Duke’s first season since the retirement of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski ended Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament when the No. 5 Blue Devils lost 65-52 to the No. 4 Tennessee in an uphill battle. The Volunteers received 27 points from Olivier Nkamhoua and used their signature physical defense to frustrate a rookie-laden Duke roster.
Tennessee will face off against either No. 9 Florida Atlantic or No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson at the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Duke’s first season under coach Jon Scheyer ends with a 27-9 record.
The Blue Devils went on the nation’s second-longest 10-game winning streak, a stretch that included an ACC tournament title and a stunning first-round win over 12-seeded Oral Roberts on Thursday. But Duke struggled to find a rhythm against the bleeding volunteers.
Tennessee center Uros Plavsic conceded two fouls for his physical play against Duke forward Kyle Filipowski in the first two minutes and 12 seconds of the game. Within the first six minutes, Filipowski was receiving medical treatment for a bleeding wound under his eye from a shot to the face during the fight for a rebound on the bench. It was a fitting sign of how the game would be played.
The loss dropped Duke to an all-time 5-8 against the SEC in NCAA tournament games, leaving Pittsburgh and Miami the only teams in the ACC with a chance of making the Sweet 16.