Column: Duke men's basketball proves it needs Johnson and Steward at the wheel
By Derek Saul | December 2, 2020The Blue Devils’ success this season will come down to how Johnson, Steward and the rest of the deep Duke freshman class develops.
The Blue Devils’ success this season will come down to how Johnson, Steward and the rest of the deep Duke freshman class develops.
In the 2017-2019 Champions Classics, three young Duke squads pulled off statement wins against more experienced opponents. The Blue Devils weren’t so fortunate this time around.
The opening period was scrappy and low-scoring, with the Spartans pulling ahead late to take a 37-33 lead into the locker room.
Duke hosts Michigan State Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the 2020 iteration of the Champions Classic. Five of our beat writers make their predictions for the top-10 matchup.
Even as Duke prepares for its highly-touted Champions Classic bout with Michigan State, the rest of its schedule continues to struggle with the challenges of this unique 2020-21 campaign.
Duke enters the Champions Classic as 3.5-point favorites over the visiting Spartans.
With the intensive planning and prepared resources, Duke is in a good position to play many of the games on its schedule.
Memorable matchups, such as Kyrie Irving’s breakout game in the 2010 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the 2015 Final Four and the 2019 East Regional Final, have defined this series in recent years. And in the 2020 version of Duke-Michigan State, the stars are aligned for another classic.
After beating Coppin State, Duke men's basketball earned a three-spot jump in the AP top 25 poll.
Duke needs freshman center Mark Williams to use his size and strength to win the rebound battle for the Blue Devils.
Michigan State lead guard Joshua Langford is nearly five years older than Duke star Jalen Johnson, which perfectly summarizes Tuesday night's Champions Classic matchup.
The Blue Devils clearly had the size advantage, but as the game progressed they showcased another strength that perhaps wasn’t as clear coming into the game.
Behind a flurry of impressive performances, the Blue Devils rolled to their second straight win to begin the season.
Duke looks to continue its strong start to the “Kara Era” as it gets into the thick of its nonconference schedule.
Sometimes, a victory doesn't have to be all that pretty.
Johnson pushed Duke past a lackluster opening and a second-half slump to beat Coppin State 81-71 Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Behind the play of Jalen Johnson the Blue Devils lead 45-28 entering the break. Here are five observations from the first 20 minutes.
It’ll be a far more unusual opener than usual for head coach Mike Krzyzewski and company.
NBA free agency has been hectic so far, with many former Blue Devils taking part in the action.
For the first time in Duke basketball history, a Black head coach led the Blue Devil sideline.