Wisconsin had the home court advantage and the more experienced team, but none of that mattered to the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday night. In a meeting between two top five teams, No. 4 Duke went into the Kohl Center and knocked off the No. 2 Badgers, 80-70, in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Duke vs. Wisconsin final score: 3 things we learned from the Blue Devils’ road win over the Badgers
The Big Ten might have ruled the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, but the Blue Devils took the week’s signature matchup.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Hot shooting powered Duke all night. The Blue Devils shot 65.2 percent from the floor and went 7-of-12 from three-point range to protect the lead throughout the second half. Duke's guards were scintillating, with senior Quinn Cook and freshman Tyus Jones combining for 35 points. Guard Rasheed Sulaimon came off the bench to add 14 points for Duke in the win.
Duke led by as many as nine points with under nine minutes left, but Wisconsin would come back behind an inspired effort from Traevon Jackson. Jackson scored seven straight for Wisconsin at one point in the second half and finished with 25 points. Wisconsin got the deficit to within three in the second half, but could never overtake the Blue Devils.
Here’s three things we learned in Duke’s victory:
1. The Frank Kaminsky-Jahlil Okafor matchup lived up the hype
Frank Kaminsky and Jahlil Okafor are perfect opposites. One is a senior, one is a freshman. One prefers to go to work in the paint while the other swishes three-pointers with ease. On Tuesday night, the two players went at each other on both ends of the floor and the meeting justified the billing.
For most of the night, neither player had much of a prayer of stopping the other. Kaminsky put Okafor in space when the Badgers had the possession and made plays by putting the ball on the floor. Okafor was often able to establish deep post position when Duke had the ball and there was nothing Kaminsky could do about it. Kaminsky finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Okafor had 13 points and six rebounds.
These are the two best centers in college basketball, playing completely different styles, going at one another all night. It was fun to watch.
2. Tyus Jones is a sorcerer
Okafor and Winslow get more attention for Duke, but Jones is an elite prospect in his own right. The freshman point guard was the No. 4 recruit in the country according to ESPN and has been as good as advertised early in the season.
Jones’ effort against Wisconsin was his best performance yet. Jones showcased an inherit ability to change gears and get by Badgers defenders to make plays for himself and others. Jones’ 22 points were a career high. He also helped set up teammates (four assists) and even crashed the glass (six rebounds).
Jones isn’t the best athlete in the world, but he’s very quick and he has a great head for the game. This isn’t your typical freshman guard.
3. We’ll see these two teams again late in the season
Someone had to lose, but ultimately this early-season matchup is likely to be mutually beneficial for best teams. Wisconsin now knows the the type of talent it’ll see late in the NCAA Tournament. Duke aced a seemingly impossible road test in the first spotlight game its three freshman have competed in as college players.
While Duke was convincing in victory, the Badgers’ size, experience and shooting ability will simply be too much for most teams to overcome. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if both these teams end up in Indianapolis at the Final Four.
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