Duke basketball will face Miami in ACC semifinals, determined not to get ‘punked’ again
When Duke and Miami last shared the same court, the Hurricanes danced while the Blue Devils seethed.
On Feb. 6 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida, Miami scored 12 points before Duke made a shot and rolled to an 81-59 ACC win.
A sold-out crowd, with a larger student attendance number than the Hurricanes usually draw, spilled onto the court to celebrate, even though Miami was favored, had a better record and held a national ranking.
“The way they were celebrating, kind of having a party,” Duke freshman forward Mark Mitchell said Thursday, “we didn’t take that lightly. We’re gonna come out tomorrow determined that that is not going to happen again.”
Duke gets a chance to leave a better impression with Miami. The teams meet in the ACC tournament semifinals Friday at 7 p.m., with Duke seeded No. 4 in the event and No. 14-ranked Miami (25-6) the top seed.
The Blue Devils (24-8), ranked No. 21 nationally, are on a seven-game winning streak and have won 10 of their past 12 games. One of those losses was the embarrassing, infuriating setback at Miami.
“It’s a very high level game for us,” Duke freshman center Dereck Lively said. “I feel like we all circled this game, you know, hoping we’d play Miami again, and we’re in finally a position to play him so we’re going right at them.”
The Blue Devils feel like they are a different team than they were in Coral Gables last month, and their 96-69 win over No. 5 seed Pittsburgh in Thursday’s semifinals was a prime example. Duke scored the game’s first 12 points, led by 16 at halftime and started the second half with a 12-point run to blow out the Panthers.
The opposite happened in Miami, of course, which led to the Hurricanes’ wild celebration that created a memory that’s at the forefront of the Blue Devils’ minds.
“They definitely punked us in every sense of the word,” Mitchell said. “So tomorrow it’s going to be very important for us to come out strong and not back down.”
WHAT’S AT STAKE
On the micro level, a spot in the ACC tournament championship game goes to the winner. Miami won its only league tournament in 2013 in Greensboro. Duke played for the title last year in Brooklyn, losing to Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils last won the ACC tournament in 2019 in Charlotte.
On the macro level, both Miami and Duke are going to the NCAA tournament, regardless of who wins Friday night. But adding another quality win would help either team in a quest to move up the NCAA tournament seed line.
FIRST IMPRESSION
The Blue Devils and Hurricanes split their two regular-season games with each winning on their home court.
Duke won, 68-66, on Jan. 21 at Cameron Indoor Stadium before Miami routed the Blue Devils, 81-59, on Feb. 6 at Watsco Center.
The Blue Devils shot 40.3% and 40.7% in their two games with Miami. They turned it over 21 times in the loss to the Hurricanes, but since that loss, have shot 49% or better four times while going 7-1.
Duke is playing far better now than in either of its first two games Miami.
Still, the Hurricanes have veteran ballhandlers, led by ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong (15.9 points per game), Wooga Poplar (8.2 points) and Nijel Pack (13.4 points). Inside, rugged 6-7 Norchad Omier had 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Blue Devils in the game at Miami.
SCOUTING REPORT ON MIAMI
The Hurricanes have one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, averaging 79.6 points per game. They’ve scored 1.18 points per possession, which is No. 13 nationally according to KenPom. By scoring 81 points against Duke last time, the Hurricanes are one of just four teams to reach their season scoring average against Duke’s strong defense.
Omier averages a double-double with 14.1 points and 10 rebounds per game. Three other Miami players — Wong, Pack and Miller — score in double figures. Miami has made 48.5% of its field-goal attempts this season.
In attacking Miami’s defense, the Blue Devils need to look for shots in the paint as a place to find points. In ACC play, Miami’s opponents have made 52.2% of their 2-point attempts. That’s No. 10 in the 15-team league. The Hurricanes also don’t block many shots.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Duke point guard Tyrese Proctor: “I think it’s great we get to play them again. I think we’ve been wanting this for the past few weeks. Just to know how poorly we thought we played at Miami and we know we’re such a better team than that now. “
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 8:15 PM.