Following a triumph earlier this week, No. 9 Duke has a lot to build on and plenty more to accomplish as they strive to remain competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Blue Devils’ second game of a three-game homestand will take place on Saturday afternoon against Boston College in Durham, N.C.
Duke (17-5, 8-3 ACC) demonstrated a perfect response after last weekend’s loss to No. 3 North Carolina, securing a 71-53 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night.
“This group always responds,” Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said. “I thought the bench gave good energy, good minutes. We’re going to need more of that.”
Boston College (13-9, 4-7) is eager to avoid any lingering effects from the setback earlier this week, and that will be a focal point for the Eagles.
“We’re playing good basketball. We won two out of three,” coach Earl Grant said. “There are still opportunities to play your best basketball.”
Boston College’s two-game winning streak was interrupted as they fell 63-62 to Florida State on Tuesday night at home. This resulted in the Eagles registering a 4-3 record in games decided by five points or fewer this season.
“We got down big,” Grant commented. “And some of that was Florida State’s length and athleticism. Some of it was our decision making. … We did everything we wanted to do in the second half. We just didn’t execute (the plan) for 40 minutes.”
Scheyer is striving for a comprehensive performance from his team, rooted in solid practices and then carrying that momentum forward. In an attempt to maintain the energy level, he involved reserve players early in the Notre Dame game.
“To win these games, you have to play every play, you have to go to the boards,” he said. “For us to have 16 offensive rebounds, our guys made a conscious effort to do that.”
The Blue Devils are seeking consistency from center Kyle Filipowski, hoping to minimize his inconsistent stretches. Filipowski failed to score in the first half of the game on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to get him going,” Scheyer said. “And we have to help him, I have to help him. We have to keep him out of foul trouble. That’s clearly a thing that every team tries to do. … Go at him to try to get fouls.”
The Eagles will strive for their third ACC road triumph, following earlier wins at Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.
“You just keep working on your fundamentals,” Grant added. “We just don’t really turn it over a lot.”
During the Florida State game, Boston College’s Quinten Post surpassed the 1,000-point milestone in his career, accumulating 21 points and 12 rebounds. Post has participated in 109 college games between Mississippi State and Boston College combined.
“He has come a long way,” Grant said. “He was a backup player when he first came here. He has gotten better every year.”
Boston College’s most recent victory over a ranked opponent took place last February against Virginia.
Duke secured two victories against the Eagles last season and maintains a dominant 28-3 all-time record in the series. Boston College hasn’t triumphed over Duke since Dec. 9, 2017, at home.
