Playing at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium for one last time in the 2022-23 season, Duke kept pace with visiting N.C. State early Tuesday evening before gaining slight separation late in the first half. Heading to the locker room, the Blue Devils have earned a slim 33-29 advantage.
Home sweet home
Nearly a decade ago, Jabari Parker, Quinn Cook and current assistant coach Amile Jefferson led the Blue Devils to an undefeated record at home during the 2013-14 season. A lot has changed in the program since then, but the more things change, the more things stay the same, and Duke is now one half of basketball away from repeating the same feat for the first time since. The Crazies brought their A-game for the occasion, slathered in blue paint and roaring for every play.
Pushing the pace
Whatever energy the fans brought, both teams quadrupled it on the court. The opening minutes were a sprint, as both teams looked to get a bucket as fast as possible. But in pushing the pace of the game, the teams at times traded in smart, controlled play for costly frenetic energy: In the first four minutes and change, the Blue Devils missed six straight field goal attempts after a Mark Mitchell make, while Wolfpack guard Jarkel Joiner hit the ground hard after clipping press row with his foot, resulting in a stoppage of play. Joiner went on to lead N.C. State in scoring with 12 points.
Don’t give second chances
Duke once again paced the rebounding race, as it has in 25 of 29 games this season. However, some uncharacteristic flubs, such as drops and poorly aimed swats, in battles with a shorter N.C. State team meant that the Blue Devils inadvertently extended multiple Wolfpack possessions while cutting their own short. The Wolfpack outshot Duke 41% to 38%, making those extra chances even more dangerous.
Line up
In lieu of quality looks at the basket, the Blue Devils padded their point total by getting to the line — a lot. N.C. State amassed 10 fouls by the end of the half, including a dead ball technical on Terquavion Smith after he pushed Proctor on an inbound play. While far from perfect — they shot 12-of-17 — the Blue Devils were reliable enough from the charity stripe. The Wolfpack made one on one attempt. Ultimately, though N.C. State was clearly winning the battle during normal gameplay, the Blue Devils stayed ahead simply because of the Wolfpack’s propensity for fouling.
Player of the Half: Jeremy Roach
Not once, not twice, but three times, the junior captain turned a pumpkin of a possession into a carriage with deft drives to the basket as the shot clock expired. N.C. State suffocated the Blue Devils’ offensive flow, forcing them to try and create shots mostly in isolation. Only Roach truly succeeded in that endeavor, as the only Blue Devil with multiple made field goal attempts until 6:01 left, when Dereck Lively II stuffed two consecutive alley-oop dunks. By the end of the half, Roach had eight points to go along with an assist and a steal.
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Sasha Richie is a Trinity senior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.