Griffin leads Duke in blowout for Krzyzewski's final game at the Smith Center

AJ Griffin scored a career high 27 points to lead Duke to an 87-67 win over UNC (Photo Credit: Duke Athletics).

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The Duke Blue Devils made their head coach’s last ride against North Carolina in the Dean E. Smith Center a memorable one, knocking off the Tar Heels 87-67. 

Mike Krzyzewski and his team were welcomed with boos and, for lack of a better descriptive word, vulgar chants, as expected. It is after all a tense rivalry as we all are aware.

The Blue Devils’ response?

A dominating performance from start to finish, particularly from freshman wing AJ Griffin, who lit up the Tar Heels for a career-high 27 points. Wendell Moore Jr. also got into the party with a controlled, and focused showing on both ends of the floor with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. 

Duke’s defense must also get a tip of the hat, as it held UNC to 40.7% shooting, though they gave up a respectable 40.9% from long range. 

To further illustrate the point on the Blue Devils’ defense is the acknowledgement of their overall effort against Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Leaky Black, who combined to make just 9-of-25 shots for the game, including just 1-of-8 from 3-point range, while posting six turnovers. 

The Blue Devils also received an impressive effort from Mark Williams, who held his own against his friend from Virginia, Armando Bacot. Williams finished the game offensively with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting, while also grabbing six rebounds. He also posted two blocks. 

All that said, Williams statistics do not tell the full story. Bacot finished with 12 points and five rebounds, but beyond that Duke’s sophomore center made him uncomfortable all game long. After Bacot picked up his second foul early in the game, Williams, Banchero and Theo John all made life difficult for the UNC center. 

Mike Krzyzewski’s team silenced the Dean Smith Center right out of the gates (Photo Credit: Duke Athletics).

Duke also lived up to Krzyzewski’s expectations when it came to finishing the defensive exchange — i.e. rebounding the basketball on the defensive end of the floor. 

The Blue Devils registered 32 defensive boards and 40 total rebounds for the game. In comparison, the Tar Heels posted just 24 rebounds, and only six offensive boards. They converted those into just two second chance points. 

While Duke’s defense was outstanding, Griffin put on an absolute show in the Smith Center. His 27 points came on 11-of-17 shooting. Simply put, UNC had no answer for him. 

He broke defenders down with the dribble, finishing at the rim. He pulled up in the mid-range. Then he torched them from the perimeter. 

It was as impressive of a performance as we’ve seen this season from anyone on this roster. 

Duke ultimately got a solid effort across the board. 

Banchero, who struggled early also got going in the second half, scoring eight of his 13 points. He also finished with 10 rebounds. Jeremy Roach also had a strong showing, finishing with eight points and four assists. He was critical in getting Duke’s offense rolling early on in the game. 

All in all, this game was over almost from the jump.

A 19-5 run through the first 5:17 of the game ignited Duke’s night. The offensive explosion came thanks to seven quick points from Griffin, five from Williams and five from Banchero. Moore also got into the action through those five-plus minutes. 

Wendell Moore Jr. helped lead Duke to another win at the Smith Center. (Photo Credit: Duke Athletics).

Just prior to that point with 15:56 on the clock — at the first media timeout, Duke had connected on 85.7% of its shots, including two 3-pointers. The Blue Devils had North Carolina off balance defensively right from the jump and had rattled their offense early as well. 

During that same initial stretch the Tar Heels were shooting just 22%, including 1-of-6 from deep. 

Duke’s defense was forcing North Carolina into quick, rushed shots, leaving them significantly off mark. Perhaps another reason for UNC being off kilter was the fact Armando Bacot picked up two quick fouls and was subsequently taken out of the game at the 16:55 mark. 

He didn’t return until the 11:24 mark of the half when Duke lead 29-8, just two points shy of its largest lead in the first half - 31-8, which came with 9:59 to go in the half. By that point it was too late for the Tar Heels. Duke had already taken complete control of the game. 

The fouls clearly impacted Bacot’s play throughout the game, and Duke, who chose to give Brady Manek space and place its focus on the Tar Heels leader, had him frustrated for much of the game. 

All in all, Duke’s showing was as complete as its been all season.