Duke forward Ryan Kelly (34) reacts after hitting one of his many three-point shots against Miami Hurricanes during the first half of Duke's win Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Kelly, in his first game back from injury, scored a career-high 36 points. (Photo: Mark Dolejs, USA TODAY Sports) DURHAM, N.C. -- This is what Duke fans hoped for, and, maybe if they were daring, imagined this in their wildest dreams. A healthy Ryan Kelly drilling 3-pointer after 3-pointer, giving the Blue Devils a chance to beat one of the nation's best teams. BOX SCORE: Duke 79, Miami 76 But no one could have predicted -- or even dreamt -- that Kelly would have not only a career day in his return from a foot injury, but also one of the best individual performances of the season. Kelly torched the Miami defense for 20 first-half points, going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc to keep Duke in a back-and-forth battle with the Hurricanes -- then added 16 second-half points to lead No. 3 Duke past No. 7 Miami 79-76 at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night. Kelly's previous career high was 23. "I knew I had to come in aggressive," Kelly said. "I didn't get that much of a whole practice in yesterday. I was ready to go, and Coach felt I was ready to go, so I said, 'Let's go for it.' " Kelly missed 13 games with a foot injury; in his absence, Duke suffered its only four losses of the season. For weeks, Blue Devils fans repeated a familiar refrain, telling anyone who'd listen that they had a different team with Kelly on the court. He'd been a key part of the early-season success, in which Duke essentially built up a No. 1 seed resume by Christmas, with wins over Louisville, Ohio State and VCU. But without Kelly, the surprising losses piled up (Maryland? Virginia??) and the team's Final Four potential started to be questioned. No longer. "Our résumé warrants a high ranking," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "(Without Kelly", we knew we were battling water, making sure ship stayed afloat, battled enough to keep a high ranking. "This win is a huge win for us." Kelly did it all -- hit big shots, play big minutes and draw fouls in big moments -- prompting cheers from Duke fans all evening long. They waved their hands and chanted his name, along with his nickname "White Raven." Fans flapped their arms after each made three. A fan quipped near the end of the game, "I think he earned his starting spot back." His neighbor laughed, as only one deliriously in dream might. "This is a program type win coming off loss," Kelly said. " ...We're going in the right direction at the right time."
Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/acc/2013/03/02/duke-blue-devils-miami-hurricanes-ryan-kelly/1959463/