Duke Survives Upset Scare in Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers has good history in non-conference showdowns with top-ranked teams, as they nearly pulled off another big upset on Wednesday night. Although, the Duke Blue Devils were able to turn to their freshman star, Marvin Bagley, on this night to avoid the upset with a 91-81 victory. Bagley had 23 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Blue Devils pull away after being tied for a majority of the first half. Grayson Allen added 21 points, as the top-ranked team finished shooting 55 percent from the floor, just beating out the 50 percent mark from the Hoosiers. Despite that impressive number, Indiana saw their three-game win streak come to an end. Robert Johnson had 17 points and De'Ron Davis added 16 in their third loss of the season. After the Blue Devils used a 10-4 run to lead by four at halftime, they extended that to seven before Indiana was able to make things interesting midway through the second half by scoring seven straight points to cut into the deficit. From there, Duke pulled away to lead by nine with 2:24 left, sealing a win that moved them to 9-0 on the season. They will take that perfect record back home to host South Dakota on Saturday, while Indiana starts conference play on the road Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines.
Miami, UNC Earn Big Ten/ACC Victories
The ACC dominated as a whole on Wednesday night, including the 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes earning an impressive victory over No. 12 Minnesota on the road. Dewan Huell scored 23 points in just 27 minutes of play to lead the Hurricanes to an 86-81 win over the Gophers. Bruce Brown Jr. chipped in with 16 points to help the Hurricanes break a halftime tie and move to 6-0 on the season. Huell scored 15 of his points in the second half, as the Hurricanes shot 50 percent from the floor, including 56 percent in the first half. They also took advantage of the Gophers' miscues by scoring 17 points off turnovers. Minnesota never led in the second half of what was their first loss of the year. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels overcame a rough outing against the Michigan State Spartans by blowing past the Michigan Wolverines, 86-71, on their home floor. Luke Maye had 27 points to lead the 13-ranked Tar Heels, who were coming off a 24 percent shooting night in a 63-45 loss to MSU on Sunday night. That included going 1-for-18 from three-point range. They finished 55 percent from the field on Wednesday, as Joel Berry II helped that effort with 17 points of hi own. The Wolverines were able to contend early and were led by Moe Wagner's 20 points in their second loss of they year.
Warriors Outlast Lakers in Overtime
Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers had possibly their best outing of the season on Wednesday, but it unfortunately came in a losing effort. The Golden State Warriors blew an early double-digit lead in the first half, but outlasted the young Lakers in overtime for a 127-123. Steph Curry overcame early struggles to hit two clutch three-pointers in the extra period, helping Golden State outscore L.A., 18-14, in the final five minutes. Other than that, he went 6-of-17 from the field, including two air balls., but finished with 28 points, 13 of which came in overtime. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 29 points, while Klay Thompson had 20 to help the Warriors avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season. Lonzo Ball found a rhythm with 15 points and 10 assists, while Brandon Ingram put up a career-high 32 points in the Lakers' loss. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson had 21 points apiece, with Julius Randle contributing 20 in what was the most complete offensive performance for the 8-13 Lakers. They also gave themselves more opportunities by forcing 22 turnovers from the defending champs, who improved to 16-6 on the year, including 8-3 away from home. They will continue their road trip in Orlando on Friday against the Magic, while the Lakers head to Denver to visit the Nuggets on Saturday.
The Indiana Hoosiers has good history in non-conference showdowns with top-ranked teams, as they nearly pulled off another big upset on Wednesday night. Although, the Duke Blue Devils were able to turn to their freshman star, Marvin Bagley, on this night to avoid the upset with a 91-81 victory. Bagley had 23 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Blue Devils pull away after being tied for a majority of the first half. Grayson Allen added 21 points, as the top-ranked team finished shooting 55 percent from the floor, just beating out the 50 percent mark from the Hoosiers. Despite that impressive number, Indiana saw their three-game win streak come to an end. Robert Johnson had 17 points and De'Ron Davis added 16 in their third loss of the season. After the Blue Devils used a 10-4 run to lead by four at halftime, they extended that to seven before Indiana was able to make things interesting midway through the second half by scoring seven straight points to cut into the deficit. From there, Duke pulled away to lead by nine with 2:24 left, sealing a win that moved them to 9-0 on the season. They will take that perfect record back home to host South Dakota on Saturday, while Indiana starts conference play on the road Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines.
Miami, UNC Earn Big Ten/ACC Victories
The ACC dominated as a whole on Wednesday night, including the 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes earning an impressive victory over No. 12 Minnesota on the road. Dewan Huell scored 23 points in just 27 minutes of play to lead the Hurricanes to an 86-81 win over the Gophers. Bruce Brown Jr. chipped in with 16 points to help the Hurricanes break a halftime tie and move to 6-0 on the season. Huell scored 15 of his points in the second half, as the Hurricanes shot 50 percent from the floor, including 56 percent in the first half. They also took advantage of the Gophers' miscues by scoring 17 points off turnovers. Minnesota never led in the second half of what was their first loss of the year. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels overcame a rough outing against the Michigan State Spartans by blowing past the Michigan Wolverines, 86-71, on their home floor. Luke Maye had 27 points to lead the 13-ranked Tar Heels, who were coming off a 24 percent shooting night in a 63-45 loss to MSU on Sunday night. That included going 1-for-18 from three-point range. They finished 55 percent from the field on Wednesday, as Joel Berry II helped that effort with 17 points of hi own. The Wolverines were able to contend early and were led by Moe Wagner's 20 points in their second loss of they year.
Warriors Outlast Lakers in Overtime
Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers had possibly their best outing of the season on Wednesday, but it unfortunately came in a losing effort. The Golden State Warriors blew an early double-digit lead in the first half, but outlasted the young Lakers in overtime for a 127-123. Steph Curry overcame early struggles to hit two clutch three-pointers in the extra period, helping Golden State outscore L.A., 18-14, in the final five minutes. Other than that, he went 6-of-17 from the field, including two air balls., but finished with 28 points, 13 of which came in overtime. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 29 points, while Klay Thompson had 20 to help the Warriors avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season. Lonzo Ball found a rhythm with 15 points and 10 assists, while Brandon Ingram put up a career-high 32 points in the Lakers' loss. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson had 21 points apiece, with Julius Randle contributing 20 in what was the most complete offensive performance for the 8-13 Lakers. They also gave themselves more opportunities by forcing 22 turnovers from the defending champs, who improved to 16-6 on the year, including 8-3 away from home. They will continue their road trip in Orlando on Friday against the Magic, while the Lakers head to Denver to visit the Nuggets on Saturday.
