DURHAM, N.C. (AP)—Stan Gaines knocked down an open jumper on Seton Hall’s first possession for a quick lead on top-ranked Duke.
It was as generous as the Blue Devils’ defense would get Wednesday night.
J.J. Redick scored 18 points and top-ranked Duke turned in an overwhelming defensive performance to rout Seton Hall 93-40 in the quarterfinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
DeMarcus Nelson added 16 points for the Blue Devils (2-0), who advanced to the tournament semifinals in New York to face the winner of Thursday’s Sam Houston State-Drexel game.
Brian Laing scored 11 points to lead the Pirates (1-1), who missed 22 straight shots to fall behind by 30 at the break and ended up with the second-worst loss in program history. It is the biggest margin of defeat for Seton Hall since a 104-62 loss to Villanova in February 1972, and ranks second only to a 64-point loss to Cincinnati in January 1958.
Duke shot 64 percent, hit 10 of 18 3-pointers and held Seton Hall to just 24-percent shooting, including a 15-minute field-goal drought that turned the game into a dizzying display of Duke’s transition offense and pressure defense.
“It’s just a great feeling,” said Nelson, who hit all six of his shots. “When things are going good like that, you really want to live in the moment.”
The win made Mike Krzyzewski only the ninth coach to win 650 games at one school, and his 723 career wins now stand just one behind DePaul’s Ray Meyer for 15th in Division I history. Krzyzewski—who has won three NCAA championships here—has led the Blue Devils to at least 26 wins in each of the past eight seasons.
This year’s team looks ready to extend that run, with preseason all-Americans Redick and Shelden Williams leading a group of experienced returnees and touted freshmen.
“We work every single day on defense, defense, defense, and then more defense,” Nelson said. “That’s something Duke has always prided itself on playing, and tonight you saw us really put together long stretches of it.”
Duke shot just 40 percent and went 3-for-16 from 3-point range in its 64-47 first-round win against Boston University. But the defense helped create plenty of scoring chances Wednesday while taking Seton Hall completely out of its offense.
That included Kelly Whitney, who had 25 points in the opening win against Manhattan only to finish with one point on 0-for-10 shooting against Duke.
“This is one of those games you just want to forget about,” Seton Hall coach Louis Orr said.
Duke was relentless, harassing every ballhandler on the perimeter and forcing the Pirates to go 1-on-1 for any kind of offense. That played right into the Blue Devils’ hands, with the Pirates forcing up at least seven shots in the half that didn’t even hit the rim and fueled Duke’s lethal transition game.
Gaines’ first bucket gave Seton Hall a 2-1 lead in the first minute, but the Pirates missed their next 22 shots. The Blue Devils took immediate advantage with a 15-0 burst, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Redick and Sean Dockery’s alley-oop pass to Nelson, who threw down a one-handed slam in transition for a 16-2 lead with 12:18 left.
From there, the only drama was how long it would take for Seton Hall to hit another shot and whether the Pirates would even crack double digits for the half. Ultimately, Gaines ended the drought when he banked in a shot from the right side that made it 33-7 with 4 1/2 minutes left before the break.
The basket drew sarcastic applause from the rowdy “Cameron Crazies.” By the end of the half, Seton Hall had four field goals, five free throws and nine turnovers to trail 43-13. It was the fewest points allowed by Duke in a half in nearly 24 years, going back to Clemson’s 13 points in the first half of a 50-44 win in January 1982.
Redick, meanwhile, had 16 points to lead Duke’s 59-percent shooting in the half.
“The first half was amazing,” said Dockery, who had seven assists. “We’re on a way to being a good team. If we keep putting defense first, we can be even better.”
The Blue Devils did all that early damage with Williams, their star center, picking up two early fouls and going scoreless in six minutes. He finished with seven points.
The lead grew steadily after the break, reaching 54 points three times.
“They jumped on us early, and I think we just got a little bit overwhelmed,” said Donald Copeland, who had seven points for the Pirates. “They’re out on us defensively, they’re pushing the ball back at you and they never stop.”
