DURHAM, N.C. — A growing spot of blood slowly oozed through the wrap covering Kyle Filipowski’s right knee Saturday as he sat by his locker inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The wound came courtesy of one of the many times the Duke freshman found himself on the hardwood against No. 17 Miami, either tumbling after a collision on defense or from diving after a bouncing basketball.
This was a rough-and-tumble game, not one for those who enjoy dead-eye shooting but rather those who prefer basketball with a side of grit.
“We locked up on the defensive end,” Filipowski said after scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds as the Blue Devils edged No. 17 Miami, 68-66. “We kept getting the rebounds. The loose balls mattered the most. Just those key plays like that, you know, helped us get that win.”
Filipowski authored one of those particular moments in the final minute when he hit the deck to secure a loose ball to help Duke (14-5, 5-3 ACC) protect the lead its poor shooting left vulnerable.
“I thought that was a big point in the game,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
It brought the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd, the 500th consecutive sellout dating back to 1990, to its feet. It energized Scheyer and the Blue Devils bench.
It meant everything because, well, it really has to.
The heft of its legendary homecourt atmosphere has perhaps never been more important to Duke than this season.
Because this is not a vintage Blue Devils team capable of overwhelming opponents with lightning-quick 11-2 runs in the blink of an eye. Instead, the hustle plays mean everything this season.
Loose balls have to become Duke possessions. Missed shots need to be corralled by Duke’s capable rebounders more often than not.
Saturday’s meat grinder of a win over Miami provided a prime example of why this is true.
As has been the case regularly this season, the Blue Devils had to overcome their inability to hit enough open jump shots. Duke didn’t hit a field goal over the final five minutes, 17 seconds of the game.
Yet during that time, the Blue Devils never surrendered the lead against an experienced, accomplished Miami team that has a legitimate chance to win the ACC championship.
Instead of wilting, as the Blue Devils did in surrendering an eight-point, second-half lead to lose 72-64 at Clemson one week earlier, they made the necessary defensive stops with regularity late to beat the Hurricanes (15-4, 6-3)
In a way, Scheyer said, the Blue Devils remembered who they are.
“We’ve been talking a lot about loose balls and rebounds,” Scheyer said. “Coming off the game at Clemson, I thought they beat us to those. That, to me, is what our program has been all about, you know, making those little plays.”
Duke secured six more total rebounds than Miami. The Blue Devils had 16 offensive rebounds, turning them into 16 second-chance points.
By contrast, Duke had zero fast-break points while Miami scored 11 in transition.
Those stats represent this edition of the Blue Devils and display why they are so good at Cameron, where they are 10-0 this season.
The last time Duke played at home prior to Saturday, it erased a 12-point second half deficit to beat Pittsburgh, 77-69.
By holding off Miami, the Blue Devils claimed an important win over a ranked opponent.
This, by the way, was a rare occasion where Duke was unranked while playing a team in the rankings. It’s only happened 89 times in program history but the Blue Devils are now 49-40 in that situation.
But in its last two home games, Duke needed those gut-check plays, the kind that leave bruises and open cuts on knees and elbows, to win.
“Those are typically areas that we get beat in the most, playing against older teams,” Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead said. “They beat us to the 50-50 balls and they out-tough us. I felt like today we out-toughed them. We’ve got another good one on Monday at Virginia Tech, so we’ve got to make sure we do it again.”
The youngster is 100% correct. Duke’s quick turnaround game Monday night at Virginia Tech represents a chance for the Blue Devils to change perceptions.
As great as Duke has been at home, it’s already suffered ACC road losses to Wake Forest, N.C. State and Clemson.
The Blue Devils need to find that extra energy to secure loose balls, rebounds and the like when the crowd is 100% against them.
The Hokies, who beat Duke in the ACC tournament championship game last March, provide the next chance.
