Men’s basketball
Mike Krzyzewski called it one for the ages.
Duke senior Ryan Kelly emerged from a two-month absence to score 36 points in a thrilling 79-76 win over Miami.
The Hurricanes trailed by 10 with less than two minutes to play on Saturday, but then made a last-second push that came up just short.
Shane Larkin – who had 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting – barely reached the rim on a deep 3-pointer, and Rion Brown’s desperation shot at the final buzzer went in and out.
Duke (25-4, 12-4 ACC) remains undefeated at 16-0 with Kelly on the floor.
The sharp shooter was lethal against Miami, draining 7-of-9 from beyond the arc.
He electrified a rowdy home crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium and carried the Blue Devils to a retaliatory win.
Miami (23-5, 14-2) hoped for a series sweep of Duke after the 90-63 blowout earlier this year, and a win Saturday would have clinched the first outright conference title in school history.
Still, the Canes need just one win in their final two games to secure the top spot in the ACC.
Georgia Tech will be in town for a 9 p.m. tipoff Wednesday, and Clemson will visit the BankUnited Center at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Track & Field
Four Miami athletes competed for a chance to participate in the NCAA Indoor Championships next week.
Samantha Williams led the way at the VT Qualifier in Blacksburg, Va., winning the women’s triple jump event. The All-American senior’s mark of 42 feet and .5 inches was top among 22 competitors.
Isaiah Simmons – who won ACC Indoors last week – placed second in the men’s shot-put event with an impressive 57-foot throw.
Miami’s track stars will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the NCAA Indoor Championships, which begin Friday.
Football
The Hurricanes opened spring practice on Saturday, and coach Al Golden said the weekend was a “two-day passing camp.”
On Sunday, Miami’s quarterbacks worked through several areas of the offense, including three-step drops, third-down scenarios and two-minute drills.
Golden faced questions about the strength of the Miami defense, which was the more inexperienced unit last season.
“We can look at a lot of things differently with a lot of guys on defense returning,” he said. “We’re not out of the woods yet. We expect a lot of the young guys on defense to make marked improvements this spring.”
The team will practice Tuesday and Thursday before taking off for spring break.
The first spring scrimmage will be held at 10 a.m. March 23 at Traz-Powell Stadium on the Miami Dade College north campus.
Information compiled from hurricanesports.com.
Spencer Dandes may be contacted at sports@themiamihurricane.com.