As expected, the story the morning after; Duke is again a legitimate contender, thanks to an all-world performance from senior forward Ryan Kelly, sidelined since January with a foot injury, but back Saturday and good for thirty-six points in the third-ranked Blue Devils’ win over the fifth-ranked Hurricanes.
Kudos to Kelly. These are the type of games kids like him dream of. A team-captain that hadn’t seen the court in months, Kelly stormed the court at Cameron Indoor in game-shape, popping, shooting and playing the game of his career.
Thirty-two minutes. 10-of-14 from the field. 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Seven rebounds. The kid got it done. Respect.
Now with props given, let’s call it was it was; Duke stole one and Miami did everything but get the ‘W’. End of story.
The mindset entering this game was one that the Canes “needed” a win in Durham to continue their quest towards a deep NCAA Tourney run, a possible Final Four and maybe more.
To lose against Duke this late in the season – it’d be a blow to this team and the difference between ‘good’ and ‘great’.
Of course that was all said before the game itself was actually played.
On paper, sure, Miami lost. Shane Larkin and Rion Brown had back-to-back three-point attempts that fell short on the final possession and Duke emerged three points better than Miami when the clock was all zeroes.
That said, the Canes went balls-out, fought the entire game and never let the Cameron Crazies get in their heads, nor the mystique of playing a proud program at home.
Miami again showed it belonged and Duke is damn happy neither three fell, because overtime would’ve only continued this heavyweight fight, the Canes with more horses than the Blue Devils and their one-trick pony.
Outside of Kelly, Quinn Cook and Mason Plumlee were Duke’s only threats, while Miami got great production out of Larkin – twenty-five points – Kenny Kadji, Trey McKinney-Jones and Durand Scott, all who finished in double-digits, Kadji, the game’s leader with ten rebounds.
The weak link for Miami proved to be Reggie Johnson, as the 6-foot-10, Carolina-bred center seemed a step behind all night, including a few game defining turnovers where Johnson let a few key passes slip from his grip. He finished scoreless on the night, 0-of-5 from the field, with five rebounds.
In his place, Julian Gamble did little, too. Five points and three rebounds in his eighteen minutes, to Johnson’s seventeen.
Miami went up 2-0 and pushed that lead to 27-20 with 5:44 remaining in the first half, but Duke pushed back. After a quick jumper by Cook, Kelly hit three three-pointers in under two minutes and the game was tied, 31-31.
The Canes took a 36-34 lead into the locker room and the game remained a grind until around the 9:18 mark, when the Blue Devils went on a little tear, another Kelly three giving Duke the 58-56 lead.
Miami went somewhat cold. Larkin hit a three, pulling it to 60-59, but Kelly, Plumlee and Rasheed Sulaimon hit some shots, made some free throws, dropped in a few lay-ups and with under two minutes, Cook three made it a, 75-65 ball game.
Still, the Canes would not buckle. McKinney-Jones hit a few free throws. Larkin dropped a three. Brown made his two from the charity stripe, McKinney-Jones rattled in a three of his own and Larkin went 1-of-2 from the line – all in upwards of forty seconds.
78-76, Duke with 0:54 remaining.
The Blue Devils turned it over, as did the Canes. Wasted possessions cancelled each other out.
Curry went to the line, making his first and missing his second. 0:21 remaining with Miami down three. Larkin had a decent look at a three. It fell short, rebounded by Durand Scott, who dribbled out and kicked it to Brown in the corner.
The shot was up, hit the rim and Duke got their much-desired win over Miami – but credit for being the ‘better’ team? That honor stays in Coral Gables for now, despite Saturday’s turnout.
At day’s end, Miami kicked the ass off Duke in Coral Gables. A twenty-seven point win over a Kelly-less squad. Upon the senior’s return, an uncharacteristic thirty-six point onslaught and the Blue Devils squeaked out the three-point win as a ‘touchdown favorite’ in their house.
Duke also got their ‘revenge’ with a floor slap of their own late in the game – retaliation for Miami’s inspired moment at The BUC in late January. Still, one doesn’t need to be on the Dean’s List to see the difference between the two hardwood slap-sessions.
Duke came to Coral Gables the top-ranked team in January while Miami was barely clinging to number twenty-five and had never beaten a number one.
Up 72-44 in a completely one-sided shellacking, with 6:46 remaining, the Canes had some fun – the same way a Duke football team would’ve, if they were ever up 42-14 against Miami, a proud football school.
For ‘The U’ to school a basketball power like DU – those kids deserved their outburst.
Duke came into Saturday’s contest ranked third, with Miami fifth. The Blue Devils were a seven-point favorite and up ten with two remaining, chose their payback moment, which seemed beyond idiotic as Larkin and Brown both launched potential game-tying shots in the final seconds.
In a word, twenty-fifth ranked, never-beat-a-number-one Miami had reason to get frisky. Duke? The phrase “act like you’ve been there before” seems fitting. You’re a powerhouse that is supposed to beat number five in your house. The hoobanging was unoriginal and lame.
(Yes, the slap is Duke’s move – which made Miami creative in the mocking. For a bunch who touts their educations, skills set and problem-solving, would’ve expected something a bit more fresh and clever with a month and a half to prepare.)
Miami ends the regular season with two at home – a Wednesday showdown with Georgia Tech and a Saturday finale against Clemson. Win one of the two and the Canes are the regular season ACC Champions.
The Devils can floor-slap about until blue in the face but it will change nothing as Miami’s conference lead is insurmountable at that point.
From there, it’s off to Greensboro to settle the ACC post-season. A regular-season conference win would earn Miami a first-round bye, but hard-pressed to not believe the Canes and Blue Devils could recross paths in an epic showdown two weekends from now
Duke took round two, Miami got the first and one more showdown could be in the cards on a neutral court.
Safe to say, both sides will be ready (and that Kelly won’t go for three dozen again).
Christian Bello has been covering Miami Hurricanes athletics since the mid-1990s. After spending almost a decade as a columnist for CanesTime, he launched allCanesBlog.com. – the official blog for allCanes.com : The #1 Canes Shop Since 1959. Bello has joined up with XOFan.com and will be a guest columnist at CaneInsider.com this fall. Follow him on Twitter @ChristianRBello.