The Wake Forest Demon Deacons coming into this game had the clear size advantage and figured to be a problem for the 14th-ranked Duke Blue Devils. Well, Wake Forest did have success in the paint but Duke center Marshall Plumlee was the real difference maker in this ballgame, as the Blue Devils would go on to win 91-75 on the road.
Career Night for Plumlee
The youngest of three brothers that have rolled through the Duke program had a career night. Plumlee finished the game with a career-high 18 points (14 in the second half) on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, while sinking all four of his free throw attempts. The senior also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
“There was some locker room talk (at halftime) but the underlying theme was, coach believes in me just like he believes in everyone one of us,” said Plumlee. “And when you have belief of your teammates and a great coaching staff, you feel like you can take on the world.”
Backcourt Too Much
To go along with an impressive showing from Marshall Plumlee, the Blue Devils backcourt was incredible once again. Grayson Allen led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Brandon Ingram finished with 17 points, five rebounds, three steals and four blocks.
Luke Kennard continued his hot play with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Kennard shot 7-of-10 from the field and went 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. The Duke freshman didn’t hit a three-pointer but he continued his tear at the free throw line. In his last five games, Kennard has gone 31-of-34 from the line.
Foul Trouble a Problem for Thomas
Senior forward Devin Thomas was incredible for Wake Forest as Duke couldn’t check him. Thomas on the surface had a great game with 21 points (9-of-11) and 12 rebounds, however, only played 27 minutes and would eventually foul out.
Duke only had a 69-63 lead with eight minutes left in the second half, but Thomas would pick up his fourth foul and the Demon Deacons couldn’t recover. The Blue Devils would close the game on a 22-12 run giving Wake Forest their second loss of ACC play.
Perseverance Paid Off
With just over 16 minutes left in the second half, Duke was only up 58-54 and Grayson Allen and Matt Jones would pick up their fourth foul. It seemed problematic because the rotation is already thin with the injury to Amile Jefferson, forcing Mike Krzyzewski to have four freshmen on the court at the same time.
“It didn’t look good, let’s put it that way,” said Krzyzewski. “Our guys just fought and fought.”
The young Blue Devils would hold down the fort until and hold onto the lead. From that moment forward, Luke Kennard would score 15 of his 23 points, becoming the go-to scorer while Grayson Allen was on the bench with foul trouble.
Showing Signs
Despite losing the game but double digits at home, this Wake Forest team is showing signs of really competing in the ACC. Along with Thomas’ good game, guard Codi Miller-McIntyre added 20 points and seven rebounds. John Collins came off the bench with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Cornelius Allen added 12 points.
Wake Forest only shot 44.6 percent from the field but they won the rebound game 39-to-30, including 19-to-8 on the offensive glass. The Demon Deacons also struggled with 12 turnovers compared to only six by the Blue Devils.
Up Next
Duke will host the Virginia Tech Hokies in their first home game in ACC play. Wake Forest will stay home and host NC State Wolfpack, looking for their first win in conference play