Dec 4, 2014

12/04/2014 12:53:00 AM
If you didn't know Duke started three freshman against the heavy upperclassman led Wisconsin Badgers you would have thought Duke is just Duke. Well one Duke Freshman PG Tyus Jones stole the show on Hump Day Night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Duke led 35-32 at the break and a 43-43 tie with just under 15 minutes to go in the 2nd half would be the last time the Badgers would either tie or take the lead. The Blue Devils kept their composure all the way to the finish for a 80-70 win.

Jones had a team-high 22 points, six boards, and four assists on a smooth 7-11 from the field and 2 for 3 from the arc to lead Duke to a 80-70 win over the higher ranked Badgers. It wasn't just Jones though as fellow Freshman teammates Jahlil Okafor (13 pts 6 rebs) and Justice Winslow ( 5 pts 5 rebs 3 asst) that also had a huge impact on the game.

Wisconsin down the stretch played like the younger team and give Duke credit the talent level mixed in with those intangibles makes them a real national title contender. The Badgers were led by senior PG Traevon Jackson as he went for a game-high 25 points playing like Pops Jim Jackson when he was at Ohio State. Badgers All-American "Frank the Tank" Kaminsky added 17 points and nine boards as the supporting cast wasn't up to snuff for both Jackson and Kaminsky.

Duke's two upper class guards Quinn Cook (13 pts) and Rasheed Sulaimon (14 pts) played huge and Duke and their Freshman need that from them a this was a huge test for both teams. Duke shot nearly 60% from the arc.

Meanwhile the ACC/Big 10 Challenge went to the landslide winner the Big Ten.

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