Duke's Ryan Kelly returned from injury in as dramatic a way as possible Saturday. The 6-11 senior scored 36 in his return, far surpassing his career high, and the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils won 79-76 in a thrilling game against the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes.
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 5 Miami final score: Kelly torches Miami for 36 in 79-76 win
Ryan Kelly hadn’t played in 13 games, and maybe he should sit the next 13 out based on how he returned to action Saturday.
Kelly was sidelined with an ankle injury and had not played since Jan. 8 against the Clemson Tigers. He was spectacular Saturday, finishing 10-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. His previous career high was 23, which he scored last season agains the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He also had seven rebounds Saturday.
Kenny Kadji's performance kept the Hurricanes afloat Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium while Kelly electrified his home court. Kadji finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The win prevented Miami from claiming its first-ever outright ACC regular-season title. The Hurricanes have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament. The only time the Hurricanes have ever won at least a share of a regular-season conference title was when they shared the 2000 Big East championship with the Syracuse Orange.
Miami coach Jim Larranaga is now 2-1 against Duke.
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