Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Without a sick Coach K, No. 7 Duke beats Wake Forest 89-71

Georgia Tech v Duke

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 04: Associate head coach Jeff Capel of the Duke Blue Devils watches during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 4, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 110-57. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Getty Images

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A virus kept Mike Krzyzewski from coaching No. 7 Duke. Guard Gary Trent Jr. spent most of a timeout with his head over a bucket.

Even without Coach K, the Blue Devils came away from another Wake Forest game feeling pretty good.

Marvin Bagley III had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Duke beat the Demon Deacons 89-71 on Saturday in a game the Hall of Fame coach missed.

With longtime assistant Jeff Capel in charge, the short-handed Blue Devils (15-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their second straight and moved their conference record over .500 for the first time this season.

“Great win for our guys in the midst of this adversity,” Capel said.

But the story of this one was the virus that kept Krzyzewski out. School officials announced Krzyzewski’s absence about 40 minutes before tipoff.

Capel said Krzyzewski woke up Saturday feeling ill and decided “he didn’t want to get our guys sick, didn’t want to put anyone else in jeopardy, but he’s better.”

Trent, who spent some quality time with that bucket on the bench, was a game-time decision by the coaches and said he was dealing with light-headedness and nausea.

“Just got to fight through it,” he said.

The Blue Devils were still plenty healthy enough to win their seventh straight in the cross-state series.

Trent added 19 points and six 3-pointers, Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Grayson Allen had a career-best 12 rebounds and reserve Alex O’Connell scored 13 points.

Bryant Crawford scored 21 points and Keyshawn Woods had 15 to lead Wake Forest (8-9, 1-4), which hasn’t won at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 21 years.

BIG PICTURE

Wake Forest: Things aren’t getting any easier for the Demon Deacons, who have lost five of six. Five of their next seven opponents appear in the national rankings, and it was asking a lot to expect the Demon Deacons to claim their first victory at Cameron since the Tim Duncan era in 1997. Crawford kept them in it early, scoring 14 points in the first half, but serious foul trouble by the bigs and the lack of an answer for Bagley — not exactly an uncommon problem around the ACC — ultimately did them in.

“Obviously, Duke came out and played the game that they would like to play to a certain extent, just judging by the score,” coach Danny Manning said. “There were a lot of things we need to get better at.”

Duke: Playing without Coach K isn’t exactly a new phenomenon for the Blue Devils — this is the third straight season in which the 70-year-old has missed at least one game due to health reasons. Now Duke faces a quick turnaround with a game Monday night at No. 18 Miami. Duke hasn’t won there since 2014.

INJURY REPORT

In addition to Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils played their second straight game without injured center Marques Bolden (sprained knee) and forward Javin DeLaurier (hamstring).

PLAY OF THE NIGHT

Make it another highlight-reel play for Bagley. Trevon Duval poked the ball away from Terrence Thompson and Bagley snatched it up, whipping the ball behind his back to get past Mitchell Wilbekin near midcourt and then swooping in for a dunk that put the Blue Devils up 54-37 with 17 1/2 minutes left.

THEY SAID IT

In the final moments, the Cameron Crazies chanted “We want Bilas” because Wake Forest reserve Anthony Bilas is the son of former Duke player and current ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. Manning obliged, putting Bilas into the game with 48.5 seconds remaining.

KEY STAT

Duke attempted 34 free throws, making 27. Wake Forest had just nine foul shots and made seven of them.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest: Makes another cross-state trip to the Triangle to face North Carolina State on Thursday night.

Duke: Travels to No. 18 Miami on Monday night.