DURHAM – Caleb Love made one last memory against Duke basketball.
The second-ranked Blue Devils and No. 12 Arizona played a classic in a game that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes, but the Wildcats made winning plays down the stretch in a 78-73 victory Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“The thing about this game though, you learn so much more about yourself playing in it. It’s a great reality check,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who lost for the first time at Cameron after winning 17 straight home games.
“Even if we won this game, there’s a lot that we can clean up and do better. For me, as long as I’m coaching, as long as I’m competing, I will always hate losing. That’s me as a competitor, but I also know that I’m thankful for this opportunity. Playing a team like Arizona, playing them this early in the year, I think it’s a great thing for our program.”
Arizona’s Keshad Johnson had a three-point play to give the Wildcats a one-point lead in the final minute and Love, a former Tar Heel, made four free throws in the final 20 seconds to help the visitors seal the win.
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With former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on the baseline in his second appearance at Cameron since his retirement, Duke twice rallied from an eight-point deficit but couldn’t close.
Sophomore star Kyle Filipowski powered the Blue Devils with 25 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Jeremy Roach had 17 points. Duke hasn’t beaten a top-15 nonconference opponent at Cameron since 2010.
What did Caleb Love do vs. Duke basketball?
In his return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where he started his career with back-to-back 20-point performances at North Carolina, Caleb Love had 11 points, three rebounds and six turnovers.
The former Tar Heel banked in a 3-pointer at the end of the first half to give Arizona a 41-33 lead. He hit four free throws in the final 17.4 seconds to help the Wildcats seal it. It was Duke’s first loss at Cameron since Mike Krzyzewski’s final regular-season game in 2022 against Love and North Carolina.
How Kyle Filipowski, Blue Devils responded to Arizona’s physicality
Filipowski had 11 points and four rebounds in the first half, but the Blue Devils as a group struggled to find their footing offensively. While Arizona pounded the paint, Duke’s offense often started well beyond the 3-point line.
When the Devils did get to the rim, they missed five of their nine layups in the first half. Things shifted in the second half as Filipowski scored 10 points in the first five minutes, but Scheyer wasn’t pleased with Duke’s offense at times. The Blue Devils’ bench was outscored 16-5 and Duke shot 43%.
“I thought they were more aggressive in the first half. We didn’t play our best. Despite that, we’re right there at the end of the game,” Scheyer said.
“. … I think the biggest thing for me: We didn’t play together. That’s hard for me to swallow. That’s not OK for us. We didn’t play Duke basketball. I take full responsibility for that. There’s too many plays where we just zero-pass, one-pass possessions, where we’re just giving the ball up.”
Arizona racks up rebounds against Duke basketball
The shooting was poor for both squads in the first half as they shot a combined 42.5% from the floor, but Arizona was relentless on the glass with a 29-15 rebounding advantage. The Wildcats had 10 second-chance points and 11 offensive rebounds, including 10 before Duke grabbed its first offensive board. Oumar Ballo powered the effort with 13 points and five rebounds as one of five Wildcats in double figures. Arizona was plus-12 in rebounds and had 13 second-chance points.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.