CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Roach scored 16 points to lead No. 8 Duke to an 84-55 victory over Miami on Wednesday night.
Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points for the Blue Devils (21-5, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fifth straight and 16th of 18.
“Not giving up on each other, staying the course with our big goal at the end of the season,” Filipowski said of Duke’s surge. “We know we’ve been in a position like this before but there is still a lot more to accomplish. We still have to set ourselves up for March.”
Duke’s Tyrese Proctor returned from a one-game absence on concussion protocol and scored 12 points in 23 minutes while Caleb Foster added 11.
The Blue Devils hit 13 of 29 3-pointers for their second consecutive game with double-digit conversions from behind the arc. They made 10 from 3-point range against Florida State on Saturday.
“It was a great team effort. It was a great team win,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Ton of respect for Miami. I don’t care who’s playing for them. They have a talented team and they are more than dangerous at home especially.”
Wooga Poplar and Bensley Joseph finished with 15 points each for the Hurricanes (15-12, 6-10), who shot 31% from the field and lost their fifth straight. It is their longest skid since a six-game slide in February and March 2021.
“Very challenging, very frustrating and disappointing for everybody that loves Miami basketball,” Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga said. “It’s like climbing a mountain and keep slipping back.”
Duke limited Miami leading scorer Norchad Omier to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting. Filipowski and Mitchell repeatedly forced Omier, who averages 17 per game, to alter his shots around the rim.
“We followed the game plan really well,” Mitchell said. “We switched it up guarding Omier.”
Consecutive 3-pointers from Foster keyed a 13-0 run and put Duke ahead 29-14 midway through the first half. Roach’s 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining in the half made it 38-18.
“I didn’t know how much we were up,” Roach said. “I just wanted to extend the lead a little bit more. Coach has always talked about finishing the end of halves. We did a good job today.”
Duke increased the lead to 54-31 on Foster’s 3-pointer 4:54 into the second half and Miami got no closer than 58-41 on Poplar’s two free throws with 15:59 remaining.
Miami was without second and third leading scorers Matthew Cleveland and Nijel Pack. Cleveland participated in pregame warmups but didn’t play because of illness while a lower extremity injury sidelined Pack for the second straight game.
BIG PICTURE
Duke: The Watsco Center had not been a friendly site for the Blue Devils lately. The win was Duke’s first on the Hurricanes’ home floor since Jan. 4, 2020.
Miami: With its NCAA tournament hopes likely limited to winning the conference tournament next month, the Hurricanes are now seeking to avoid the 10th through 15th seeds that will require the daunting task of winning five straight needed for such a run. The loss dropped Miami to 12th in the conference, a half game behind Boston College.
UP NEXT
Duke: concludes a three-game road stretch Saturday at Wake Forest.
Miami: hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
