Duke’s Kyle Singler works his way around the Rams’ Kahiem Seawright during the second half of yesterday’s game.

AP / Sara D. Davis

DURHAM, N.C. — It is too early in the season to have a college basketball game as well-played, as entertaining as the one yesterday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. This one should have been saved for March.

The University of Rhode Island and Duke put on a sensational show in their first regular-season meeting. URI led almost all the way before the Blue Devils scored on each of their last eight possessions to pull it out, 82-79.

It was a game that featured bigtime action and clutch plays from both sides.

“What a great game. It was a magnificent game,” were Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s first words afterward.

“It was one of those things like skydiving or bungee jumping,” Krzyzewski added. “[When you are doing it you think] I’m supposed to enjoy this?. … But afterwards you say, ‘Man, that was cool. I loved all of that.’ ”

It marked the 62nd straight time Duke has beaten a nonconference opponent in Cameron. The Blue Devils are 192-3 in their last 195 noconference home games.

This one was different both because it was a thriller and the level of play was so high. It featured several dramatic swings, including a thrilling ending. It offered tremendous individual performances from URI’s Jimmy Baron and Delroy James, and Duke’s Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.

The fact that it was played in perhaps the best place in the world to watch a college game, a place that at times gets deafening, made it as good a show as will be seen all season.

“We didn’t get intimidated by the crowd. We played to win the game. We played aggressively,” URI coach Jim Baron said.

“I was really proud of the way our guys played. “Duke, I really think, is a Final Four team,” he added.

With James scoring 11 points, URI took the early lead and was up by as much as 12 at 34-22. Duke, which won its first two games by a total of 74 points, might not have been ready for such a stiff test, the Blue Devil coach felt.

“I don’t think our guy respected the level of play,” Krzyzewski said. “Don’t get me wrong. We respected Rhode Island. They’re good; they’re really good. But they played at a high level this afternoon. I thought they knocked us back.”

When Duke scored the last 11 points of the first half to close within 34-33, and then scored the first basket of the second half to go ahead by 35-34, it looked as if it had gained control.

But URI did not back off. Just the opposite.

Riding a virtuoso performance by Jimmy Baron, the Rams fought back. They scored five straight, including the first of Baron’s seven second-half 3-pointers, and went up 39-35. URI’s lead stayed between two and five points for the next 18 minutes as Baron went wild. Baron had 21 points in the half as he made seven 3-pointers without a miss.

“Baron had one of the great halves of any kid that’s played against us,” Krzyzewski said.

“We were trying to figure out ways where he might not touch it,” Krzyzewski said. “He hit that one (from about 30 feet) right in my line. He was way out there. What can you do at that point? I just told our guys he’s going to miss. My fingers were crossed.”

Duke finally went ahead, 78-77, on two free throws by Singler. That was fitting, inasmuch as the Blue Devils went 28-for-32 from the line (URI was 11-for-16), including 10-for-10 in the final 3:18.

URI was down 80-79 in the final seconds, but had possession and a chance to win.

The Rams called a time out with 10 seconds left to set up a play. It did what everyone expected — ran a play for Baron.

Duke also made a change. It shifted Singler, a 6-foot-7 forward, to guard Baron. He was the third guy to guard the URI sharpshooter. Singler made the difference. Baron got the ball about 30 feet from the hoop with Singler on him. Baron made a move down the left side to about 15 feet and rose and fired.

“I just tried to get a good shot,” Baron said. “I was telling myself to pump fake.”

Baron felt he had a shot, so he did not fake. He went up but had to alter his shot slightly because Singler, who is 4 inches taller, went up with him.

“I’d take that again if I had it,” Baron said. “That’s how good I was feeling.”

It missed and caromed long, toward the weak side and went out of bounds off a URI player.

There were four seconds left. Scheyer made two more free throws, making him 13-for-13 and giving him 23 points overall. Baron lofted a shot from midcourt at the buzzer, but it went wide right.

“I don’t know how you get prepared for a game like this until you get in it,” Krzyzewski said afterward. “In the last five minutes, I thought we did everything right. … They didn’t do anything wrong; they just missed a couple of shots. It was good stuff. This was very good basketball out there today.”

pkenyon@projo.com