After Duke basketball clawed out win at BC, are Blue Devils ready to face ACC’s best?

Desperate for a win away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, and desperate for a win anywhere after Wednesday’s no-show at N.C. State, No. 16 Duke achieved one Saturday at Boston College.

“Proud of our team to figure out a way to win,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “And that’s what it’s all about.”

Yes, Duke scored more points, posting a 65-64 win over the Eagles at Conte Forum.

After losing 84-60 to N.C. State at PNC Arena on Wednesday and 81-70 at Wake Forest on Dec. 20, another road loss in ACC play would have left the Blue Devils in a bad spot.

So, they avoided that, which was expected. In the past 25 years, Duke has only lost six regular-season games by 20 points or more and is 6-0 in the next games.

But the manner in which they secured the win Saturday left plenty to be desired, what with a 39.6% shooting day and 15 turnovers while watching a 14-point, second-half lead disappear.

Let’s look at the final minute, which ended on a great note for Duke (12-4, 3-2 ACC) when Kyle Filipowski turned an offensive rebound into the game-winning free throws with 12.8 seconds left and Dariq Whitehead’s quick feet led to a defensive stop to seal the win.

But, prior to that, Whitehead came up short on a wide-open dunk attempt off a fast-break pass from Filipowski with 52 seconds left and Duke ahead 63-62.

With 45 seconds left, Duke attempted to inbound the ball, but Tyrese Proctor’s pass to Mark Mitchell bounced off his hands and out of bounds for a turnover as he was pressured near the Duke bench. After Mitchell blocked Jaeden Zackery’s layup attempt with 38 seconds left and the ball went out of bounds off Boston College, the Blue Devils once again failed to get the ball in.

This time, Filipowski was charged with the turnover.

That gave Boston College new life and Quinten Post scored in the lane with 27.9 seconds to play giving the Eagles their only lead of the game, 64-63.

After Ryan Young’s contested shot attempt in the lane with 14 seconds left drew nothing but air, Filipowski’s aggressive offensive rebound bailed the Blue Devils out.

After Duke showed little life while being drubbed at N.C. State, that kind of play was needed for sure.

But the team’s next three games are against the top three teams in the ACC standings — Pittsburgh (11-5, 4-1), Clemson (13-3, 5-0) and Miami (13-2, 4-1). There likely won’t be so much room for error.

Against Boston College (8-8, 2-3), Duke scored points on just 43.9% of its possessions while turning over on 22.7% of them. The Blue Devils shot 39.6% from the field and 11 of their 15 turnovers came in the second half when they made just two field goals over the game’s final 14 minutes.

With junior guard Jeremy Roach sidelined with a recurring toe injury on his right foot, Tyrese Proctor started but made just 2-of-10 shots for six points while committing two turnovers. Sophomore Jaylen Blakes played 18 minutes in a reserve role and, while he only scored two points, he played a turnover-free game.

“Those guys, I thought, really stepped up,” Scheyer said. “It’s not like they played a perfect game or whatever. But that’s not what we expect. I thought Tyrese was aggressive. Jaylen is going to be a key guy for us no matter what.”

The road forward for the Blue Devils figures to be rocky. Scheyer didn’t rule Roach out for Wednesday’s game with Pitt at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but admitted it’s not likely the team captain will return.

“We need Jeremy to get well,” Scheyer said. “If that means it’s a week, if that means it’s two weeks, whatever time that means. I’ll be shocked if he plays the next game, but we’re not ruling that out yet.”

After that is another road game, this one at Clemson. Duke’s game after that is a week later against Miami at home on Jan. 21.

The struggles on offense over the final 14 minutes at Boston College on Saturday were concerning. Without their lone returning starter from last season, the Blue Devils looked as young as a team starting four freshmen can be.

The good news? Whitehead’s 18-point game means he’s scored in double figures in three consecutive games over the past eight days. Mitchell blocked three shots while scoring 14 points.

The Blue Devils had to make plays in the game’s final 25 seconds. On the road. To win. And they made them.

The lingering question, though, is whether they can make them against teams at the top of the ACC standings.

The college basketball world is about to find out.