Jabari Parker shines as Duke advances to NIT Season Tip-Off Finals

Nov 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) drives to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Shannon Hale (11) in the second half of NIT at Madison Square Garden. Duke won 74-64.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Duke freshman Jabari Parker is very good at basketball.

Parker exploded to tie his career-high with 27 points in Duke’s 74-64 victory over Alabama on Wednesday night, and in the process, he pushed the Blue Devils to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Throughout the night, he was the focal point of the Duke attack, and the mesmerizing part about that is his incredible level of efficiency.

For the game, Parker finished 9-for-12 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line, and in addition to the 27 points, the freshman grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds while contributing a steal and a block. Obviously, Parker didn’t win the game on his way (as Quinn Cook had a very nice night with 17 points while playing all 40 minutes), but he did have to make up for an “off” night from Rodney Hood (3 for 8, 8 points) in the process.

In addition to tying his own career-high for scoring (admittedly a small sample size early in his freshman season), Parker set the new school record (at Duke, no less) for the most consecutive games with 20+ points to begin a career (this was his 7th), and that is astonishing in this particular program. Now, the stage is set for a must-see event, as the Blue Devils will face-off with Aaron Gordon and the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night in the Finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off, and that will be one of the more entertaining games of the young season.

Stay tuned.