North Carolina State hands No. 2 Duke first loss of season

North Carolina State surprised Duke on Sunday at PNC Arena in Raleigh with a 87-75 upset over the No. 2 ranked Blue Devils, handing Duke its first loss of the season and vaulting the unranked Wolfpack into the national conversation. 

Duke jumped out to a 29-23 lead 13 minutes into the first half behind a balanced attack from Quentin Cook, Justise Winslow and Jahlil Okafor. But North Carolina State closed out the first with a 14-4 run and Duke never led for the rest of the game. 

NC State guard Trevor Lacey finished with 21 points, while Ralston Turner added 16 points and BeeJay Anya added 14 points and six rebounds. Despite a 23-point, 12-rebound performance from Jahlil Okafor, Duke struggled from the floor, shooting 36.9 percent, including 25.9 percent from behind the arc. 

The Blue Devils have struggled to win in Raleigh in recent years. NC State defeated the then-No. 1 Blue Devils at home 84-76 two seasons ago and also beat the Blue Devils as an unranked team during the 2009-10 season. 

The loss also forestalled coach Mike Krzyzewski's march toward becoming the third men's college basketball coach ever to achieve 1,000 victories. A Duke win would have been No. 998 for Coach K, setting up the potential to go for win No. 1,000 on the road against No. 5 Louisville. Now, the earliest that milestone can be achieved is Jan. 19 against Pittsburgh. 

Duke will take on Miami Tuesday at home, while North Carolina State takes on rival North Carolina on Wednesday in Raleigh.