Kyle Filipowski’s 15 points led five Duke players in double figures as the No. 7 Blue Devils rolled past visiting USC Upstate 84-38 on Friday night at Durham, N.C.
Mark Mitchell had 13 points, Jacob Grandison added 12 points, Ryan Young had 11 points and Jeremy Roach posted 10 points. Filipowski, a freshman center, had 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.
This was an important tune-up for Duke (2-0) in advance of next week’s matchup with reigning national champion Kansas in Indianapolis.
This marked the second game for Duke under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer. Unlike the first game of the season when he was making his debut, not as much attention was placed on his role in replacing Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Duke center Dereck Lively II made his collegiate debut. The top-rated recruit in the freshman class had been out because of a calf injury sustained in preseason practice. His first points came on a dunk shortly after entering the game.
His next dunk gave Duke a 9-7 lead — and the Blue Devils led the rest of the way. Those were the only four points for Lively.
Justin Bailey had 13 points off the bench for USC Upstate (1-1), which despite a strong opening stretch was overwhelmed for a majority of the game.
USC Upstate was spinning on offense for far too long, trailing 71-26 midway through the second half.
The Spartans, after breaking out to a 7-0 lead, were held to five points across the next 10 minutes.
It took Duke nearly four minutes to post its first points – a three-pointer by Roach – after missing its first six shots to go with three turnovers.
The Blue Devils, who closed the half on a 15-2 run, ended up shooting 48.5 percent from the field in the first half and holding a 43-18 lead at the break. USC Upstate shot 28.6 percent in the half and never attempted a free throw while committing 10 turnovers.
–Field Level Media