Duke Blue Devils Edge Out Texas Tech Raiders 69-58

The No.2 seed Duke Blue Devils defeated No.12 Texas Tech Red Raiders 69-58, in front of the sellout Madison Square Garden.

Everybody who came last night to Madison was eager to see the young Duke boys, who became a sensation this season since the arrival of three freshmen who set on fire the whole USA with their performances.

More than 21,000 fans went home satisfied after seeing one very good basketball game, between two strong teams, who in fact have a similar quality, despite one being surrounded with more hype than another.

The reason why we say that, was the flow of the contest itself, in which Duke managed to pull away in the last six minutes of the match.

The decisive moment was Jack White’s three-pointer with 6:07 before the end, when the Blue Devils took the lead, 56-55 and started a 13-3 run, furiously ending this meeting.

Coach K was very pleased with the whole game, and his team’s win, stating after the event that the entire evening in New York was in fact a great night for college basketball.

“It was a great game. I mean, tough to score for both teams, both teams are such good defensive teams, and played their buts off ” said Krzyzewski, adding that the atmosphere in Garden was memorable.

“The Garden was electric. You know sell out. Texas Tech had so many of their people here, we had ours. This is a great night for college basketball.”

This is what Zion Williamson can do for you.

Could be the first of many highlight reel dunks at #MSG for the big dude.#Dukepic.twitter.com/UltAC1wm2J

— Mark Suleymanov (@TheMARKOut1) December 21, 2018

And truly it has been like that.

Duke opened this one with an 8-2 start, but as the time went by the Raiders slowly came back into the match and eventually, they became the side which dictated the tempo, leading 24-17 at one moment. The first half finished with them being up one bucket, 29-28. When Kyler Edwards made a layup with 14:22 to go, things began to be a bit hot for Duke who was down 42-34.

Still, Williamson and Barrett brought the Blue Devils back, but the strong forward had to go to the bench because of his foul trouble during the middle of the second half, and was eventually fouled-out with 3 minutes until the end.

He ended the night with a strong double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

“It’s crazy. I can’t describe it,” Williamson said. “The fans from both teams were great. It was just a great basketball game.”

Though many see only Williamson and Barrett when Duke plays, last night one other guy was, in fact, the key for their win.

Tre Jones, who played for 39 minutes and who dictated the tempo on the floor throughout the whole game, especially in moments when Blue Devils started to come back. His stats are not showing enough the impact created on the court, 13 points, 5 assists and rebounds each, and fantastic 6 steals.

Coach K acknowledged that.

“Tre was the key to the game. He just turned it around for us, with 6 steals. Usually, he is not looking for a shot.. He did a hell of a job.”

Tre Jones playing absolutely tantalizing defense tonight pic.twitter.com/3wh3qPsKBV

— Chris Montano (@gswchris) December 21, 2018

One of the best coaches in history then compared Jones with Duke’s legends like Bob Hurley, Chris Duhon, and others when it comes to controlling the ball, and influence on the court.

R.J. Barrett scored 16, and Cam Reddish 8, shooting 1 of 7 from the field.

Raiders best players Jarrett Culver was realistic after the game, saying that this was a true test for his team, and that at the moment, they are not there they would like to be.

“We see what we can be but we’re not there yet,” Culver said.

He had a game-high 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, but also 6 turnovers.

https://twitter.com/mcarlinwustl/status/1075914464891944961

Texas Tech decreased the shooting percentage of the Blue Devils to a season-low 38.3%, allowing only 3 downtown hits in 20 attempts. According to Krzyzewski, they are the best defense his team encountered this year.

“We haven’t played against a defense like theirs,”

After 10 straight wins, last night’s loss was the first one for the Raiders who now stand at 10-2. They will play against Texas Rio Grande Valley in seven days time.

On the other side, Duke is 11-1, and play their opening ACC match on Jan. 5th against Clemson.