Last Updated 12:47 AM, November 27, 2021

No. 5 Duke hands No. 1 Gonzaga first loss of the season behind Paolo Banchero's 21 points

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No. 1 Gonzaga answers test, crushes No. 2 UCLA in Final Four rematch
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5:24 am, November 27, 2021

Final: No. 5 Duke 84, No. 1 Gonzaga 81

In what was an early contender for one of the best games of the regular season, No. 5 Duke defeated No. 1 Gonzaga 84-81 in Las Vegas behind freshman Paolo Banchero's game-high 21 points, which was a total that could've been even higher if Banchero hadn't gone to the locker room during the second half with what appeared to be potential cramping issues.

Banchero had 20 points in the first half but Duke led just 45-42 at the break as Julian Strawther (20 points) and Rasir Bolton (15 points; three 3-pointers in the first half) kept the Zags in the game with timely shooting. Drew Timme, who scored 17 points and who had four fouls in the game, and Chet Holmgren, who had two fouls in the first half and finished with 16 points, each faced foul issues at times and they also struggled at times against Duke's physically imposing front line, but Holmgren appeared to settle in as the game progressed and used his length to hurt the Blue Devils and Timme's low-post moves were still very effective in spots.

Duke's Jeremy Roach went to the foul line with roughly one second left in the game, where he made the first and missed the second. Timme's nearly full-court heave was off the mark, securing the win for Duke.

5:11 am, November 27, 2021

Paolo Banchero rerturns to the floor

After missing roughly five minutes of game time, Duke freshman Paolo Banchero returned from the locker room and checked back into the game.
5:04 am, November 27, 2021

Drew Tmme picks up his fourth foul

While Duke freshman Trevor Keels drove to the lane, Gonzaga forward Drew Timme applied help-side defense and tried to go for a steal, but he was whistled for his fourth foul with roughly 10 minutes remaining. He then went to the bench and Duke took a two-point lead moments later on Joey Baker's 3-pointer.
4:58 am, November 27, 2021

Paolo Banchero goes to the locker room

Duke freshman Paolo Banchero, who leads all scorers with 20 points so far – all of which came in the first half – went to the locker room.

4:49 am, November 27, 2021

Gonzaga ties the game on Holmgren's put-back

Driving against Duke's Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga's 7-foot freshman Chet Holmgren spun and put up a shot in the lane, but it was too hard and he missed. However, Holmgren hustled to grab the miss and he put it back up to tie the game at 58-all, forcing Duke to call a timeout with 14:15 left in the game.
4:47 am, November 27, 2021

Drew Timme picks up his thrd foul

On Gonzaga's first offensive possession of the second half, forward Drew Tmme picked up his third foul of the game as Duke center Mark Williams drew an offensive foul against Timme. Williams then dunked on the other end.
4:24 am, November 27, 2021

Halftime: No. 5 Duke 45, No. 1 Gonzaga 42

In a compelling first half between potential national championship contenders, No. 5 Duke leads No. 1 Gonzaga 45-42 behind Paolo Banchero's game-high 20 points. He could've potentially added a few more points to his first-half total but he went to the bench after picking up his second foul late in the half. Gonzaga finished the half on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to three points.

Rasir Bolton led Gonzaga in scoring with 13 first-half points, including three of the team's four 3-pointers in the half.

4:10 am, November 27, 2021

Banchero's up to 20 points

At the under-4 media timeout in the first half, No. 5 Duke leads No. 1 Gonzaga 42-34 and Duke freshman Paolo Banchero has half of his team's points so far – 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including three 3-pointers. His latest basket was a long two after he flashed some nice handles against the defense of Gonzaga's Drew Timme, before stepping back for a long jumper.
4:08 am, November 27, 2021

Banchero scores eight points, throws lob in 80-second span

Playing in a top-five matchup in Las Vegas, Duke freshman Paolo Banchero is putting on a performance worthy of the stage, with a game-high 13 points already as the Blue Devils lead the Bulldogs 27-18. In the span of less than 80 seconds of game time, Banchero scored eight points and also threw an alley-oop to teammate Mark Williams as Duke extended its lead.
4:06 am, November 27, 2021

Banchero draws Holmgren's second foul

Duke's freshman star, Paolo Banchero, just drew the second foul on Gonzaga's star freshman, Chet Holmgren, as the latter reached in on the former during a drive to the basket. Holmgren then went to the bench.
3:54 am, November 27, 2021

Rasir Bolton makes two 3-pointers in two minutes

After Gonzaga started the game 0-for-6 from behind the arc, guard Rasir Bolton made consecutive 3-point attempts in the span of roughly two minutes to cut the deficit to one point, 17-16, in favor of Duke.
3:41 am, November 27, 2021

Under-16 timeout: Duke 9, Gonzaga 8

After a competitive opening four-minute stanza, No. 5 Duke leads No. 1 Gonzaga 9-8 at the under-16 media timeout. Duke center Mark Williams leads all scorers so far with four points – his latest bucket coming on the finishing end of an alley-oop from Trevor Keels – while four of Gonzaga's starters have two points apiece.
3:26 am, November 27, 2021

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 5 Duke is underway

Friday night's top-five matchup between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 5 Duke is now underway on ESPN. Duke owns a 2-1 advantage in the series but Gonzaga won the last meeting, on Nov. 21, 2018, in the Maui Invitational, 89-87.

2:33 am, November 27, 2021

One hour until tip-off

There's only one more hour to wait until Friday night's top-five matchup between No. 1 Gonzaga (6-0) and No. 5 Duke (6-0) in Las Vegas.

8:57 pm, November 24, 2021

No. 1 Gonzaga answers UCLA test ahead of Duke showdown

Led by point guard Andrew Nembhard's game-high 24 points, a couple of near-double-double performances and stingy defense, top-ranked Gonzaga defeated second-ranked UCLA 83-63, which is tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in the 43 games between AP No. 1 and No. 2-ranked men's basketball teams.

UCLA center Myles Johnson scored in the game's opening minute and the Bruins never led again, as they quickly found themselves in a 10-point hole, 16-6, that then grew to more than 20 points midway through the first half.

For the game, Gonzaga shot 56 percent from the field, including 70 percent inside the arc. Nembhard was an efficient primary scoring option of the night, starting 5-for-5 from the field and finishing 9-for-13. Preseason WCC Player of the Year Drew Timme (18 points, eight rebounds) and newly elevated starter Julian Strawther (12 points, nine rebounds) were each within shouting distance of a double-double, while 7-foot freshman Chet Holmgren finished with 15 points, including two 3-pointers, six rebounds and four blocks.

UCLA shot just 34 percent from the field and made only two 3-pointers on 12 attempts.