Duke had separate scoring runs of 12-0 and 14-0 in the first half to bury Miami in an 89-54 win on Tuesday night. Miami trailed 50-26 at halftime, as Duke nearly covered the 24.5-point spread in the opening 20 minutes. Duke freshman Kon Knueppel scorched Miami with 25 points on 9-11 from the floor and 6-8 on 3-point attempts.
Lynn Kidd was a bright spot for Miami with 20 points on 10-17 from the floor. Miami never got closer than 12 points after the 12-0 run stretched the Duke lead to 21-8. Austin Swartz was the only other player in double figures for Miami. Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The same problems continued for Miami in the loss to Duke. Miami has been abysmal defensively this season and particularly in defending the 3-point shot. Duke shot 54.8 from the floor and made 17 of their 32 3-point attemps. Miami shot 39 percent from the floor and made six of their 20 3-point shots.
Duke led by as many as 28 points in the first half with a 47-19 lead with 2:53 remaining. The Blue Devils took their largest lead of the game at 85-49 with 2:29 remaining in the game. Duke continued to dominate by outscoring Miami 39-28 in the second half. Tuesday's loss was the biggest of the season for Miami by far.
Final: Duke 89, Miami 54
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) January 15, 2025
Miami's previous biggest defeat with an 80-65 home loss to Florida State last week. Miami was dominated in every way the score would indicate. Duke outrebounded Miami 43-22, had a 34-8 edge in bench points and never trailed. The game was only tied at four and six.
Miami returns home on Saturday to host SMU. The Mustangs are 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, tied with Pittsburgh and Stanford for sixth place in the conference. Miami will attempt to end a six-game losing streak overall and a 16-game ACC losing streak on Saturday.