Game Rewind | Poor shooting dooms Cards
Refresh frequently (or click here) for updates during the University of Louisville's noon Saturday matchup against Duke at the KFC Yum! Center.
Final: Duke 63, U of L 52.
The Blue Devils' Jahlil Okafor scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, and the Cards shot a meager 18 of 61 (29 percent) for the game, dropping their third straight to a ranked opponent.
Leading the way for U of L was Terry Rozier, who scored 17 points but went 5 of 16 from the field while doing it. The Cards totaled just as many turnovers (10) as Duke and tallied 7 assists as well.
See a full box score: http://bit.ly/17UbCNp
Read what we learned from beat writer Jeff Greer: http://cjky.it/1wXtWut
Also, watch Rick Pitino and Coach K after the game: http://cjky.it/1sLBRyO
0:47, 2H: Yes, all TV feeds are down for the game. No, it doesn't seem as if U of L will mount a comeback -- though Montrezl Harrell just hit a layup to make it 62-50.
1:12, 2H: Duke's 14 of 19 on free throws today, making the difference as U of L tries to mount a late comeback. The Cards, down 60-48, just sent Chinanu Onuaku to the line. He missed them both.
1:27, 2H: Timeout, U of L -- for the right reason. After the Cards' press forced a turnover, Terry Rozier's 3-pointer pulled them to within 58-48. Now for a discussion on late-game strategy...
2:45, 2H: Headed toward its second loss in three games -- Duke leads 56-43 -- U of L is still seeking a true signature victory. Dick Vitale went ahead and lumped Ohio State in among the Cards' "elite" wins.
"They're 1 of 3 against elite teams," he said. "This could hurt their confidence."
3:35, 2H: Into the final media timeout, Duke leads 54-41 but hasn't scored in 4:23. U of L hasn't made the most of that drought, going 2:33 without a point of its own.
3:44, 2H: The Yum! Center crowd wants this. U of L may not. Montrezl Harrell missed a layup -- Dick Vitale howled -- which would have pulled the Cards to within 11. The next trip up, U of L had two looks but couldn't capitalize either. Now, time is short.
7:26, 2H: U of L's hanging around, trailing 54-38 into the under-eight timeout. But the Cards' slide right out of the half may have done them in.
Duke still holds a 24-18 second half edge and is 9 of 14 from the field. So where U of L's offense has picked up, the defense is letting down, with Jahlil Okafor at 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting.
10:13, 2H: Terry Rozier's starting to take over and is clawing U of L back in the process. It's 46-30 to the under-12 timeout, with Rozier also headed to the free throw line for two shots. He already has the Cards' last five points, including a 3-pointer, and it's Duke working a 3-minute scoring drought now.
12:26, 2H: Now U of L's defense is giving in, too. The Cards, facing their biggest deficit of the season, are giving into Duke big man Jahlil Okafor, who's making his job look easy on Mangok Mathiang.
He hit a bucket one trip up the court and drew a foul on Montrezl Harrell the next. It's 46-25.
15:20, 2H: The rout is on, with Duke poised to hand U of L its first double-digit loss since a January 2012 defeat at Marquette. It's 42-24 into the under-16 timeout -- Rick Pitino has already called two timeouts of his own this half -- though Montrezl Harrell is calling for more.
Harrell, mostly contained by Duke today, earned a basket and foul into the break and, as he has early this half, motioned to urge his team and fans at the Yum! Center on. Too late? Possibly.
The Blue Devils are off to a 4 of 6 start this half. Amile Jefferson's 13 points are a game high.
17:15, 2H: And now for the poster moment. Amile Jefferson drove the lane and soared for a dunk, taking down Mangok Mathiang in the process. He missed the shot but went to the free throw line, hitting 1 of 2. The lead is 38-22.
19:07, 2H: Two trips up the court and two Duke baskets later, Rick Pitino wants a timeout. The Blue Devils' 35-20 lead is their largest of the day.
20:00, 2H: U of L's starters are back out to open the second half. The good news for the cold-shooting Cards is, they did hit their final three shots of the first half.
Halftime: Duke 30, U of L 20.
So, that offense. The Cards closed the half by making 3 of their final 14 shots, picking up a bit of momentum when Montrezl Harrell got a shot at the buzzer to bounce in.
Those were Harrell's first points. While seven U of L players have scored, Terry Rozier's 5 points are a team-high.
"Our weakness all year is, we've been offensively challenged," coach Rick Pitino told ESPN. "...Let's face it. We've got to keep moving the basketball and trying to get offensive rebounds, which we've been doing."
