CORAL GABLES, Fla. — With a steady din coming from the sea of orange behind the visitors’ basket, No. 1 Duke had a tough time making a shot.
The Blue Devils went more than eight minutes without a field goal in the first half Wednesday night, and a sellout became a blowout for No. 25 Miami, which delighted a boisterous crowd with a 90-63 victory.
The defeat was the third-worst ever for a No. 1 team, and Duke’s worst in nearly five years.
Durand Scott scored a season-high 25 points for the Hurricanes, and Kenny Kadji added a season-high 22. Shane Larkin had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Durham, N.C., native Julian Gamble had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Miami (14-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat a No. 1 team for the first time, taking control with a stunning 25-1 run midway through the opening half. The Blue Devils missed 13 consecutive shots despite numerous good looks, while four Hurricanes hit 3-pointers during the run that transformed a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead.
Duke (16-2, 3-2) fell to 0-2 when playing on an opponent’s court. The Blue Devils’ other loss came at North Carolina State, a defeat which cost them the No. 1 ranking.
They regained the top spot this week but seemed rattled by the capacity crowd, only the 10th in 10 years at Miami’s on-campus arena. Students began lining up for seats outside the arena almost 24 hours before tipoff, a rarity for the attendance-challenged Hurricanes.
But South Florida loves a winner, and the Hurricanes are alone atop the league standings. They won their sixth consecutive game and beat Duke for the second straight time — but only the fourth time in the 19-game series.
Miami had been 0-6 against No. 1 teams. Coach Jim Larranaga also beat a No. 1 team for the first time.
Seth Curry, Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook went a combined 1-for-29 for the Blue Devils, who shot a season-low 30 percent. Rasheed Sulaimon led them with 16 points.
Duke went 4-for-23 from 3-point range, while Miami went 9-for-19 and shot 57 percent overall.
Miami senior center Reggie Johnson came off the bench in his first action since being sidelined with a broken left thumb Dec. 18. He had two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.
Kadji made two 3-pointers during the Hurricanes’ first-half spurt, then capped it with a three-point play. Duke shot 22 percent in the first half, including 2-for-11 on 3-pointers, and trailed 42-19 at halftime.
There was no letup by the Hurricanes to start the second half. They scored the first seven points to lead 49-19.
A Duke mistake early in the second half had coach Mike Krzyzewski red-faced and on the court, screaming at his team. But he couldn’t inspire a turnaround.
“Over-rated,” the fans chanted with three minutes left. When the game ended, they poured onto the court and mobbed their team.
Miami, ranked this week for the first time in three years, improved to 8-0 at home
