Jeremy Roach’s 19 points led No. 10 Duke to an 84-59 pounding of Louisville on Wednesday night at Durham, N.C., as the Blue Devils put the controversy from last weekend behind them.
Duke center Kyle Filipowski was in the starting lineup as usual despite sustaining a knee injury during Saturday’s postgame chaos when Wake Foerst fans rushed the court to celebrate their school’s upset of the Blue Devils. He collected nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Louisville game.
Mark Mitchell added 17 points and Jared McCain had 14 points for second-place Duke (22-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which is one game behind first-place North Carolina.
Both teams have three games remaining, including a season-ending matchup in Durham.
Tre White led Louisville (8-20, 3-14) with 15 points, but the Cardinals didn’t stand much of a chance due to woeful shooting. They were 3-for-17 on (17.6 percent) 3-point attempts. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ty-Laur Johnson also scored 11 points.
Filipowski showed no ill effects from an injured knee as the Blue Devils, who shot 56.1 percent from the field, were back home after three consecutive road games. The sophomore, who has started all 64 games since joining the program, shot 4-for-8 from the floor in 30 minutes.
Duke guard Caleb Foster didn’t play because of a lower leg injury. He had played in every game this season, starting 15 times.
In a 54-second span, Roach drained consecutive 3-pointers and McCain hit a trey as the Blue Devils stretched their lead to 26-13.
The hosts led by as many as 16 points before settling for a 36-23 halftime edge, holding Louisville to 29 percent shooting from the field before the break. Duke shot 54.2 percent in the first half.
Louisville, which had been off for a week since a 22-point home loss to Notre Dame, fell to Duke for the second time this season.
The Cardinals have sustained 20-loss seasons in back-to-back years, something that had never happened previously.
–Field Level Media