No. 4 Duke basketball is in real trouble with under 10 minutes left against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
Duke basketball is playing a non-conference road game against the Johnnies in New York this afternoon. It is not going well.
The Blue Devils didn’t exactly run out to a huge start against the 10-13 Red Storm. However, they did hold a 39-32 lead at halftime.
The second half has been a very different story. It has been all St. John’s since the break.
As of this writing, the struggling Big East program leads 66-55. In just the second half, it is outscoring Duke 34-16.
The Blue Devils stars are having their normal big games. Marvin Bagley III has 18 points on just nine shots.
Gary Trent Jr. continues his hot offensive play with 17 points. Wendell Carter Jr. has 10.
However, they’re the only ones chipping in on that end. The rest of Duke’s team has just 10 points. And as a team, things have really dried up in this second half.
The bigger concern is on defense, as is often the case for Duke. St. John’s is shooting 50-percent from the field as a team.
Shamorie Ponds has particularly exploded for 25 points so far, on 9-of-17 shooting. He is 3-of-7 from three-point range.
Bashir Ahmed has chipped in with a big game as well. He has 17 points and has knocked down 3-of-4 threes.
There’s still plenty of time for a Duke comeback, with over six minutes left in the game. Things have not gone as planned so far, though.
St. John’s is looking for a desperately-needed big win. The team currently sits in last place in the Big East. The game is currently being broadcast on FOX.