No. 16 Duke started off strong on the road Saturday against Boston College at Conte Forum and secured the halftime lead with a late run. The Eagles are hanging around, though, as the Blue Devils are up 37-33 at the break.
Switch up the starters
A team release Saturday morning announced that Jeremy Roach, Duke’s sole captain, would be out due to a reaggravated toe injury that he initially suffered Nov. 27. The last time Roach was out due to the lingering injury, five-star freshman Dariq Whitehead stepped up, making his first start for the Blue Devils. But the Duke faithful saw not just one, but three new faces take the court for tipoff Saturday against the Eagles.
Whitehead took the floor again Saturday, along with regular starters Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell, and freshman guard Tyrese Proctor, who returned to his starting position after being replaced by Jaylen Blakes in Duke’s loss to N.C. State. Saturday, notably, marked Ryan Young’s fifth start with the Blue Devils. The graduate center made his mark on the half with five assists and six rebounds; meanwhile, Whitehead led the starters in scoring with 13.
Eagles doubling up
It seemed that Duke's early goal was to find Mitchell or Young as fast as possible and score in the paint quickly, also looking for fellow center Filipowski on more set plays—but the Eagles were doubling up on defense when Duke looked to pass to the block. The strategy had its pros and cons for the Eagles, resulting in four early turnovers for Duke but also two fouls that sent Duke to the line within the first few minutes as Young and Filipowski went to work in the paint. The Blue Devils scored their first six from in the paint, ending the half with 18 total from inside. While Duke often looks to find Young inside, the graduate center notched five assists early, cementing his role as both a scorer and a playmaker when being guarded tightly at the basket.
Look out for the Langfords
Boston College’s Makai Ashton-Langford entered Saturday leading the Eagles in points per game with 11.8, and he was the first early scoring threat against the Blue Devils, notching seven of the Eagles’ first 14. He also finished the half leading the scoring for Boston College, earning nine of the team’s first 33. Though sitting at only 25% from behind the arc, he hit one early, while his younger brother Damar Langford Jr. tried to work more from inside and cause damage on drives.
The latter was less dangerous early, starting 1-for-5 from the field, but drew fouls and reminded Duke to stay focused on guarding the Eagles from the inside—the Eagles earn only 21% of their points from behind the arc, one of the lowest percentages in the country. Though the Eagles might have benefitted from trying to find 7-foot Quinten Post inside—the only physical competitor against the Blue Devils’ Filipowski—Makai Ashton-Langford mostly looked to find scoring opportunities for himself or Devin McGlockton.
The Eagles almost lose their chance
With about eight minutes left in the half, the two teams entered a timeout tied 21-21, with both teams answering the other’s scores back and forth. But a series of Boston College turnovers, including two missed looks trying to find players on the baseline and missed scoring opportunities rebounded by the Blue Devils, allowed Duke to cushion itself with an 8-0 run.
While the Eagles slowly crawled back with looks inside to Makai Ashton-Langford and McGlockton, further momentum from a slam dunk by Duke’s Dereck Lively II and a trey from Proctor made the last few minutes all about the Blue Devils and almost sent them into the half with a more comfortable six-point lead. But a miraculous buzzer-beater jumper by Post might have saved the day for the Eagles, and now the Blue Devils will have to capitalize on their four-point lead in the second half to walk away victorious in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Player of the half: Dariq Whitehead
Coming off an injury, Whitehead has been working to find his role on the team as he has gradually been incorporated into the lineup. Saturday might have been his best game of the season, as the five-star freshman could not miss anything, finishing the half shooting 5-of-6 from the field with a team-leading 13 points.
Whitehead hit three treys throughout the half, also adding eight critical points for the Blue Devils early and scoring five of their first 10 points. His contributions often came at critical times, as he opened the scoring for Duke with an easy layup and was able to give Duke small boosts with his 3-point shooting with the score tight. He was also active on the boards with four rebounds.
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Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.