Second-half spark against Notre Dame shows glimpse of Duke’s offensive firepower
Mike Krzyzewski, the Hall of Fame coach with five NCAA championships and multiple Olympic gold medals, couldn’t even put into words what he had just seen.
His No. 7 Blue Devils had just defeated Notre Dame, 94-60, at home. It was the fifth time this season in ACC play Duke beat a team by at least 30 points, a school record, but even the buzz-saw the Blue Devils turned into during a second half run caught Krzyzewski off guard.
Duke (22-3, 12-2 ACC) led by 15 (56-41) a respectable margin, with 13:29 remaining in the game. Then, seemingly out of the blue, the Blue Devils found another gear. Thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers, drives to the basket and tough defense, Duke was suddenly up 28 and the game was over in the blink of an eye.
The Blue Devils shot 56.5 percent from the floor for the game and 45.5 percent from 3. During that late stretch, it felt like they couldn’t miss.
“During that magical stretch in the second half everything goes nuts,” Krzyzewski said. “We hit everything.”
The longtime Duke coach compared the run to a perfectly composed song, or that moment in music when everything clicks. To Krzyzewski it was a combination of the music being just right, the conductor being on the same page and all of a sudden, as Krzyzewski put it, “the dance is terrific.”
The Blue Devils were one made 3-pointer short of tying a season high. Of the 10 made 3-pointers, seven came in the second half. They shot 7-of-14 from three in the final 20 minutes, five of those came during the run when Duke was draining 3s as if the basket was the size of the Atlantic Ocean.
“We were rolling,” sophomore Joey Baker (eight points, 2-of-3 from 3) said after the game. “Guys were finding each other, knocking it down. It was one of those fun moments, just playing the game. It’s a testament to the work we put in and just staying ready.”
Baker hit both of his 3s when the Duke lead ballooned to 28, then 30 shortly after. Alex O’Connell (12 points) and Matthew Hurt (12 points) joined in on the act as well. O’Connell, a junior, said he can’t remember the Blue Devils going on a run like that since he’s been at Duke, calling it “kind of wild.”
Krzyzewski said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey told him after the game it was like being on the playground for a moment. Duke was just playing free, and there was nothing the Irish could do to stop the Blue Devils.
“You could tell just how the crowd was getting into it that guys were having fun,” O’Connell said. “I think a lot of that offensive success is attributed to our defense. When we play defense like we can, we have a room full of talented guys who can all score, it really comes down to playing defense, and the offense comes naturally.”
Duke held Notre Dame to 28 points in the second half and just nine made field goals. The Irish shot 5-of-21 from 3, the five makes a season-low for team that came in averaging 9.8 made 3s per game. For all of his coaching accomplishments, even Krzyzewski knows getting his team to shoot like that again is asking a lot.
“Nobody is going to be able to shoot like that,” Krzyzewski said. “For that period of time, that was crazy. That’s not coaching. It’s not a matter of us calling a play or whatever. The second half we just exploded.”
Krzyzewski gave a lot of credit to his shooters, as well as sophomore point guard Tre Jones for running the show. He also said Saturday’s game was the best of the season for freshman Vernon Carey Jr., who finished with 21 points. Carey’s presence in the post, 16 points in the first half, opened up the outside for the guards to get clean looks.
“We’re pretty dangerous,” Carey said when asked about Duke’s potential when they shoot that well. “Just with everyone’s shooting ability and just spacing and stuff like that. It just opens the floor for me inside.”
The Blue Devils, winners of seven consecutive games, are trending in the right direction, at the right time. With six ACC games remaining, three of those at home, and a Louisville loss to Clemson, Duke is now ahead of the Cardinals by a half game in the ACC. Peaking in March and April is the goal, and trending upward in February seems to have the Blue Devils heading in that direction.
“We’re trying to peak at the right time,” Baker said. “We still have areas of improvement. We’re still trying to get better, keep winning games, that’s what it’s all about, especially this time of the year.”
