Second-ranked Duke overwhelms Miami 95-62; Vernon Carey Jr. stars in homecoming
The University of Miami football team made headlines Saturday with the hiring of an offensive coordinator. But by nightfall, the national spotlight was on the Hurricanes basketball team, which played at home against No. 2 Duke in ESPN’s prime-time game.
Playing in front of their biggest home crowd of the season, the Canes were trounced 95-62 after giving the favored Blue Devils more trouble than expected early on. Duke showed why it is one of the most feared teams in the country.
UM coach Jim Larranaga summed it up: “They are really good. They beat us to the basketball with speed, quickness, jumping ability, their level of intensity. I think they’ve got a legitimate shot to win the national championship. Eventually, they wear you down. Truth be told, we can’t play at the pace they do. We can’t score 90 points like they can.”
Duke outshot Miami 60 percent to 40 percent, outrebounded them 41-24, outscored Miami 64-38 in the paint, 18-4 off fast breaks, and got 23 points off turnovers to eight for UM. They shared the ball much better than UM with 23 assists compared to six.
“Miami’s good, but they just got worn out,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We played very, very well. Not well. Two verys, at least. We have more depth [than Miami]. When we went to the bench, we didn’t drop. At times, we ascended. The game just got away from them.”
Freshman phenom Vernon Carey Jr., a Miami native and son of former UM and Miami Dolphins lineman Vernon Carey Sr., had a memorable homecoming for Duke with 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds. The 6-10 and 270-pound center had been heavily recruited by UM out of NSU University School in Davie, and listed Miami among his final five choices before picking Duke.
“Not just tonight returning home, Vernon has played strong all season,” Krzyzewski said of Carey. “He’s been extremely poised, that’s the thing I’m most proud of. Even if he made a mistake, he doesn’t get frantic. They put him in some tough defensive situations. That’s the next step for him. He has great hands. His dad was a lineman. This kid would have been a tight end. He can catch and pass.”
Fellow Duke freshmen Cassius Stanley (20 points, five rebounds) and Matthew Hurt (13 points, six rebounds) also had big nights.
The Blue Devils improved to 13-1, 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami dropped to 9-4 and 1-2 in the ACC.
The Hurricanes stayed in the game during the first 15 minutes thanks to an unlikely hero — Sam Waardenburg. The junior forward from New Zealand made his first four shots, including a rim-shaking dunk that delighted his teammates on the bench. His play was especially impressive considering he missed practice Thursday and Friday with a leg injury. He finished with 11 points, and Kam McGusty led UM with 12.
Miami guard DJ Vasiljevic was held to nine points and just one three-pointer. Point guard Chris Lykes went 2-of-15 for eight points. Krzyzewski said their plan was to keep Vasiljevic from the perimeter, and he was pleased they neutralized all three UM guards.
Saturday’s game was personal for Vasiljevic and Duke senior forward Jack White, who were high school teammates in Australia, teammates on the Australian national team and remain good friends.
Vasiljevic, concerned about the bushfire crisis in Australia, is donating $5 for every 3-point shot he makes in ACC play to help his native country. He set up a Go Fund Me page to raise awareness, as well.
“The guy who’s playing well for them is Waardenberg, he’s an X-factor for them,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s taken them to a really good level.”
But Carey stuffed Waardenburg’s fifth shot, and that was a sign of what was to come.
Duke locked down on defense, beat Miami to nearly every ball, and overwhelmed the Canes in every facet of the game. They led 50-36 by halftime. It was the most points scored by Duke in a half this season.
The domination continued after intermission.
Duke fans, decked in blue and white, came out in big numbers. Accustomed to long lines at Cameron Indoor Stadium, they queued up outside the Watsco Center two hours before tipoff. Hurricanes fans showed up fashionably late, as always.
The game was a near-sellout. The only empty seats were in the student section, as UM is on winter break until Jan. 13 and commuter students traditionally have not been big basketball supporters.
Miami was riding a five-game win streak, its most recent victory in overtime at Clemson. But the new year began with a pair of top-10 opponents. The Canes hit the road next to play at No. 7 Louisville on Tuesday. The Cardinals lost to FSU on Saturday.
This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 11:14 PM.