Well, I’m not sure if there’s a lot to say. Duke packed up, went on a business trip to Madison Square Garden suffice it to say, they handled business. Illinois came in to this game on a losing streak, that had lasted 2 games. Duke extended it to 3 straight losses.
Duke used the first 10 minutes to build a 10 point lead ( 26-16 ), the Blue Devils would expand their lead to 23 before a 6-0 run by Illinois to end the half brought the margin down to 17. The Blue Devils were never really threatened. Jon Schemer’s team did not rest on their laurels coming out of the second half and once again laying the wood to the Illini. Duke scored the first 7 points of the second stanza and flowed seamlessly into a 27 to 12 run to extend the route. Illinois, defensively, were unable to contain the efficient Blue Devils who shot 56% for the game and 52% from 3-point range. Conversely, the Illini followed up and 0 for 16 debacle from 3 point range in the first half with a 2-10 effort in the second half. The Blue Devils cruised to an 110 – 67 win, boasting 7 double figure scorers.
For the Blue Devils, to win this game they would need to own the boards, Illinois came in as the best rebounding teams in the Big Ten and the Blue Devils out-rebounded them 44-30. Neither team turned the ball over excessively with the Illini only coughing it up 9 times and the Blue Devils just 6. The Blue Devils scored 20 points off of the Illini turnovers and Illinois 8 off the Duke miscues. Duke’s advantage on the offensive glass, a 16 to 10 margin, led them to a 27 to 8 drubbing in second chance points.
Seven Blue Devils scored in double-figures, the first time a Duke team accomplished the feat since Jan. 4, 2017. Freshman Isaiah Evans led all scorers with 17 points in 17 minutes of play shooting 5-8 shots and 3-5 of his 3-point shots. Cooper Flagg had an efficient game hitting on 5-10 shots and hitting his only 3 of the game, scoring 16 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing 5 assists. Kon Knueppel added 15 points on 6-9 shooting while junior Tyrese Proctor scored 12 points on 4-9 shooting with 4 assists. Caleb Foster added 12 points off the bench, going 2-2 from 3-point range. Khaman Maluach scored 13 points, hitting 6-9 from the floor and adding 7 rebounds. Sion James rounds out the double figure scorers with 11 points, and dishing a team high 6 assists.
