CHARLOTTE — Like in a true championship game, Duke and Louisville are neck-and-neck at the halftime buzzer. Halfway through their battle for the ACC title, the Cardinals have taken a 38-33 lead:
Home-state advantage
When Duke battled the Tar Heels Friday in the same stadium, it was impossible to tell which team’s supporters were louder — the natural consequence of a North Carolina rivalry fighting it out on neutral ground, but still in North Carolina. Saturday night, any doubts about a crowd advantage vanished: The Cameron Crazies had taken their antics to Charlotte. Before the game even began, Blue Devil fanatics were screaming, “Let’s go Duke!” loud and clear, while Louisville supporters stood like specks of red in an ocean of royal blue.
That sound appeared in waves throughout the first half, peaking when Khaman Maluach dunked twice or when Isaiah Evans launched a stepback three to take Duke’s lead back from the Cardinals.
Chucky Hepburn hot
At 14:34, Noah Waterman clinched a statement triple for the Cardinals. Until that moment, senior guard Chucky Hepburn had made all seven of Louisville’s points. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year opened scoring with a short-range step-back jumper, then made a similar shot two minutes later. His next gander at the basket was a clean triple he snagged when Maluach turned over the ball with a travel. Hepburn’s threats came from his own offensive proficiency, which helped him find open shots when his teammates couldn’t do it for him. He gathered three assists and two rebounds by the end of the period, too.
High-stakes mistakes
Maybe it was the nervousness of both these teams in competing for the ACC title; on Duke’s end, it might have been the adjustment the team is still making in the wake of Cooper Flagg’s injury. Whatever the cause, both the Blue Devils and the Cardinals slipped up here and there, exhibiting occasional sloppiness with possession. A couple of Louisville passes flew high, landing past the baseline and out of reach of the intended recipients. On the other end of the court, Knueppel tried to set up Maluach for a third dunk, but fumbled the pass. After the under-four timeout, Caleb Foster threw a wayward pass to Proctor, who watched it reach past his fingertips and land at the feet of Cardinals sitting on the bench. These small errors from both teams amounted to 13 total turnovers by halftime.
Birds have the boards
By the numbers, Louisville did not own rebounding in the first half of this game — it only narrowly outrebounded Duke, with 17 to the Blue Devils’ 13. But to pull off even this feat was nightmarish for this Duke group, which has averaged 8.4 rebounds more than its opponents all season. The Cardinals caught these boards as a unit, with J’Vonne Hadley nabbing just four for himself as the team-high — every player in red who played in the first half caught at least one. Blue Devil rebounds made a stronger bell curve, with Maluach beating out his teammates with five of his own.
Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor
Choosing a player of the half here is tough, with Proctor, Maluach and Knueppel all playing significant roles for the Blue Devils. The junior, however, stands out. His three treys have been key for Duke, coming in at times most needed to keep his team even with, or slightly ahead of, the Cardinals. As Louisville reclaims a lead it lost at 14:04, and as tension in the Spectrum Center soars, Proctor’s level-headedness stands out on the court, as visible when his team huddles up as when it makes a play. Having been in situations like this one before — with something real to lose — Proctor will look to lead his team with poise in the second period.
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Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.