Florida vs. Duke: Score and Reaction from 2016 Jimmy V Classic

The No. 5 Duke Blue Devils still aren't a finished product this season, and that should scare the rest of the nation after they handled the No. 21 Florida Gators with relative ease Tuesday at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden, 84-74.   

Although it is still playing without Harry Giles because of knee surgery, Duke moved to 9-1 on the campaign and already has quality wins over Michigan State and Rhode Island to pair with the Florida victory.

The Gators dropped to 7-2 and never got over the hump in the second half after Duke closed the first with a 15-3 run. Kevin Brockway of GatorSports.com acknowledged Florida's struggles against elite competition under coach Mike White:

Freshman Jayson Tatum also dealt with injury issues earlier in the season and played in just his second career collegiate game Tuesday. He looked NBA-ready with 22 points, eight rebounds and a number of smooth moves in transition, in the paint and on the high post.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress said: "Couldn't have drawn up a better coming out party for Jayson Tatum than what we saw. On both ends of the floor no less. Tons of NBA guys here."

It wasn't just Tatum who set the tone for Duke. Florida didn't have an answer for the Luke Kennard and Amile Jefferson combination. Kennard posted a game-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, while Jefferson notched a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Sam Vecenie of Sporting News said "Jefferson is doing a heck of a job this season making himself into a very real NBA draft prospect," and Jordan Brenner of Bleacher Report praised Kennard's stellar play:

Florida couldn't match Duke's individual brilliance, but KeVaughn Allen turned in an impressive offensive showing with 21 points. Kasey Hill added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while John Egbunu just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

However, the Gators as a whole shot 43.3 percent from the field and were outrebounded 35-30.

Despite the loss, the Gators hung tough early and seized a 14-13 lead when Hill converted an and-1 at the rim. Florida was also bothering Duke's perimeter shooters and didn't allow a single player outside of Jefferson and Kennard to score to that point.

However, the underdogs had five turnovers in the first nine minutes, and Brockway said, "Florida working hard on defense, but too many wasted possessions on offense early, turnovers, bad shots."

The back-and-forth pace continued throughout the first half, and two Jefferson dunks within three possessions gave the Blue Devils the 29-28 advantage. The second came off a perfectly placed pass from Kennard that earned recognition from ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello:

The dunks were part of that 15-3 Duke run to close the half, which turned a 28-26 deficit into a 41-31 advantage. While the Tatum scored the final basket of the half, it was Kennard (13 points) and Jefferson (18 points and eight rebounds) who were largely responsible for the turnaround after the closely contested start.

Florida looked as if it turned the momentum its way early in the second half when Egbunu dunked to cut the lead to six and Matt Jones committed an intentional foul two possessions later. However, Egbunu missed both free throws, and Tatum pushed the lead back to 11 with a layup.

The Gators missed that golden opportunity to cut in to the lead, but a Keith Stone three capped a 5-0 run to trim the lead to 53-44.

That brief spurt quickly ended with a wide-open three from Kennard, and Jesse Spector of FanRag Sports responded to another Blue Devils' answer:

The Gators turned to a full-court press in an effort to inspire a comeback, and it helped them climb to within seven at 61-54 before yet another clutch Kennard three and Tatum layup in transition.

Brenner described Florida's defensive issues:

The Gators remained neutral for much of the second half, but a Justin Leon three-pointer trimmed the deficit to 78-71 with less than three minutes remaining.

It was to no avail, as Kennard scored on a fast break and sunk two free throws to essentially bury Florida at 82-71 with just more than a minute left.

Postgame Reaction

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Florida, "That was a good win because that's a really good team," per Brockway.

Krzyzewski also said Duke is hoping to get Giles back before Christmas, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today noted Krzyzewski revealed Jefferson was at his grandmother's funeral and Tatum was at his great-grandmother's funeral and didn't practice with the team Monday. The coach "said he couldn't believe they responded after losing loved ones like that tonight."

What's Next?

Duke hits the road to play UNLV on Saturday before returning home for winnable contests against Tennessee State and Elon. While the 5-3 Rebels could offer some resistance, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to rack up additional wins before ACC play begins.

Florida next takes the floor Sunday at archrival Florida State before what should be straightforward home contests against Charlotte and Little Rock. The Seminoles are 8-1 with a win over Minnesota and represent a chance for the Gators to earn a quality nonconference win.