No. 11 Duke men’s basketball continues its road trip out west with a heavyweight contest against No. 1 Kansas. After 20 minutes of play, the Blue Devils trail in a close contest, 41-39:
Sin City Devils
Tonight’s matchup marks the third time the Blue Devils have played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Duke has a 2-0 record at T-Mobile Arena so far; the last time they made the journey out west, the Blue Devils handed then-top-ranked Gonzaga its first loss of the season. With the Jayhawks undefeated and currently atop the latest AP poll, the Blue Devils are hoping for history to repeat itself and to bring down another top seed. The difference between Kansas and Duke blue made it difficult to tell if more Duke or Kansas fans were packed into T-Mobile Arena, but when the Blue Devils charged out for warm-ups, it was clear they had the larger fan contingent.
Experience versus youth
Kansas has one of the most experienced rosters in the country. Only one starting Blue Devil — Tyrese Proctor — is an upperclassman, while Kansas boasts all upperclassmen in its starting lineup. In the first half, it was clear that the Jayhawks’ veteran calm was carrying them through the day and helped lead them to their early lead over Duke. The Jayhawks showed their comfort and ease in a primetime, neutral-site matchup, while the Blue Devils’ inexperience in that regard was apparent early. But the young are adaptable, and Duke certainly adapted to Kansas’ pressure and settled into the match as it clawed its way back from being down early.
Shots falling
The Jayhawks immediately looked comfortable shooting both from the field and from beyond the arc, while the Blue Devils struggled to hit their shots to start. Kansas’ initial hot streak on offense led it to an early 13-3 start. Senior Zeke Mayo shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 from the field. Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr added onto the Jayhawks’ offensive prowess. As a team, Kansas shot 55.6% from deep, more than Duke’s 42.9%, and Dajuan Harris Jr. was the only player from either team to reach double digits in the half. Still, as the half went on, the Blue Devil offense finally started to come to life in the closing minutes. Both teams ended the half with identical 50% shooting percentages from the field.
Big man, big problems
In the first half alone, Hunter Dickinson lived up to the hype and caused problems for Duke. The 7-foot-2 center currently leads his team in points on the season and is keeping up that trend thus far in Las Vegas. With his large frame, the first-team All-American looms over many of the Blue Devils on the court and plays faster than his height would suggest. Dickinson proved that he was not just a threat in the paint but could also shoot from three as easily as he could from the field. On the defensive end of the court, Dickinson used his wingspan to expertly guard the rim and force any Blue Devil going up against him to work for points. The Michigan transfer finished with nine points and four rebounds in the half.
Player of the half: Maliq Brown
Coming off of the bench, Brown provided the jolt of energy that the Blue Devils needed as their offense slowly sputtered to life. Brown led his team in points and helped aid Duke’s 10-0 run late in the first half. Significantly, the Syracuse transfer shot a timely 3-pointer that not only energized the Duke bench and every Blue Devil fan in attendance, but also forced Kansas into a timeout to halt Duke’s offensive barrage. The Culpepper, Va., native also matched up well against Dickinson, managing to hold him to nine points in the half. Brown had a nearly perfect first half, shooting perfectly from the field and from three, and going 3-for-4 in free throws.
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