If Duke goes on to achieve any sort of greatness in March, remember what happened between the first half and second half of the Blue Devils' win against Miami on Saturday night in Durham, North Carolina.
Trailing 36-25 at halftime, Duke looked lost. Jeff Capel spent all week with this team working on growing and getting better, and then their first time back on the court featured some slow-to-respond defense and ice cold jump shooting. Capel benched Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Harry Giles to start the second half, putting arguably his best defensive lineup on the floor. They forced turnovers and fired up the Cameron Crazies, feeding off that energy and starting the half with a 22-1 run to outscore Miami by 23 in the half.
Duke never looked back, cruising to a 70-58 win.
Three things to know about the victory:
1. Senior status: Amile Jefferson returned and Matt Jones was great
Duke needs Amile Jefferson in the lineup to be its best. He has so much experience and has developed game around the rim that was dominant at times during the beginning of this season. Ruled out indefinitely with a foot injury, Duke fans feared a repeat of the "Amile Injury Watch" that lasted through much of the 2015-16 season.
Jefferson had five points, grabbed 12 rebounds and recorded two steals Saturday, but it was fellow senior Matt Jones who stole the show. Jones scored 13 points in the second half, thanks to some sharp three-point shooting and great defense.
2. Jeff Capel deserves a tip of the cap
Capel decided to bench some of his best offensive options with Duke down 11 and on the verge of falling to 2-4 in ACC play. Trusting Jones and Jefferson, letting freshman big man Marques Bolden loose and leaning on defense put life back in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The expectations that have been placed on this team were shelved, and the desperation and energy Duke showed on defense was matched by the Cameron Crazies. Miami looked shook early and never regained composure, another victim of Duke's home-court advantage (when it decides to lock down on defense).
3. What this actually means for Duke
"The moment that saved Duke's season" will be written all over the place on Sunday, but luckily that storyline has only a few days of shelf life. Duke will be back in action on Monday against NC State, and that same energy it showed in the second half will be expected as this hyper-talented team starts to develop habits of dominance. If the Blue Devils come out lethargic and flat-out bad on both ends again, it's not going to bode well for the magical "turnaround" narrative written tonight.
Duke is 3-3 in the ACC instead of 2-4. The season isn't turned around yet, but they've at least shown how defensive dominance can take this team to the next level. The key is to rinse and repeat.