5 observations from no. 12 Duke men’s basketball’s first half at No. 17 Arizona

On By Littum

TUCSON, Ariz.—No. 12 Duke men’s basketball traveled to take on No. 17 in Arizona in the Blue Devils’ first true road contest of the year. After 20 minutes of play, Duke clings to a 34-27 lead:

Finally on the road

For the first time this season, the Blue Devils played in true enemy territory. ZonaZoo didn’t hold back. This is the only real road game Duke plays outside of its ACC schedule, and it didn’t seem shaken. The team played with relative poise even when its shots weren’t falling. However, the Blue Devils’ one-time six-point lead began to dwindle with just more than six minutes remaining, and the crowd came alive. Caleb Love’s first point of the night had the student section roaring, but Sion James answered with a dunk after Love turned it over with three minutes left. That score kept the Blue Devils two possessions ahead of the Wildcats, a margin they increased heading into halftime.

Freshmen fast starts

Duke’s veterans got off to a cold start as Caleb Foster made a three that wouldn’t fall on the opening drive. His second didn’t go either. Instead, it was the rookies who got the ball rolling for the road team. Khaman Maluach broke the ice with a second chance, then Cooper Flagg hit back-to-back jumpers — one from the paint and one from outside — to stabilize the offense. Jaden Bradley and Trey Townsend had the early answers for Arizona, with the former tallying eight of the team’s first 12 points and the latter accounting for the rest.

Where is the love?

Love is no stranger to Duke basketball, although this year’s roster looks quite different. The fifth-year Blue Devils will play for the ninth time, though the first five were against former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The former Tar Heel has struggled this season, shooting just 26.3% from three. That trend continued tonight. Love was quiet for 15 minutes, breaking through only in the final five with a transition layup.

Mid-game slumps

After about five minutes, both teams went cold. The Blue Devils missed seven straight from the floor, while the Wildcats missed eight. For the home team, the misses almost all came from beyond the arc, while the visitors were cold throughout. What appeared to be a high-scoring half slowed down. Duke remained in front for the majority, but late turnovers by Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis turned the tide in Arizona’s favor.

Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor

After the freshmen had opened the scoring, it was the juniors who righted the ship. Proctor made two back-to-back 3-pointers to give Duke its first lead of the night with more than 16 minutes left in the half. However, the Australian made his biggest impression by getting the ball to his teammates. His four assists lead the team through the first frame. Although he had two costly turnovers, the guard’s experience shined through.

Rachael Kaplan profile
Rachael Kaplan
| Sports managing editor

Rachael Kaplan is a senior at Trinity and senior editor of The Chronicles 120th volume.