Jordan Miller marvels at Nijel Pack put-back dunk, says Miami had 'something to prove' vs. Duke

Miami guard Jordan Miller couldn’t stop smiling after a dominant 81-59 victory against Duke on Monday. The Hurricanes star put together a solid all-around performance in the win, finishing with 16 points in addition to five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Miller told ESPN sideline reporter Andraya Carter that Miami had “something to prove” coming into the game after losing 68-66 to the Blue Devils last month. He also credited the crowd for its involvement in the game.

“Honestly, I think the fans really helped us,” he said. “It was electric in here. The home court advantage is always important and we had something to prove. They beat us last time. We were revved up for this game and we got it done.”

With Miami leading 74-50 and just under five minutes remaining, guard Nijel Pack gave the crowd even more reason to cheer. After Miller missed a layup, the 6-foot Pack rose up for a put-back dunk that put the team up 26 and brought fans to their feet.

The dunk was one of two buckets for Pack on the night. He finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting — all of which were scored in the second half — but contributed elsewhere with six rebounds and five assists.

In all, the Hurricanes had 21 assists as four players scored double digits.

“The chemistry is just coming together,” Miller said. “It keeps coming together. (Pack) had a putback dunk. That was crazy. But we’re all happy for each other. It’s a team effort win tonight. Just good vibes all around tonight.”

Miami jumped out to a 13-1 lead within the first three minutes and never trailed on its way to the win. The Hurricanes took a 40-26 lead into halftime and opened the second half on a 9-0 run to further pull away as Duke never really had a chance.

Jordan Miller’s three steals were part of 13 total for Miami, which forced 21 turnovers from the Blue Devils. Big man Norchad Omier led the Hurricanes with 17 points and 10 rebounds to finish with his 11th double-double this season.

“He’s a beast,” Miller said. “He’s a double-double guy. He’s our inside presence. He does a little bit of everything. He was hitting threes tonight, which is crazy. But he’s a great player.”

The win was the third straight for Miami and improved it to 19-5 (10-4 ACC). The Hurricanes now find themselves 0.5 games behind Clemson, which they defeated 78-74 on Saturday, for first place in the conference. Next up for Miami is a matchup against Louisville at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.