RJ Barrett, No. 4 Duke Escape vs. Wake Forest; Zion Williamson Sits with Injury

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

The Duke Blue Devils narrowly escaped an inexcusable loss with Zion Williamson sidelined on Tuesday.

Duke overcame a 10-point second half deficit and held off the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a 71-70 victory but only after Chaundee Brown missed a buzzer-beating put back that would have given the visitors the win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils improved to 26-4 overall and 14-3 in ACC play and remained one game behind Virginia and North Carolina in the loss column in the race for the regular-season conference crown. Wake Forest fell to 11-18 overall and 4-13 in the conference.

RJ Barrett went into takeover mode despite seven turnovers and finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Tre Jones (13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals) provided effective support as Cam Reddish dealt with foul trouble throughout. Jones temporarily went to the locker room in the second half but returned for crunch time to help notch the win.

Brown (21 points and nine rebounds) and Brandon Childress (19 points, five boards and three assists) led the way for Wake Forest in defeat.

Defensive Strides Without Zion Duke’s Biggest Need for Stretch Run

Wake Forest frankly had no business competing with Duke from a talent level in Tuesday’s matchup, but the Blue Devils struggled to string together defensive stops and were largely flat as they fell behind by double digits in the second half.

It didn’t help that Reddish sat out extended stretches with foul trouble, but the performance wasn’t indicative of a team that is No. 3 in the country on offense and No. 5 on defense in Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted rankings.

That lofty defensive ranking largely reflects the Blue Devils squad with Williamson on the floor, and the team has looked like anything but a top-five defensive squad without him swatting shots, protecting the rim, battling for rebounds and darting into passing lanes.

North Carolina poured in 88 points with Luke Maye punishing smaller defenders such as Barrett and Cameron Johnson consistently attacking the rim without Williamson there to alter shots.

Virginia Tech also notched a win against the Zion-less Blue Devils with Kerry Blackshear Jr. controlling the paint and grabbing five offensive rebounds on his way to 23 points. There was nobody to turn him away outside of Javin DeLaurier, who hasn’t been a focal point in the rotation and is not someone Duke can realistically rely on come the NCAA tournament.

Fortunately for Mike Krzyzewski’s squad, Jones is still there to hound ball-handlers on the perimeter.

He tallied three steals against Wake Forest, setting the tone on multiple defensive possessions by picking up guards full court and forcing them to use some of the shot clock. It is the players behind him, though, who struggled to feed off his energy and allowed the Demon Deacons to control long lengths of play.

Barrett must play bigger than his size as a swingman when he is matched up against players like Maye, Reddish has to avoid foul trouble so he can be someone who creates turnovers like Jones, and more players need to secure rebounds so they aren’t exploited on second-chance opportunities.

Jack White (5.1) is the only player outside of Williamson and Barrett to average better than five rebounds per game, making the issue all the more concerning with No. 1 sidelined.

Duke is in national championship-or-bust mode this season with three potential top-10 picks on the roster and can still rely on Barrett and Reddish at times to carry the offense. Just that duo alone gives the team more firepower than the majority of its opponents, but the defensive lapses without Williamson there to clean things up are worrisome with the calendar flipped to March.

If the Blue Devils don’t make significant strides in a hurry, those worries will be exacerbated as the level of competition increases with the North Carolina rematch, ACC tournament and NCAA tournament.

Otherwise, it will up to Williamson to return and save them despite concerns about his health.

What’s Next?

Both teams are in action Saturday for their regular-season finale. Wake Forest hosts Florida State, while Duke will look for revenge on the road against North Carolina after losing to its archrival at home on Feb. 20.