Duke vs. Louisville: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

No. 4 Duke snapped out of its recent funk in a big way Saturday, as it easily cruised past No. 6 Louisville 63-52 in a highly anticipated ACC contest at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Duke stymied Louisville with a dose of zone defense, which is a rarity for head coach Mike Krzyzewski, according to Seth Davis of CBS Sports:

The Blue Devils were also lifted by stellar play from freshman center and potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Jahlil Okafor, who put up 18 points and seven rebounds and helped Krzyzewski pick up the 998th win of his illustrious career, per Duke University on Twitter:

Duke entered the game having lost consecutive tilts to NC State and Miami. However, Coach K thought the defeats helped his team come together, as he told Jonathan Lintner of The Courier-Journal:

"

I just have felt since Christmas that there's something missing with our group, and I've said it. I've said to the press. I've said it to my team, and when you're still winning, you don't necessarily believe it completely, but I've felt it since Christmas. I haven't been able to figure out how to change it. We're all on the same page now after two losses, and after getting our butt beat.

"

Duke's preparation and will to win were apparent from the very start, and it led to what was arguably the Blue Devils' most impressive showing of the season as they improved to 15-2.

In the wake of Duke's big victory, here is a full breakdown of how Saturday's game played out.

Score Breakdown

Team	First Half	Second Half	Total
Duke	30	33	63
Louisville	20	32	52

Recap and Twitter Reaction

There was understandably a ton of excitement surrounding Saturday's clash between Duke and Louisville. In addition to the two teams being among the best in the country, the head coaching matchup of Krzyzewski vs. Rick Pitino is as good as it gets.

According to ESPN's Prim Siripipat, this game marked the first meeting between the Hall of Fame coaches in the regular season:

Coach K entered the game with 997 wins on his resume, and even though the Blue Devils were the enemy, the fans at the KFC Yum! Center were cordial, per Duke Basketball on Twitter:

Even so, Rick Bozich of WDRB was impressed by the big-game feel that Duke, Louisville and the fans provided:

Despite the exciting atmosphere, both teams came out a bit sluggish offensively. While neither the Blue Devils nor the Cardinals could find a good rhythm during the early part of the first half, that could be attributed to a strong defensive effort.

According to ESPN's John Gasaway, Duke attempted to keep Louisville off balance by switching up its look on the defensive end:

The Cardinals also had a good defensive game plan early on and focused on keeping Okafor in check. Per former 247Sports contributor Chris Hatfield, the Blue Devils struggled to do damage in the paint:

"

Louisville defense has been sensational, both Montrezl Harrell & Wayne Blackshear look like they scouted Dukes bigs very well.

— Chris Hatfield (@_ChrisHatfield) January 17, 2015"

The first huge play of the game occurred with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the half when Louisville forward Wayne Blackshear put the Cardinals on top with a thunderous dunk.

According to Jeff Woods of WHAS-TV, Blackshear's jam truly energized the Louisville faithful:

The frenzy didn't last long, though, as Duke answered immediately in the form of a three-point make from sophomore guard Matt Jones.

That trifecta spurred an impressive 17-2 run by the Blue Devils over the next six minutes.

An old-fashioned three-point play by freshman forward Justise Winslow gave Duke a nine-point advantage with a little more than three minutes left in the half. That lead was then extended on the ensuing possession when senior guard Quinn Cook hit what was essentially a desperation three with the shot clock expiring.

The momentum was clearly on Duke's side, but Louisville was able to steal some of it back just before halftime when junior forward Montrezl Harrell hit a buzzer-beating jumper to make it 30-20 in favor of the Blue Devils at the break.

As pointed out by ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil, Duke may have been kicking itself after opting against fouling Harrell:

Even so, the Blue Devils had to be thrilled with their first-half performance considering they stifled Louisville offensively, as evidenced by this ESPN graphic:

Duke's use of zone defense had plenty to do with Louisville's struggles. Perhaps the Cardinals weren't prepared for it due to the fact that the Blue Devils have utilized it sparingly this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Although Louisville entered the second half on a positive note, that didn't last long, as Cook hit from downtown just seconds into the latter half to put Duke up by 13.

The Blue Devils continued to build upon that lead in the early portion of the second half, as Okafor gave Duke a 20-point advantage a little more than four minutes in.

Duke continued to dominate until a three-point make by Louisville sophomore guard Terry Rozier with less than 12 minutes remaining gave the Cardinals a bit of hope despite an atrocious showing from the field, per Howie Lindsey of CardinalSports.com:

Rozier followed that up with a two-point jumper and a pair of free throws, which capped a personal 7-0 run and pulled Louisville within 14.

It didn't take long for Duke to correct itself, though, largely due to Okafor's spectacular play. He seemed to get better as the game went on, according to Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal:

Louisville once again went on a mini 5-0 run starting with just over seven minutes remaining, and while that pulled it to within 13, its shooting woes returned down the stretch.

The Cardinals did give Duke some trouble with a full-court press in the closing minutes, which allowed Louisville to cut the deficit to as little as 10, but there simply wasn't enough time for Pitino's squad to mount a true comeback.

Duke improved its ACC record to 3-2 after a rough start to conference play, which is where Louisville now stands as well. That puts them in the middle of the pack and well behind the likes of Virginia and Syracuse, who have yet to lose an ACC game.

With that said, there is undoubtedly more optimism surrounding the Blue Devils. Not only did they receive strong offensive production from their bigs, but they also turned in one of their best defensive showings of the year.

The success of Duke's zone defense is an extremely interesting development, and it is a wrinkle that every other team will have to be cognizant of for the remainder of the season.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter