WASHINGTON—In the first two meetings this season between the Blue Devils and Wolfpack, neither side seemed particularly inclined to defend.
Through 20 minutes of postseason play, not much has changed.
Fifth-seeded Duke trails 12th-seeded N.C. State 53-50 at halftime at the Verizon Center in the second round of the ACC tournament. Despite the silky shooting of freshman Brandon Ingram—who had 19 points in the first half after going without a point in the first 20 minutes in his last game against North Carolina—the Blue Devils find themselves trailing against a Wolfpack squad that scored 18 points in the paint and hit six 3-pointers.
Defense has been entirely optional so far, with both teams shooting better than 60 percent from the floor.
N.C. State came out firing, drilling seven of its first nine shots to build a 17-13 lead by the first media timeout. As expected, point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber had a big role in the fast start, making three of his first four field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Duke had more than enough answers on the other end, though, using the long ball to stick with the Wolfpack. Ingram canned his first four 3-point attempts of the afternoon on his way to a game-high 19 first-half points.
Already without senior Amile Jefferson—out for the year with a fractured right foot—the Blue Devils suffered another injury scare midway through the first half when Ingram landed awkwardly and grabbed his left ankle. The Kinston, N.C., native retied his shoe and stayed in the game, but was noticeably hobbled on his first possession on defense following the tweak.
Wolfpack freshman Maverick Rowan scored 24 points in N.C. State's 75-72 first-round win against Wake Forest Tuesday afternoon, and picked up right where he left off against the Blue Devils. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting before intermission, this time scoring off the dribble rather than from behind the arc. Abdul-Malik Abu and Caleb Martin joined Barber in double-figures, combining for 23 points.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- Luke Kennard stepped into the starting lineup in place of Derryck Thornton—his first start since a loss at Louisville Feb. 20—and immediately hit two quick lay-ups.
- Against the Wolfpack Feb. 6 in Durham, the Blue Devils held Barber scoreless for most of the first half. They've had no such luck so far Wednesday despite trying a number of Duke defenders on him, including Jones, Thornton and Allen.
- The 53 points scored by the Wolfpack is the most allowed by Duke in a first half this season.
- Duke switched to a 2-3 zone with less than a minute remaining. Barber promptly hit a perimeter jumper.
- Allen was whistled for a charge with 5.9 seconds left before halftime for his second foul of the game.
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