Sometimes when a team goes on the road and takes one on the chin in a hostile environment, the quickest remedy can be to get back to its home arena and correct its flaws against a lesser opponent.
That situation is the exact one before No. 6 Duke (6-1) as it returns to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on a St. John’s squad with a deceptive undefeated record early in the season. The Red Storm (6-0) hasn’t been particularly impressive against a paltry nonconference schedule, as its largest margin of victory has been just 13 points. One of those victories was a three-point squeaker at home against Brown Nov. 20.
In the preseason, St. John’s was ranked 11th out of 16 teams in the Big East. But regardless of its early competition, the Red Storm has yet to post a loss, and if the Blue Devils learned anything from their misstep against unranked Wisconsin, it is that they cannot take any opponent lightly.
“We learned a lot. There is a lot we can take away from this game,” Jon Scheyer said after the loss to the Badgers. “We need to know that every game we play, no one is going to give us a game. Every team is going to fight.”
After allowing a patient Wisconsin offense to methodically wear down its defense en route to 40 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line and 17 assists on 26 made field goals, head coach Mike Krzyzewski noted some weaknesses on the end of the court where Duke usually wins games.
“You have to communicate really well against [the swing offense] and play passing lanes well,” Krzyzewski said. “Their offense just beat our defense, especially early on, which gave them more confidence.”
The Blue Devils will get the opportunity to adjust on the perimeter against a Red Storm offense led by bouncy swingman D.J. Kennedy, who comes into Durham averaging 17.7 points an outing. Also playing a big role thus far for St. John’s has been junior guard Dwight Hardy, the team’s second-leading scorer and leader in 3-point field goals made.
For Duke, Saturday will be an early indication of how Krzyzewski sees the rotation shaping up as his team moves closer to the meat of its schedule. The Wisconsin loss marked highly touted freshman Mason Plumlee’s collegiate debut, as he came off the bench and played 10 uneventful minutes.
Having missed opportunities to get accustomed to the system in live play against weaker teams, Saturday’s game will be a great chance for the center to find his comfort zone. In contrast, Ryan Kelly did not see game action against the Badgers.
Another freshman who has already started to make his mark is Andre Dawkins. The sharp-shooter has made 14 of his last 18 attempts from downtown and should see an increase in his minutes if that production keeps up.
More importantly, though, Saturday’s tilt with St. John’s represents a chance for the players to get back out on the court and rid themselves of the bad taste in their mouths left over from the loss in Madison.
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