Western Michigan was a surprising 6-0 all-time against the ACC before playing Duke.

Western Michigan shot its first free throw with 8:30 remaining in the first half when Austin Richie went to the line. Duke had been to the line 16 times by then and led by 24. The Blue Devils shot 26 free throws in the first half compared to two for Western Michigan.

Austin Rivers said something to the Western Michigan bench as he walked past after a hard foul by Richie with 1:08 remaining in the first half. Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski then grabbed Rivers to calm him down as the two teams headed toward their respective benches for an official timeout.