Marshall Plumlee’s offensive rebound and putback through contact with 1:14 remaining proved to be the difference-maker as fifth-seeded Duke outlasted 12th-seeded N.C. State 92-89 Wednesday in the second round of the ACC tournament at the Verizon Center.
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After struggling mightily and being held scoreless in the first half of the team’s last game against North Carolina, freshman Brandon Ingram had no such troubles off the bat Wednesday. But as Barber drove to the hoop and tried to dish out to one of his teammates, the Blue Devils got a hand on his pass and sophomore Grayson Allen scooped up the loose ball to secure the win.
Plumlee suffered the injury in the second half of the intense game when fighting for a rebound.
One measure of just how much these teams scored at will: Both had shooting percentages above 60 percent in the first half, which ended with the Wolfpack ahead 53-50.
So after 18 ties and 21 lead changes, Plumlee, broken nose and all, sealed the deal for Duke.
Duke’s 52.4 percent field goal shooting was the best for the Blue Devils since playing at NC State January 23.
Whoever wins this game will go on to face Notre Dame tomorrow in the Third Round aka ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
Duke and NC State met two times previously this season and the Blue Devils won each game.
Not with Plumlee, even after he broke his nose, going for 17 points and 10 rebounds and Kennard and Ingram scoring 22 each. Four of them came when he hit a 3-pointer, drew a Kennard foul, and hit the free throw for a four-point play.
Barber was treated on the sideline and missed a minute of game action before returning with a white sleeve on his right arm.
Rowan missed the ensuing 3 and the Wolfpack had a late turnover before Kennard missed a free throw with 1.4 seconds left.
After Plumlee’s key bucket, Kennard missed a jumper, giving N.C. State a chance to potentially tie the game with 30 seconds left.
Mike Brey is the only one of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s former assistants to beat him, and last year’s victory in the ACC tournament might be the sweetest. N.C. State shot 62.9 percent (22 of 35) from the floor and went 6 of 10 from the 3-point line.
With Duke (23-9) leading by three in the waning seconds, State attempted to run Rowan, who made nine 3s in two tournament games, off a double screen along the baseline. Duke F Brandon Ingram leads ACC freshmen in scoring (16.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.8). If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. “We know how tough he is”. He not only produces points but he produces attention with his extended dribble.
“We’ve just got to be able to score that ball”, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said.
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“It’s kind of hurting right now”, Barber said afterward, an ice bag taped to the elbow.
