Though Duke was riding high off of a week where it upset then-No. 9 Kansas State and then-No. 8 Oklahoma, the momentum was no match for the well-balanced attack of South Carolina, who defeated the Blue Devils in an aggressive 81-70 contest.
The Blue Devils put on a defensive masterclass while showcasing their offensive prowess as Duke earned its fourth straight shutout in the NCAA Tournament and powered 1-0 over Virginia Tech.
Against Kansas, at times, it was obvious that Duke needed a grow-up game. It needed to face the top-ranked, most experienced team in the nation, in a packed-out neutral site where at times it was difficult to tell if there were more fans rooting for Kansas or for Duke. And while they usually say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, for the Blue Devils to have success down the rest of their season, they will need to keep what happened in Vegas at the forefront of their minds.
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.
Both teams came into the matchup riding high off of dominant wins, but from the onset, it was clear that any team wanting to walk out of Lee’s Family Forum with the win would need to fight for it. And Monday afternoon, that team was Duke as the team stormed its way to an impressive and hard-fought 73-62 win over Kansas State.
The Jackrabbits’ hopes of regrouping and making a quick comeback were cut when junior Ashlon Jackson made both of her free throws as time ran out, giving the Blue Devils the 75-71 win.
Duke certainly did make a statement in front of its home crowd at Koskinen Stadium Friday evening. Minestrella’s four goals — half of the eight Duke scored on the night — helped power the Blue Devils to a dominant 8-0 win against Howard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the semifinals of the ACC Championship — which was delayed 75 minutes and did not start until 9:15 p.m. — No. 1 Duke could not complete the sweep of its archrival, and fell to No. 8 North Carolina 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
Robbie Church was named ACC Coach of the Year for the third time in his Duke career.
To Kara Lawson’s squad, The Sisterhood is not just a logo that they wear on their jerseys or just a catchy marketing slogan plastered on banners or in Instagram captions, it truly is a way of life and the guiding principle for how the team operates on and off the court.
