duke opened the game with one of its best halves of defense this season and its perimeter defenders were in the faces of the Cardinals' ball-handlers all night. 
• Score (a lot) on offense: It was strength on strength for the Blue Devils, one of the nations top-ranked offenses going up against on of the nation’s top defenses. Duke won that battle, with Ingram and Allen posting solid performances and Luke Kennard providing 11 off the bench. Plumlee was also productive—scoring 10 points along with eight rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. Although Louisville tightened up its defense in the final 20 minutes of play, the Cardinals struggled to defend without fouling and sent Duke to the line 28 times in the game 

Three key plays:

• 6:12 remaining, second half: The Cardinals take their first lead of the game after an old-fashioned  three-point play by Quentin Snider. Snider was fouled as he drove to the hoop and made his only shot from the stripe. The basket put Duke on their heels and in danger of dropping yet another conference game. 
• 2:21 remaining, second half: Trailing 66-62, Louisville forward Raymond Spalding missed an easy layup short of the hoop. Marshall Plumlee grabbed the rebound and the Blue Devils were able to get Ingram to the line once again the next trip up the floor 
• 0:33 remaining, second half: Freshman Derryck Thornton made a leaner in the lane with 33 seconds left that made it 70-62 and put the game out of reach for the Cardinals. Thornton has struggled of late but made arguably the shot of the game with the shot clock winding down. 

Three key stats:

• Ingram grabs 10 rebounds: Along with the 18 points he scored to lead the Blue Devils frontcourt, Ingram was a beast down low, crashing the boards and playing aggressively all night. Duke won the rebounding battle—a major concern coming into the contest—and was able to neutralize the threat of Louisville’s pair of 7-footers in the paint due to the freshman's ability to use his length to fight for nearly every rebound.
• The Blue Devils makes 21 free throws to the Cardinals' 10: This may have been the deciding factor in the game as Duke jumped out to a comfortable first-half lead off of points from the charity stripe. For the game, the Blue Devils shot double the number of free throws than Louisville and simply attacked the basket with more aggression than the Cardinals. After Louisville cut it close in the final five minutes of the game, Duke made 10 of their 12 free throws in the final 3:12 of the game to ice the game. 
• The Blue Devils record their first win against a ranked opponent: With Monday's contest serving as the start to a season-defining four-game stretch, Duke stepped to the plate and delivered with a solid performance on both ends of the floor. The win against the Cardinals moved the Blue Devils to 7-4 in the ACC—just one win behind conference leader North Carolina—and quieted any chatter about potentially missing the tournament.

And the Duke game ball goes to…Brandon Ingram