Kevin Keatts had his reeling NC State basketball squad (9-10, 2-6 ACC) ready to compete in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night as the Wolfpack looks to snap its four-game skid. That was not the case for Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils (17-2, 9-0 ACC), who entered the contest on a 13-game winning streak and ranked No. 2 in the country.

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And the Wolfpack’s impassioned performance, paired with a lackadaisical effort by the Blue Devils out of the gates, ultimately led to NC State enjoying a surprising 37-33 advantage at halftime.

NC State shot a blistering 7-for-12 beyond the arc before the break, not to mention the visitor’s five steals and three blocks on the other end of the court. Plus, the Wolfpack tricked Duke into settling for threes, as the Blue Devils shot 3-for-16 from downtown across the first 20 minutes of action.

At the half, Dontrez Styles is pacing the suddenly poised NC State basketball team in scoring with his 13 points in 13 minutes on the floor. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack held Duke phenom freshman Cooper Flagg to only five points in the first half, as the projected No. 1 overall draft pick is shooting only 2-for-7 from the field.

Of course, it’s worth noting that magical outings against the Blue Devils are nothing new for Keatts’ NC State basketball program. After all, the Wolfpack defeated Duke in the 2024 ACC Tournament before ending the blueblood’s season a few weeks later in the Elite Eight.

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