Tonight marks game two of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, which will conclude next week with a pair of high-profile matchups in Kansas City, Mo. But the Blue Devils must get past two mid-level teams this week before looking ahead to those marquee contests.
Duke takes on Miami (Ohio) at 7:30 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium, following its resounding, season-opening victory over Princeton Sunday night. For the No. 1 Blue Devils, the question seems to be not if they will win, but rather how they will look in doing so.
In many facets of the game, Duke (1-0) will be looking to repeat its performance from Sunday against the Tigers. In particular, the Blue Devils hope to match their defensive effort that resulted in 27 Princeton turnovers.
“To force that many turnovers is very, very good,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the Princeton game. “Energy-wise, I’ll take that every game.”
Furthermore, Duke’s perimeter play and ball movement were impressive, and co-ACC Rookie of the Week Kyrie Irving set the tone with nine assists, a record for a freshman in a season-opener.
“Coming out here, I felt like I had already played against them, especially with the preparation that went into this game,” Irving said Sunday. “It felt good.”
Nonetheless, Duke’s decisive 37-point win Sunday did have its flaws. The RedHawks (1-0) will look to capitalize if the Blue Devils repeat these miscues—which included senior Kyle Singler’s second-half foul calls.
“[He] got into foul trouble because he was trying to make up for mistakes that his teammates made,” Krzyzewski said. “He was trying to cover up for them, and that’s something we have to change. We’re not going to win big with him getting into foul trouble off the ball.”
Singler should play a key role down low in tonight’s matchup, hoping to siphon the 11 rebounds apiece that RedHawk forwards Julian Mavunga and Nick Winbush grabbed in their season-opening win against Towson.
For Miami, this game is part of a difficult out-of-conference schedule, which also includes road games against No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Kansas. In addition, the RedHawks will be taking on the country’s top team without their senior guard Antonio Ballard, who is out with an injury to his left hand.
More than anything, however, this game may serve as a test for Duke’s endurance as the Blue Devils are in the midst of a stretch that includes three games in six days. Even though postseason play is far away, this set of games makes it seem ever closer.
“It’s a good test for us because this is kind of how tournament games are run. You don’t really have a lot of time to prepare for your next game,” Singler said. “It’s a good learning experience to go through.”
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