CHICAGO – Duke went 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line to close the game as the #4 Blue Devils completed an 80-71, come-from-behind victory over #22 Arkansas Thursday night in the second annual CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic, played at the United Center.
Duke’s star freshman Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 35 points and he added nine rebounds. Arkansas’s star rookie Darius Acuff Jr. also came up big with 21 points and five assists. Trevon Brazile posted his second double-double of the season – and 12th for his career – with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Arkansas was down as much as 13 with 1:54 left in the first half. Arkansas ended the first half on a 7-0 run and opened the second half with a 15-6 run. Overall, the Hogs went on a 22-6 run from the end of the first half into the second half, including an 8-0 run in the second half, to lead 50-47.
The Razorbacks pushed their lead to seven (60-53) with 10:09 left after a Meleek Thomas 3-pointer.
With the score tied at 64 with 6:13 left, Duke scored to take a lead it would not relinquish. Thomas, who finished with 13 points, hit a 3-pointer with 2:56 left to get the Hogs to within one (70-69). However, the Blue Devils out-scored the Hogs 10-2 to close the game and secure the win.
Duke’s Caleb Foster finished with 15 points and Patrick Ngongba added 11.
Up next, Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena to host #6 Louisville as part of the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 6 pm and the game will be televised on ESPN.
FIRST HALF: ARK: 35 – DUKE: 41
- Arkansas took an early 12-5 lead before Duke tied the game with a 7-0 run. Billy Richmond III snapped the run with s 3-pointer.
- With the score tied at 22, Duke used a 10-0 run (thanks to two 3-pointers from Cameron Boozer). Darius Acuff Jr. ended the run with a floater.
- Arkansas ended the half on a 7-0 run.
- Acuff led Arkansas with 12 points and three assists. Trevon Brazile was 2-of-2 from 3-point, scored nine points and had seven rebounds.
- Cameron Boozer led Duke with 15 points.
- Both teams made 6 3-pointers and both were 5-of-7 from the line. However, Duke outscored Arkansas 16-6 on second-chance points. Duke only out-rebounded Arkansas by two (20-18) and both teams had seven rebounds.
- Duke led by as many as 13 (41-28) with 1:54 left before Arkansas started its run.
NOTES:
- Arkansas’ starting lineup was Darius Acuff Jr., D.J. Wagner, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile and Nick Pringle.
- Duke’s Patrick Ngongba scored the game’s first points, a 3-ponter at 18:30. Trevon Brazile scored Arkansas’s first points with a 3-pointer at 18:12.
- Arkansas’s first subs were Meleek Thomas, Malique Ewin and Billy Richmond III.
- Arkansas is now 3-3 all-time versus Duke. Including tonight’s game, five of the six meetings have some on neutral courts, three in the NCAA Sweet 16 or later, two in the Final Four or later and one in the NCAA National Championship – a game the Hogs won 76-72 in 1994.
- The lone game in the series not played on a neutral court was two falls ago (2023) when Arkansas defeated Duke, 80-75, in the ACC/SEC Challenge in Bud Walton Arena.
- Arkansas is now 0-3 all-time in the United Center. The Hogs also fell to Illinois in the United Center in Dec. 2001 and Dec. 2003.
- Coach Calipari is now 1-5 all-time versus Duke. The one win came versus Duke in the United Center in the 2015 Champions Classic. Coach Cal is now 3-4 all-time in the United Center, four times playing in the Champions Classic and twice playing in the CBS Sports Classic.
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