No. 15 Duke leads Florida State 43-30 at halftime at Cameron Indoor Stadium Thursday night, thanks to 18 points from the combined efforts of Grayson Allen and Matt Jones, who contributed four of the team's first-half 3-pointers.
Duke is looking to bounce back from a 71-64 road loss at Louisville in which Brandon Ingram committed 10 turnovers, but will have to find a way to slow down the Seminole trio of Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon.
The Blue Zone looks at three keys to the game ahead of Duke's matchup against Florida State.
Following a road split against North Carolina and Louisville, the 15th-ranked Blue Devils return home for a matchup against Florida State.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes knew he had it going when he let go of the third 3-pointer. It was about six feet beyond the 3-point line, right around the "t" in the BankUnited Center logo in front of the Florida State bench, so far away that his coaches were closer to him than the nearest Miami defender. It didn't matter. "I’ve never had a zone I was in like that.
The ACC continues to be one of the strongest conferences in the nation with a host of teams vying near the top of the standings.
Former Blue Devil star Nolan Smith will join Krzyzewski's staff as a special assistant effective immediately, the team announced Monday, launching his coaching career after a handful of seasons in the NBA and D-League.
Junior Matt Jones and freshman Derryck Thornton are both expected to play Thursday against Florida State, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said on the ACC's weekly teleconference Monday.
With the regular season coming to a close, the AP Top 25 Poll continues to fluctuate with 17 losses by last week's top 25 teams.
Despite fouling out Saturday, Grayson Allen is the Blue Zone's Player of the Week after his strong games against North Carolina and Louisville.
Saturday's second half at the KFC Yum! Center was the complete opposite of Duke's recent late-game success—things unraveled right when it appeared the Blue Devils were on their way to a sixth straight win.
The Cardinals clamped down on the Blue Devils in the final 10 minutes, ending the game on a 30-12 run to snap Duke's five-game winning streak.
The last 10 minutes of the game were disastrous for head coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad, as the Blue Devils went more than eight minutes without hitting a field goal and their lack of depth on the bench came back to haunt them.
Point guard Derryck Thornton suffered a right shoulder injury with nine minutes remaining, and short-handed No. 20 Duke fell victim to No. 18 Louisville's tenacious pressure in a 71-64 loss Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— In the final leg of a four-game stretch against ranked opponents, the Blue Devils appear to be headed for another close finish.
The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference in Saturday's game between Duke and Louisville.
On the heels of a stunning win at No. 5 North Carolina Wednesday in Chapel Hill, Duke heads to the KFC Yum! Center for a rematch with Damion Lee and the Cardinals, but will be without junior captain Matt Jones, who suffered a sprained ankle in the win against the Tar Heels.
Following their improbable win in Chapel Hill against No. 5 North Carolina Wednesday, the No. 20 Blue Devils will make the trek to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., for a noon tip-off Saturday against the No. 18 Cardinals.
The Blue Zone looks at three keys to the game ahead of Duke's battle against Louisville.
Four former Blue Devils participated in All-Star Weekend festivities a week ago in Toronto as the first half of the NBA season came to a close.
