For two straight games the Duke Blue Devils failed to match both the intensity and physicality of their opponents and unsurprisingly both games ended in losses for Coach K's squad. The Blue Devils for the second straight game spotted their opponents at least a 9 point lead fueled by turnovers. The Blue Devils look to rebound from their first losing streak of the season against Miami. Looking to sweep the season series, No. 8 Duke will try to match their dismantling of the Hurricanes in their first match-up in Coral Gables on January 4th, 95-62, behind an ACC career high 24 points from freshman Vernon Carey Jr., a Miami native.
Duke vs Miami
Duke is 21-7 all-time versus Miami, which includes a 10-2 mark in home games -- all at Cameron Indoor. The Blue Devils won 17 days ago in Coral Gables, 95-62, behind a combined 57 points from the freshman trio of Vernon Carey Jr. (24), Cassius Stanley (20) and Matthew Hurt (13). Duke won the only meeting last season at Cameron Indoor, 87-57, with Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett each scoring 19 points. The Blue Devils have won six of the last 10 in the series.
Last Meeting: DUKE 95, MIAMI 62
Freshman Vernon Carey Jr., a Miami native, scored a game-high 24 points with nine rebounds in a 95-62 win on January 4, 2020 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. Duke’s .597 field goal percentage was its highest in an ACC road game since the 2012-13 season. The team’s .597 field goal percentage, 64 points in the paint and 23 assists were each season highs. Freshman Cassius Stanley also scored 20, including 16 in the first half, as Duke led 50-36 at the break. The 11 Blue Devils that played each scored at least three points and had at least one rebound.
The Opponent
Miami is 10-7 overall and 2-5 in the ACC, but coming off an 83-79 loss in overtime at home to No. 5 Florida State -- a game Miami led by nine with five minutes to play. The Hurricanes are led by Chris Lykes, Kameron McGusty and DJ Vasiljevic, each averaging 14.0+ points. Lykes is scoring 16.1 points per game overall and 18.1 in ACC play. Lykes and Vasiljevic have been held to 25 points combined over the last two Duke-Miami games.
Duke
Duke comes in second nationally in scoring margin at +18.4. Six of Duke’s 15 wins are by 30+ points, including three ACC wins by 30+. The 39-point margin in the BC win (88-49) was Duke’s largest in an ACC game since beating Georgia Tech, 110-57, on Jan. 3, 2017 and marked the 23rd time in history Duke won an ACC game by 39+ points.
Vernon Carey Jr. leads the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding, nearly averaging a double-double with 17.3 points per game and 8.4 rebounds. Carey also leads the team in blocks at 2 per game. Tre Jones leads the Blue Devils in assists at 6.8 per game, he also averages 14.9 points and a team leading 2 steals per game. Cassius Stanley and Matthew Hurt round out the double figure scorers for the Blue Devils with 12.4 and 10.9 points per game respectively.
