Duke Basketball lost their second straight game to the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 55-50.
With Grayson Allen sitting out, Duke scored 32 points below their season average and lost to Miami, dropping into a tie with the Hurricanes for 5th place in the ACC. Reeling from a buzzer-beater loss in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse, Duke came out and shot below 32 percent, including a 5-of-21 effort from beyond the arc. The loss underscores glaring issues which need to be addressed before the Blue Devils attempt to make a run in the ACC Tournament.
Unlike early in the season, the Blue Devils are learning that they cannot rely on Luke Kennard to carry their offense. While he is an exceptional shooter and has improved his ball-handling ability, he is simply not dominant enough to take over games without the support of Duke’s other weapons. He is noticeably limited when Allen is not on the floor to draw the defense away and make crafty passes.
Kennard totaled 16 points, but made just two out of six three-pointers attempts and 30 percent of his 20 total looks. Jayson Tatum also struggled, scoring just eight points and missing all seven of his shots from beyond the arc.
Miami was led by Bruce Brown, who scored 25 points and added four rebounds. Brown also made a huge play in the final minute to seal the victory for the ‘Canes. With seven seconds left, Miami had possession of the ball under their own basket, up 53-50. With Duke showing heavy pressure, Brown tore down court, escaping from Duke’s Matt Jones, to catch a long in-bounds pass and finish an easy layup to account for the final score of 55-50.
Next: ACC Player of the Year rankings
Duke will host No. 19 Florida State on Feb 28th before heading to Chapel Hill to cap off the regular season against the Tar Heels. With the ACC standings being so tight, they have the opportunity to finish as high as second or as low as tenth.