Coral Gables, FL (Sports Network) - A good day for the University of Miami
athletic department turned into an even better night.
Hours after receiving a temporary reprieve of potential NCAA sanctions, the
No. 25 Hurricanes went out and knocked off the nation's No. 1 team for the
first time in school history with a 90-63 drubbing of top-ranked Duke at
BankUnited Center.
Durand Scott scored 25 points and Kenny Kadji had 22 as Miami (14-3, 5-0 ACC),
which had been 0-6 all-time against teams atop the polls, dominated the Blue
Devils on both ends of the floor to record its sixth consecutive victory in
surprisingly easy fashion.
The Hurricanes, ranked for the first time since January of 2010, made a
sizzling 55.9 percent of their field goal attempts and knocked down 9-of-19
tries from 3-point range, while limiting the frazzled Blue Devils to a 29.2
percent shooting clip that included a woeful 3-of-21 performance from beyond
the arc -- by far Duke's lowest numbers of the season.
Seth Curry, the Blue Devils' second-leading scorer at 16.9 points per game,
did not register a point while going 0-for-10 from the floor.
Shane Larkin added 18 points and nine rebounds in the rout, with Julian Gamble
pulling down 10 boards for Miami.
The win came in the wake of the NCAA announcing on Wednesday that it would be
suspending its investigation of the Hurricanes' athletic program for the time
being after acknowledging that former enforcement staff members had previously
worked with the criminal defense attorney for former Miami booster and
convicted felon Nevin Shapiro, whose revelation of giving improper benefits to
several Hurricane student-athletes triggered the inquiry.
Mason Plumlee finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Duke's most lopsided
defeat since a 27-point setback at Clemson on Feb. 4, 2009.
Rasheed Sulaimon and Alex Murphy each had 14 points for the Blue Devils (16-2,
3-2), now 0-2 in true road games this season. Duke was dealt an 84-76 loss at
18th-ranked North Carolina State on Jan. 12.
GAME NOTES:
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