RJ Barrett, Duke Dominate Miami 87-57 as Zion Williamson Sits with Knee Injury

Playing without Zion Williamson for the third straight game, the Duke Blue Devils got back on track with an easy 87-57 win over the Miami Hurricanes.

Since losing their star player to a knee injury, the Blue Devils lost two of their past three games, including a 77-72 defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

Playing a Miami squad that entered Saturday with a 4-11 record in ACC play and no road wins turned out to be just what Mike Krzyzewski's team needed.

RJ Barrett and Marques Bolden posted double-doubles in the win. Barrett had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bolden scored a season-high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Cam Reddish chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Blue Devils' Attacking Style Proves They Can Win Without Zion

Whether Williamson is healthy or not, the Blue Devils aren't a good three-point shooting team. They are ranked 328th in the nation with a 30.7 percent success rate from behind the arc, per NCAA.com.

Losing Williamson from the lineup almost served as an excuse for Duke to try proving it could be a successful shooting squad. The team attempted 181 shots over the previous three games, with 89 coming from three-point range.

It's not a bad strategy, and some of those attempts against North Carolina and Virginia Tech likely came late while it tried to play catch-up, but the Blue Devils only made 24 of those 89 shots (27.0 percent).

When the offense is at its best, Duke is dominating in the paint. It failed in that regard against Virginia Tech:

Williamson is certainly the key to such success, but Saturday's win over Miami proved the Blue Devils can attack the basket without him. Only 17 of their 63 field goal attempts were from three-point range.

Barrett seemed to realize he didn't need to settle for jump shots after going 6-of-22 from behind the arc in the previous three games:

The absence of Williamson left Duke without an identity. He's such a dynamic force on offense and defense that it would be unfair to expect this group to be the same without him.

Krzyzewski knows adjustments will be required for the team to reach its full potential.

"Once we started the game it was obvious that we weren't getting our normal movements offensively and defensively," Coach K told reporters after the Virginia Tech game. "They are accustomed to Zion being that second big even though he is not a big. He is a great player. So we have to make some adjustments there."

Saturday marked the first time Duke looked comfortable since Williamson's injury. Playing against a bad team provided the group with the opportunity to succeed in the midst of adversity.

The results proved the Blue Devils are capable of being a national title contender without their best player as long as they play to their strengths instead of trying to force things that haven't worked all season.

What's Next?

Miami will play its final home game of the regular season against Pittsburgh on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Duke will host Wake Forest on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.