Lackluster Blue Devils Push Past Hartford 84-54; Barrett Goes for 27 Points, 15 Rebounds

Duke set out to use the game against the Hartford Hawks as a means to an end. The Blue Devils needed to work on their execution, they needed to defend better, they needed to work on bettering their reads on the offensive end as well. They needed to be sharper. That was not the game that was played.

Duke came out against the Hawks with a very lackluster performance on both ends of the floor. It was hard to tell whether Duke’s game malaise was attributable to projects and exams mentioned by Coach K or if the Hawks (the oldest team in the NCAA) just played at a high level. Maybe it was a little of both. It was never that the Blue Devils looked dazed, but out of sync. They never really seemed to…