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Duke’s performance against Wake Forest was arguably Duke’s best performance of the year. The Blue Devils were just clicking on all cylinders, not least of all Matthew Hurt, who was hitting everything he put up.
But it wasn’t just him. Duke’s offense was fluid and quick, and it wasn’t just shooting. Turnovers were a minimum, passing was crisp and intelligent - the offense was just outstanding.
But so was the defense.
Duke held the Demon Deacons to 39.2 percent overall and 28 percent from behind the line. Wake often looked rushed and freshman big man Mark Williams was effective inside, especially early.
As the game wore on, Duke’s confidence rose and everything was clicking. The Blue Devils won by 24 despite Jeremy Roach shooting 1-6 and rotation regular Jordan Goldwire hitting 2-6.
Hurt was 8-9 though, Wendell Moore shot 5-9 and DJ Steward hit 7-12. It was, all things considered, a beautiful game.