Things got off to a roaring start for No. 6 Illinois as it opened up a sizable lead in the early minutes against the Blue Devils. Trailing 43-29 at the break, Duke will have to turn things around to maintain its eight-game winning streak in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Sluggish start for the Blue Devils
Duke looked to its most consistent scorer for the first possession of the game as Matthew Hurt connected on a slick midrange jumper; however, things looked anything but smooth after that. Forced shots and turnovers were the main culprits as the Blue Devils failed to score on their next seven possessions, allowing Illinois to open up a 14-2 lead.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski made an interesting lineup change to begin the game, taking sophomore Wendell Moore Jr. out of the starting lineup.
Adam Miller or Reggie Miller?
The Fighting Illini came into Tuesday ranked No. 11 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, and they made that apparent throughout the first frame. Freshman Adam Miller connected on his first three 3-point attempts to pace Illinois, which has hit 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc thus far. On the other hand, the Blue Devils are 0-for-7 on the night from deep.
Fast break woes
With Duke's less than stellar half-court offense this year, it's crucial for Krzyzewski's young team to get out in transition over the remainder of this contest. So far, the Fighting Illini have proven to limit transition buckets as well as Tony Bennett's Virginia teams. The Blue Devils have just two fast break points as they head into the locker room, despite having a lethal end-to-end option in Jalen Johnson.
Still swinging
Not many things went right for Duke in the first half, though things stayed within reach after Illinois' initial run. Hurt sat the final six minutes of the period after picking up his third foul, but the Blue Devils ramped up the defensive intensity while finding the occasional basket. Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood's squad could have a much larger lead at this point of the game, but Duke is a quick spurt away from clawing back into this top-10 battle.
Player of the half: Matthew Hurt
Hurt was consistently put in defensive mismatches throughout the first 20 minutes, though he continues to hold his own against an athletic Illinois squad. On the other end, the sophomore is once again Duke's go-to option. From well-timed cuts to high percentage looks from the midrange, the Blue Devils best bet on offense is still feeding Hurt in the paint and against smaller defenders. We'll see if Krzyzewski tries to get his star forward going from beyond the arc in the second half.
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