TUCSON, Ariz.—No. 12 Duke men’s basketball traveled to take on No. 17 Arizona in the Blue Devils’ first true road contest of the year. After 20 minutes of play, Duke hangs on to a 34-27 lead:
On the road at last
For the first time this season, the Blue Devils played in true enemy territory. The ZonaZoo did not hold back. This is the only true road game Duke plays outside of its ACC schedule, and it didn’t seem shaken. The team played with relative poise, even when its shots weren’t falling. However, the Blue Devils’ once-six-point lead began to shrink with just more than six minutes remaining, and the crowd came alive. Caleb Love’s first points of the night got the student section roaring, but Sion James responded with a dunk after Love turned it over with three minutes to go. That score kept the Blue Devils two possessions in front of the Wildcats, a margin they increased heading into the break.
Freshmen fast starts
Duke’s veterans started cold, as Caleb Foster put up a three that wouldn’t fall on the opening possession. His second didn’t go either. Instead, it was the rookies that got the ball rolling for the road team. Khaman Maluach broke the ice with a second-chance layup, then Cooper Flagg hit back-to-back jumpers — one from the paint and one from outside — to steady the offense. Jaden Bradley and Trey Townsend had the early answers for Arizona, with the former tallying eight of the team’s first 12 points, and the latter accounting for the rest.
Where is Love?
Love is no stranger to Duke basketball, even if this year’s roster looks quite different. The fifth-year is playing the Blue Devils for the ninth time, though the first five were against former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The former Tar Heel has been struggling this season, shooting just 26.3% from three. That trend continued tonight. Love was quiet through 15 minutes, only breaking through in the final five with a transition layup.
Mid-game slumps
About five minutes in, both teams went cold. The Blue Devils missed seven straight from the floor, while the Wildcats missed eight. For the home team, the misses nearly all came from outside the arc, while the visitors were cold throughout. What had seemed to be a high-scoring half slowed. Duke remained in front for the majority, but late turnovers by Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis turned the tides in favor of Arizona.
Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor
After the freshmen opened up the scoring, it was the junior who righted the ship. Proctor made two back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Duke its first lead of the night with more than 16 minutes remaining in the half. The Australian made his biggest impact, however, getting the ball to his teammates. His four assists lead the team through the first frame. Though he did have two costly turnovers, the guard’s experience shone through.
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.