TUCSON, Ariz. — What was supposed to be the best matchup of the weekend in college basketball instead turned into a grinder of a game and a really good sign for Duke 's Final Four chances. After losing to Kentucky in dispiriting fashion on Nov.
12, the Blue Devils learned, recovered and rallied on a level few could have expected. Jon Scheyer's team dictated the terms at McKale Center late Friday night, winning 69-55 and handing Arizona a rare home loss — made even more rare by how anemic U of A's offense was. The Wildcats' 55 points ties a program-low under Tommy Lloyd, matching the No.
15-over-No. 2 seed upset vs. Princeton in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Jon Scheyer is now 24-16 in road and neutral games since getting the Duke job. That's winning at a 60% clip when not playing at home, a percentage just about any coach in the country would take. Duke's win snapped a four-game losing skid against ranked teams and also ended a three-game slide against Arizona.
This game was the back half of a home-and-home, and it was driven by revenge. Arizona won at Cameron Indoor Stadium last year, now Duke gets a huge road victory and returns the favor. Here are my takeaways from Tucson: Duke's D has a chance to be the best in college hoops Arizona was held to .
81 points per possession in its house? There's almost no chance the Wildcats play this badly on offense the rest of the season, especially at home. Lloyd's been running one of the best and most reliable offensive schemes in the sp.
