Blue Devils Dominate Hurricanes to Stay Undefeated in ACC

The No.3 Duke Blue Devils (15-2, 7-0 ACC) remain undefeated in the ACC, dominating the Miami Hurricanes (4-13, 0-6 ACC) in a 89-54 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday night.

Freshman Kon Knueppel led all scorers with 25 points – a career high. Knueppel shot an efficient 9-11 from the field, including 6-8 from behind the arc. And while Kon’s night was notable, it was the Blue Devils’ season-high 25 assists that were most impressive.

“I think we have found out how good we can be when we share it,” head coach Jon Scheyer said after the win. “I think our guys have fallen in love with that.”

“That’s beautiful basketball when almost all your field goals are assisted,” Knueppel said when I asked him about how well the Blue Devils shared the ball. “It’s really fun to play that way and I think everybody enjoyed that tonight.”

The Blue Devils weren’t just making one pass, they were making the extra pass and sometimes an additional pass to find the open shooter. That ball movement made them nearly impossible to defend in the half-court and aided in their impressive 53% shooting percentage from three.

“For me that’s my favorite part of the game, when the ball is moving and clicking,” Cooper Flagg told us. “You almost feel like you get rewarded more when you play that way.”

Duke hits the road for its next conference matchup, traveling to Boston College on Saturday, Jan. 18. The Blue Devils (15-2, 7-0 ACC) and Eagles (9-8, 1-5 ACC) are scheduled to tipoff at 8 p.m., on ESPN.

Notes:

• Khaman Maluach secured a second double-double in as many games, scoring 12 points and grabbing a career-high15 rebounds, while Cooper Flagg logged a balanced effort with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Mason Gillis also reached double-figures, scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep, setting new season highs for points and three-pointers.

• Duke has now won 11 straight games, the second-longest active winning streak in the nation.

• Duke dished 17 assists on 19 made field goals in the first half, and ended the game with a season-high 25 total helpers.

• The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 43-22, and have out-rebounded 14 of their first 17 opponents this season. 

• Duke collected 34 points in the paint, compared to 22 by the Hurricanes. The Blue Devils have out-scored the opposition in the paint in 15 of their 17 games and have posted a double-digit margin in that category 10 times this season.

• Duke’s defense limited Miami to 54 points, and has held all but one unranked opponent under 65 points. Miami entered the game as a top-50 offense according to KenPom, averaging 77.5 points per game.