Duke vs. Winthrop: Gameday Open Thread
Duke returns to the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night to face Winthrop, who may win the award for worst timing in recent basketball history.
The Eagles would have had a tall task facing Duke regardless of when the game was scheduled. Unfortunately for Winthop, it happens to fall three days after the Blue Devils were upset by Stephen F. Austin, snapping a non-conference home winning streak dating back to February 2000. To put that in perspective, Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore, Vernon Carey and Joey Baker weren’t born the last time Duke lost to a non-conference opponent at Cameron.
Needless to say, it should be a very motivated Duke team that takes the floor against Winthrop. In an upset, the Blue Devils were wearing Duke gear for pregame warmups—Coach K often takes away everything with a logo on it after a poor performance, emphasizing that the Duke name needs to be earned.
Your starters: Vernon Carey, Cassius Stanley, Wendell Moore, Tre Jones, Matthew Hurt. No changes for fourth straight game.
So ...Winthrop is winning. 6-5 at 16:22.Duke is 1-of-7 from the field.
In case you're wondering: Last time Duke lost had a two-game non-conference home losing streak was Jan . 5 and 12, 1983, to Wagner and Louisville, but there was a road win at LaSalle sandwiched in between.
Last time Blue Devils lost back-to-back games at home to non-conference foes: Jan. 5 and 8, 1943, to Norfolk Naval Air Services and Cherry Point Marines.
If there's anything I'd have bet the ranch on, it's that Duke would have come out with hair on fire in this game. But the Blue Devils are flat thus far. Trail 14-12 at the under 12. Stayed standing while Winthrop dove on a loose ball early. Genuinely shocked at that.
Winthrop currently winning points in the paint 10-4.
Joey Baker hits a pair of threes to put Duke on top by 2 as we near 10 minutes in the first.
Duke heads into the under 8 with a 26-23 lead. Baker has eight points, Hurt nine. Duke has hit six of its last seven shots.
Matthew Hurt hits a three, then Winthrop drives the length of the floor to get a layup. Second time they've done that after a Duke make. Coach K not happy about it.
Vernon Carey struggling at both ends with former Tennessee four-star recruit DJ Burns Jr. He's 6-foot-9, 260, and has been able to move Carey out of position on Duke's end of the floor and back him down on the other end.
At the under four, we're all tied up at 32.
Coming out of the time out, Duke scores eight straight to try to get some breathing room heading into the half. Winthrop keeps pounding it inside though and scores three straight. Coach K calls time with 21.1 seconds left and is not happy with his team. Duke up 40-35
Tre Jones hits a layup with 9 seconds left, then commits a foul while defending full court. Hasn't been a good half for him on O or D. Duke goes to half up 42-35.
Same problems we saw in the SFA loss are cropping up again. Duke has seven turnovers and is getting killed in the paint. Winthrop has 20 points inside to Duke's 14. Duke is also struggling to keep ball handlers in front of them on the perimeter.
Duke's first pass coming out of the half is a turnover.
Cassius Stanley hurts his ankle on a driving layup attempt. DIdn't look like the coaches were going to take him out as he limped to the bench. Now he's being helped straight to the locker room.
Duke getting it inside to Carey consistently over that stretch. He's up to 9 points, 6 boards. Winthrop calls time with Duke up 50-39. Still no sign of Stanley. Walk-ons who helped him to the locker room are back without him.
Winthrop bounces back, hits back-to-back layups to cut it to single digits. 51-43 at the under 16.
Jones hits back-to-back shots in the lane, then Winthrop back-doors Duke. 55-46 Blue Devils.
Member of the medical/training staff just gave assistant Nate James an update on Stanley. Didn't see many thumbs up gestures. Spent a lot of time pointing to the back of his leg.
Duke calls timeout just ahead of the under 12. Lead has been cut to 57-51 after a 5-0 Winthrop run.
Joey Baker picks up his third foul trying to stop a Winthrop dunk as they continue to pound it inside.
Winthrop cuts it to four and tries some type of weird matchup zone defense. Carey gets a dunk. Baker drives baseline for a layup. Duke up 61-53. Timeout Winthrop for an injured player--Chase Claxton, who has seven points. Went down hard on the battle inside on Baker's layup.
Michael Anumba picks up his fourth foul defending Carey in the post. He stays in and hits a layup.
Joey Baker takes a charge to send us to the under 8. Duke up 63-55. Claxton back in for Winthrop after the time out.
Matthew Hurt charges for his third foul. Duke up 7 with 4:14 left. After the under four, Wintrhop misses the front end of a 1-and-1, then Vernon Carey gets a three-point play to put Duke up 10, 70-60.
Baker. Three. But Winthrop responds with its own. Still a nine-point game. 2:30 to go.
Baker. Three. Winthrop time out. 76-64 with 2:16 left. Baker is 4-of-5 from three for 16 points. Carey has a double-double with 17 and 10. Hurt has career highs with 20 points and 8 boards.
Out of the time out, Goldwire with a steal and goes coast to coast. Looking like the Blue Devils will survive this one. 78-66, 1:35 left.
Winthrop’s 5-foot-8 point guard goes down & struggles to limp off, so a teammate scooped him up to carry him off
It wasn’t pretty... or encouraging ... but it’s over. Duke survives. 83-70.
