And one: Roach's leadership, McCain's big night highlight Duke men's basketball's win against No. 10 Baylor

After each Duke men’s basketball game this season, check back here for the Player of the Game and more. The Blue Devils put on one of their best showings of the year in Madison Square Garden Wednesday, taking down No. 10 Baylor 78-70:

One player: Jeremy Roach

When senior guard Jeremy Roach entered the game against Baylor, it wasn’t his first time playing in Madison Square Garden, and he knew all about the confidence that “Cameron North” brings to the Blue Devils. The senior had momentum coming in, developing a 19-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio in the four games leading up to the contest. And, his clean, consistent game carried into his test against the 10th-ranked Bears, as Roach finished with 18 points and three assists with only a single turnover. 

In addition to Roach, the rest of the starting lineup also scored in the double digits. With sophomore point guard Tyrese Proctor out following his ankle injury against Georgia Tech, weight was added to Roach’s load, and the Duke captain delivered. 

The Leesburg, Va., native started his scoring early, knocking down a three at the beginning of the game to give the Blue Devils an early lead. Duke’s early progress was eliminated by halftime, though, as the team went into the break only up two. Early in the second half, Baylor was able to take control for a period, leading by as much as six. To turn the game back around, the Blue Devils turned to their most consistent scoring opportunities. While sophomore center Kyle Filipowski was able to turn his disappointing scoring performance around in the second half, much of Duke’s offense was left to Roach. The shifty guard had options: he could blow by his defender for an impressive layup over relentless shot-blockers, dish it to a big man on the pick and roll or stop for a mid-range shot. Ultimately, many of Roach’s defenders had no choice but to foul in order to stop him from scoring.

Once Filipowski picked up his fourth personal foul with seven minutes remaining in the second half, it was Young’s time to shine. He filled the shoes of his team’s most dominant big man, earning offensive rebounds and knocking down free throws all the same. The dagger into the heart of Baylor basketball, though, was Young’s kick out to McCain in the corner. McCain knocked down the triple to put Duke up by seven with four minutes remaining, and set the Bears on a losing path for the second game in a row. 

One stat: 14-1 run

Schyer’s squad has never had a problem scoring the basketball. In fact, the team scored an average of 72 points in its three losses this season. The Blue Devils face trouble when they cannot limit their opposition’s scoring. Against Baylor, Duke was able to get it done because it kept its scoring up while limiting the Bears’. After going down by six with plenty of time left in the second half, the Blue Devils were able to fight back and even the score — eventually developing a run of their own.

Duke’s decision to turn to the pick-and-roll between veterans Roach and Young catalyzed its run. The first roll resulted in a bounce pass from Roach to Young for a layup. On their next offensive possession, Roach used Young’s screen to stop and hit a mid range jumper. Finally, on the team’s third iteration of the play, Roach fed Young on the roll before the big man dished it to the corner for a McCain triple. At that point, there was no stopping the Blue Devil offense, and Duke was able to increase its lead to double digits and secure the much-needed victory.