Blue Devil Country

Duke basketball: Energized Blue Devils silence early Louisville threat

Duke basketball took care of business against Louisville.

Matt Giles

Duke basketball: Energized Blue Devils silence early Louisville threat
Duke basketball: Energized Blue Devils silence early Louisville threat /
In this story:

Following up Saturday night's encouraging 77-55 win at Syracuse, the Duke basketball squad kept the good times rolling on Monday night with a 79-62 home victory over the Louisville Cardinals (4-24, 2-15 ACC), who were coming off a surprising win over Clemson.

The Blue Devils (20-8, 11-6 ACC) are now on a three-game win streak and improved to 14-0 in Durham this season. They are tied with NC State at No. 5 in the conference standings.

But there was an early scare from the Cardinals on Monday night. Louisville sophomore guard and Durham native El Ellis scored 11 of the game's first 20 points, shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 beyond the arc before the first TV timeout to give Louisville a 13-7 lead.

Then Duke's Tyrese Proctor and Jacob Grandison heated up to the tune of a combined 4-for-6 clip from downtown across the next nine minutes to put the Blue Devils on top, 25-20.

Meanwhile, Proctor set the tone on defense. He began defending and frustrating Ellis for all 94 feet while the Cameron Crazies chipped in to rattle the upset-minded visitor; Ellis scored only four points across the final 16 minutes of the half and added only six points in the second half.

Duke basketball cruised from there to enjoy a 42-33 advantage at the break. And the second half was smooth enough for first-year head coach Jon Scheyer's bunch to ward off comeback attempts from a Louisville team with a former Blue Devil on staff, Nolan Smith, who was on his first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium as an opponent.

At the half, the Blue Devils had committed only three turnovers, and for the game, they totaled only six while dishing out 19 assists. Plus, they outrebounded the Cardinals, 33-28, while shooting 29-for-59 from the field, 9-for-22 from downtown, and 12-for-18 from the foul line.

Five Duke basketball players tallied double-digit points: junior guard Jeremy Roach (14), freshman forward Kyle Filipowski (13), freshman forward Mark Mitchell (13), freshman guard Tyrese Proctor (12), and freshman center Dereck Lively II (10).

After four days off, the Duke Blue Devils host the Virginia Tech Hokies at 8 p.m. ET Saturday. Virginia Tech defeated Duke in Blacksburg, 78-75, on Jan. 23.

RELATED: Predicted scores of every 2022-23 Duke game

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for daily Duke basketball content.

Published
Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of Duke Blue Devils on SI, North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining SI in 2022, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

Home/Basketball