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4 takeaways as BC basketball battles but falls to No. 7 Duke
The Eagles kept it tight for a while, but the Blue Devils ultimately had too much firepower.
With Conte Forum jam-packed, Jayson Tatum and Brad Stevens in the house, and Mike Krzyzewski coaching his last game at Boston College, the Eagles hung around with Duke on Saturday for longer than many expected.
They trailed by just seven points midway through the second half but ended up falling, 72-61, as the Blue Devils (21-4, 11-3 ACC) asserted themselves and showed why they’re the nation’s No. 7 team. James Karnik paced the Eagles (9-14, 4-9 ACC) with 21 points and 9 rebounds, and DeMarr Langford Jr. added 16 points, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, but expected lottery pick Paolo Banchero (16 points, 14 rebounds) was ultimately too much inside and Wendell Moore Jr. too much outside (14 points on four 3s).
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The Blue Devils only had 8 assists on the evening, but BC shot 1-of-12 from 3-point range and ran out of time following a late comeback attempt.
“A lot of the plan we wanted to execute, we did. We did it brilliantly,” BC coach Earl Grant said. “It just wasn’t quite good enough.”
The Eagles started strong and kept it tight.
The Eagles set the tone early and made it clear that the Blue Devils wouldn’t coast to a victory. BC jumped out to a 6-2 edge and trailed just 24-22 late in the half, but Duke closed on a 13-6 flurry to take a 37-28 edge into the break.
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Karnik was formidable down low, Jaeden Zackery zigzagged his way into the paint, and Makai Ashton-Langford was a pest defensively and took multiple charges. The Eagles largely played the way they wanted to, causing seven turnovers in the first 13 minutes, yet Duke simply had more firepower and playmaking ability.
Even so, the Eagles were well within striking distance entering the second half.
“They play hard,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the Eagles. “They come to play, and they’re very athletic. They keep it simple, and they’re going to play you every minute. That’s what they did.”
BC hung around, but Duke eventually pulled away.
Early in the second half, Mark Williams swatted a Langford Jr. dunk attempt and helped set up a Wendell Moore Jr. 3-pointer to give Duke its biggest lead at 51-36.
Langford Jr., however, was undeterred, and he kept relentlessly taking the ball to the rim regardless of whether Williams or anyone else was there to impede his progress. Though he missed three free throws and eventually fouled out, Langford Jr. kept the Eagles afloat.
“It was nice to see he could take it to that next level,” Grant said.
The Eagles turned to a four-guard lineup in stretches, partially out of necessity. They seemed content to try to beat the Blue Devils off the dribble and rely on the pick-and-roll, and it worked in stretches. In the end, though, BC’s lack of 3-point shooting proved costly. Duke was able to clog the paint and double Karnik, and BC was unable to generate steady looks from distance.
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After Langford Jr. sliced it to 51-44 with 11:20 remaining, the Blue Devils used a pivotal 11-0 run to seize command. Zackery, Justin Vander Baan, and Brevin Galloway continued to compete – and BC responded again to trim the margin – but the deficit was too sizable at that point.
The Eagles, without big man Quinten Post (COVID protocol) the whole night and forward T.J. Bickerstaff (sprained calf) most of the night, ran out of options as Duke prevailed.
There were plenty of bright spots.
Though it was a tough result to digest, the Eagles left optimistic about their chances in the coming weeks – and years, for that matter. The formula is in place, as a defensive-minded, gritty team, and now it’s about piecing it all together more consistently.
“As we continue to try to improve the program and the team, hopefully we have games where our defense and offense match,” Grant said. “ … When that thing comes together at the same time, that’s when we’re going to be dangerous. That’s our job, is to try to get to the point by March where we’re playing our best basketball.”
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BC won the turnover battle, 13-9, held a 34-30 edge in the paint against a tall team, and limited Duke to two fast-break points. If Langford Jr., Karnik, and Ashton-Langford continue to play with the same force, the Eagles should have a chance to see results in the coming weeks. Picked to finish 15th in the preseason ACC poll, they’re currently tied for 12th and one game out of 10th.
The Eagles honored Mike Krzyzewski.
The crowd Saturday featured a rowdy blend of Boston College fans eager for an upset and Duke fans hoping to see Krzyzewski’s final trip to Boston end with a win.
“It gave me a good picture of what it should look like as we continue to try to build a program,” Grant said. “Hopefully we can get to a point where it’s always like that and all of them are cheering for us.”
The legendary Duke coach, who will retire at the end of the season, is grateful that the Eagles donated to the Emily Krzyzewski Center to help underrepresented students in Durham, North Carolina. BC showed him on the Jumbotron before the game and the crowd gave him a hearty ovation.
“Overall, people have been really respectful,” Krzyzewski said. “I didn’t stay this year to have a farewell tour. I stayed because I wanted to coach one more year.”
Krzyzewski said that when he thinks of Boston, he thinks of cold temperatures and entertaining battles.
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“I have ultimate respect for Boston College,” he said. “Some of the really great games, once they joined our conference, were with Boston College.”
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