Postgame Wrap: Thoughts on Duke's Loss to Michigan State
Duke lost its first game of the season, to No. 8 Michigan State, 75-69, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
The Blue Devils trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half before rallying to close the deficit in the final minutes.
Shooting woes
The Blue Devils shot just 32 percent from the field, and three Duke players shot a combined 0-for-19 from the field. Wendell Moore (0-for-9), DJ Steward (0-for-7) and Joey Baker (0-for-3) struggled, missing all 12 three-point attempts.
Duke also missed its share of layups against the physical, experienced Spartans.
“We missed a lot of shots right around the basket,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
The shooting trouble contributed to the offense’s problems. Duke seemed to rely on individual play at times, instead of running plays and setting ups shots. Several players said that that the Blue Devil offense was “stagnant.” As in the opener, there wasn’t one player who stepped up to run the show. No Blue Devil had more than two assists in the game.
Cleaned-up act
After struggling with turnovers in the opener, Duke’s ball security was improved. The Blue Devils had just 12 turnovers in the game.
Stars of the game
Matthew Hurt led the way with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 8-of-8 from the line. Three Blue Devils were perfect on free throws. Hurt, Moore (4-of-4) and Steward (6-of-6). Hurt added 13 rebounds. No other Blue Devil had more than four.
Big bench
For the second straight game, Duke’s three post players were stuck on the bench. Patrick Tape didn’t play for the second time, while Henry Coleman, who had a minute of playing time in the opener, also got a DNP.
Mark Williams matched his four minutes from the first game.
