Duke concluded its home schedule on Tuesday night with an in-state meeting against Wake Forest without Zion Williamson, still ruled out after suffering a knee injury against North Carolina. The Blue Devils were favored by 24 points heading into the game and came inches from suffering the most stunning loss of the entire college basketball season. 

Not only was Zion out for the fourth straight game, point guard Tre Jones also got banged up and had to miss some time while he was checked out in the locker room. Jones returned, but that was just yet another setback in a game full of head-scratching decisions and bad breaks for the Blue Devils. 

Duke forward Jack White's recent offensive struggles continued in this game, going 2-for-10 from the field, but the play that was most impactful was a turnover on the inbounds pass under the basket with less than 8 seconds remaining after Wake Forest cut the lead to one. The Demon Deacons got two good looks at a game-winning bucket, only to see the ball touch nearly every part of the basket but the bottom of the net. 

Credit Wake Forest for pushing the pace and playing fearlessly on the road against a program it hasn't defeated in nearly a decade and not in Durham since Tim Duncan's senior season. Brandon Childress had 17 points and Chaundee Brown had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. This has been a frustrating year for Danny Manning with a roster filled with fresh faces, and having that ball fall in would have given that group a night that could define a career. Unfortunately, the last break in a game full of strange twists and turns favored the Blue Devils. 

What could be written off as a flat performance for Duke also included some warning signs for their outlook in March. Wake Forest is not an elite defensive team -- No. 225 nationally in defensive efficiency -- yet it found ways to lock in on the R.J. Barrett hero ball-offense that powers Duke without Zion in the lineup. Barrett gets his points (28 points on 11-of-23 shooting) but he also had a game-high seven turnovers as a result of spending so much of the game with the ball in his hands.