TUCSON, Ariz.—Men’s Basketball No. 12 Duke traveled to take on No. 17 Arizona in the first real road game of the year for the Blue Devils. After 20 minutes of play, Duke holds a 34-27 lead:

Finally on the road

For the first time this season, the Blue Devils played in real enemy territory. The ZonaZoo did not hold back. This is the only real road game Duke plays outside of the ACC schedule, and it didn’t seem shaken. The team played relatively evenly, even when the shots weren’t falling. However, the Blue Devils’ once six-point lead began to shrink with just over six minutes remaining, and the crowd came alive. Caleb Love’s first points of the night had the student section roaring, but Sion James responded with a dunk after Love turned it over with three minutes left. That score left the Blue Devils two possessions ahead of the Wildcats, a margin they increased heading into halftime.

Freshmen start quickly

Duke’s veterans started out cold, as Caleb Foster nailed a three that wouldn’t fall on the opening possession. His second didn’t work either. Instead, it was the rookies who got the ball rolling for the road team. Khaman Maluach broke the ice with a second-chance layup, then Cooper Flagg hit back-to-back jumpers — one from inside the paint and one from outside — to steady the offense. Jaden Bradley and Trey Townsend had the first answers for Arizona, with the former scoring eight of the team’s first 12 points and the latter accounting for the rest.

Where is love?

Love is no stranger to Duke basketball, even if the roster looks very different this year. The fifth year is playing against the Blue Devils for the ninth time, although the first five were against former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The former Tar Heel has struggled this season, shooting just 26.3% from three. That trend continued tonight. Love remained silent for fifteen minutes and only broke through in the final five with a transition lay-up.

Mid-game slumps

Rachel Kaplan
| Sports editor-in-chief

Rachael Kaplan is a senior at Trinity and editor-in-chief of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.