See a full box score (if you dare, Cards fans): http://bit.ly/17UbCNp
Also, bookmark to watch Pitino and Coach K after the game: http://cjky.it/1sLBRyO
0:58, 1H: With Duke riding a 17-2 run, capped by a Quinn Cook 3-pointer, Anton Gill finally hit a shot for the Cards, a mid-range jumper. At the other end, the Blue Devils scored on a second-chance bucket to maintain a double-digit lead at 28-16.
3:18, 1H: The Cards' offensive struggles have them down 22-14, with Duke's lead a game-high. Working a scoring drought of 4:23, U of L's missed each of its last 10 shots, made 1 of its last 16 and just 2 of its last 21.
5:44, 1H: U of L's officially leaning on its defense today. With Duke packing the paint, the Cards are settling for outside shots and 2 of their last 15 overall. Star player Montrezl Harrell is 0 of 4, with two of his attempts from beyond the arc. Duke leads 16-14.
7:46, 1H: Duke has the lead back into the under-eight, and Amile Jefferson will have a shot at extending the 14-12 advantage with a traditional 3-point play.
U of L, shooting just 4 of 18 (22 percent), has an even score sheet so far. Chris Jones leads with 5 points, Wayne Blackshear has 4 and Terry Rozier 3. Montrezl Harrell is off to an 0 for 4 start from the field.
8:28, 1H: On the other end after Wayne Blackshear's jam, Rick Pitino called for a timeout. He's upset with Quentin Snider's defense after the freshman guard let Duke's Matt Jones open for a game-tying 3-pointer. It's 12-12.
8:45, 1H: So, a setback for U of L -- Chris Jones actually picked up his second foul boxing out into the last media break. Quentin Snider is running the point now for the Cards with reserve Chinanu Onuaku on the floor at the center spot.
On a Wayne Blackshear drive and one-handed jam, the lead is 12-9.
11:08, 1H: Chris Jones, on a one-man fast break, pulled up for a jumper and ended U of L's scoring drought. The Cards are carrying a 10-6 advantage into the under-12 timeout.
Still, U of L's hit just 2 of its last 10 shots, while Duke is equally as cold, having hit 1 of its last 6. The Blue Devils are also getting turned over with five of them already today.
By the way, Tyus Jones (ankle) is checking back in for Duke.
13:23, 1H: One of Duke's star freshmen, Tyus Jones, just left this one with what appears an ankle injury. He needed a bit of help getting to the bench. With the Blue Devils trailing 8-6, Jones already had 2 points, a rebound and an assist.
14:19, 1H: As offense lacks, a big takeaway in this one -- Terry Rozier wants to stand out. That's at least if his gold and black sneakers mean anything. Rozier just hit a 3-pointer, moving the Cards ahead 8-4.
Duke's playing a zone, happy to let U of L fire away.
15:22, 1H: Since Chris Jones opened with a 3-pointer, U of L's gone cold from the field, missing its next four shots over more than four minutes into the under-16 timeout. Duke's lead is 4-3.
Wayne Blackshear will head to the free throw line out of the break, looking to give the Cards the lead back. They've twice tried lob passes at the rim, and Montrezl Harrell has already pulled from the 3-point line.
17:57, 1H: And now Duke's on the board thanks to a dunk big star big man Jahlil Okafor. U of L's had the edge early with a 3-0 rebounding advantage.
19:42, 1H: That was quick. U of L won the tip, and on the first trip up the court, Chris Jones hit a 3-pointer to move the Cards, in their retro jerseys, ahead.
20:00, 1H: Well, here we go. On ESPN's College GameDay, Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg both picked the Cards. Jay Williams picked the Blue Devils.
In to start for U of L at center is Mangok Mathiang, coming off a solid outing against Virginia Tech.
PREGMAME: For the second Saturday in a row, U of L challenges a perennial college basketball power from the Research Triangle.
This time, Duke's in town and seems to have brought plenty of Blue Devils fans with it.
No, 1,000 wins aren't at stake for coach Mike Krzyzewski, and his team has dropped two straight. But it's still a highly anticipated matchup between the nation's Nos. 4 and 6 teams -- and sure to draw plenty of national attention.
Stick with this blog for score updates, interesting stats and input from social media from college basketball experts tuning in to see if U of L can nab a signature win or if Duke will end its slide.
For pregame reading, check out a game preview (http://cjky.it/1CxZ0Vy), column (http://cjky.it/14O9Yum), and other story lines (http://cjky.it/1ysYRDH). And by the way, Muhammad Ali will be watching, too, on his 73rd birthday (http://cjky.it/1whs5j1).
Probable Duke Starters
G Tyus Jones
G Quinn Cook
F Justise Winslow
F Amile Jeffersone
C Jahlil Okafor
Probable U of L Starters
G Chris Jones
G Terry Rozier
F Wayne Blackshear
F Montrezl Harrell
C Mangok Mathiang