After each Duke men's basketball game this season, check back here for the Player of the Game and more. Cameron Indoor Stadium worked its usual magic for the Blue Devils Tuesday night, and the Blue Zone breaks down the cherry on top of Duke's undefeated home slate:
One player: Jeremy Roach
In Duke’s last home game of the season, junior captain Jeremy Roach demonstrated why he is the leader of this team. It was an important matchup against N.C. State to avenge the rough loss in Raleigh back in early January. Then, Roach went 0-for-8 from the floor, finishing with just four points in 23 minutes. Tuesday night, he started out aggressive, scoring eight points in the first half.
N.C. State would not give up, however, led by the efforts of Jarkel Joiner at the guard spot. Just under seven minutes into the second half, the Wolfpack went on an 8-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to two, but Roach scored another layup to maintain the upper hand. He was integral in closing out the game with clutch buckets and free throws. Roach finished with a total of 20 points, his seventh time leading the team in scoring in the last nine games. When the Leesburg, Va., native stays aggressive on the drive, Duke benefits. The Blue Devils are now 5-0 when Roach scores at least 20 points, and this was a prime example of what a good night from him can do.
One word: Home
Tuesday night’s win at Cameron Indoor Stadium capped off an undefeated home slate for Duke. The Blue Devils won 16 straight games in Durham, their first time doing so since the 2013-14 season. While Duke has had some tough losses and ugly games this season, this is no small accomplishment. It stayed resilient and benefitted from a vibrant atmosphere provided by the Cameron Crazies all season long.
In head coach Jon Scheyer’s first year, he faced lofty expectations as the leader of a storied program. Scheyer set the program record for most wins by a first-year head coach while also being the first rookie head coach in ACC history to finish undefeated at home. Scheyer has continued the legacy of winning at Cameron Indoor, and now has the chance to further shape his legacy during the postseason.
One stat: 23-for-29 from the line
Duke had a strong performance at the free-throw line compared to N.C. State. Both teams did not shoot particularly well, especially from three. The Wolfpack shot just 28.6% despite knocking down eight tries, thanks to Joiner’s six 3-pointers and clutch shooting late in the game. The Blue Devils only made two threes, shooting just 10.5% from deep. To make up for this, they got to the line by being aggressive driving to the hoop. Freshman center Kyle Filipowski had a tough night shooting — he went 2-for-11 from the floor, but was able to get to the free-throw line en route to another double-figure scoring night.
When N.C. State came roaring back thanks to Joiner’s two late 3-pointers, Duke was able to quell the comeback by knocking down free throws when it was intentionally fouled. Both Roach and Tyrese Proctor hit major free throws to build the lead to two possessions with just more than 13 minutes to play, a deficit that the Wolfpack could not come back from. The Blue Devils finished the game 23-for-29 from the free-throw line, compared to N.C. State's 7-for-8 mark. Duke was able to adapt to a tight game under a lot of pressure by getting to the charity stripe and making several clutch free throws to win the game.
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