PHILADELPHIA—When the second-seeded Blue Devils take on seventh-seeded Creighton Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center they have one focus: shutting down star forward Doug McDermott.
And senior forward Ryan Kelly will be tasked with defending McDermott for Duke (28-5) to advance past the Blue Jays (28-7) from the Round of 32 to the Sweet 16 against Michigan State.
The game’s premier matchup will feature Kelly, who stands 6-foot-11 guarding McDermott, the nation’s second leading scorer averaging 23.2 points per game. McDermott’s ability to step outside and knock down the three as well as use his 6-foot-8 frame to score on the interior makes him one of the most difficult players in the nation to defend.
“He's one of the best scorers in the country if not the best,” Kelly said. “[He] does it inside and out, can shoot the ball, good post moves, and he's constantly in motion.”
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As McDermott goes, so does Creighton, and Duke will rely on Kelly to use his size and defensive abilities on the perimeter to limit the Blue Jay star.
“He's really one of the best offensive players I've seen in the last decade in college basketball,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s so difficult to defend because you don't know exactly what he's going to do, and he's making his shot before he gets the ball.”
Although McDermott is certainly the focal point of the Blue Devils’ defensive strategy, Creighton also relies on several talented role players to supplement its offensive attack.
Fellow big men Ethan Wragge and Gregory Echenique work with McDermott to provide different threats when they are on the floor. At 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, Echenique is a force in the paint, bullying his way to 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Cincinnati could not find an answer for the senior center in the Blue Jays’ Round of 64 matchup, as Echenique posted 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and also puled down seven rebounds.
“They have three big guys, and they're all three different players,” Krzyzewski said. “And when two of them are in, their two starters, they create a little bit different dynamic. And when they come off the bench and McDermott and Wragge are in, boy, it's a whole different dynamic.”
The 6-foot-7 Wragge comes off the bench as a threat from beyond the arc, shooting 44.6 percent from 3-point range this year. Wragge knocked down 4-of-5 long-range shots against the Bearcats—a significant factor in Creighton’s 67-63 win.
Duke will face the challenge of a team that can outshoot it from the free throw line and 3-point range. Much of the Blue Jays success—as seen in their win over Cincinnati—comes from converting free points from the charity stripe and shooting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc on the season, the best rate in the nation.
“They're the most efficient offensive team in the country,” Krzyzewski said. “After studying them last night and again this morning, they're very difficult to defend.”
For Duke’s offense to be successful against Creighton, point guard Quinn Cook will have to continue to distribute the ball to seniors Seth Curry and Kelly around the perimeter and Mason Plumlee on the inside. Cook dished out 11 assists against Albany Friday—a large part of why the Blue Devils were able to finish off the Great Danes by double-digits after the No 16 seed made a late-game run to bring the score within eight points.
Also key for Duke will be the performance of its senior leadership, a triumvirate accounting for more than 62 percent of the Blue Devils scoring on the year. Curry exploded for 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting against Albany, knocking down both of his looks from long distance and getting to the rim with relative ease.
Plumlee utilized his size advantage to pour in 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting Friday against the Great Danes, as well as grabbing eight rebounds.
Kelly only scored eight points against Albany and shot 0-for-3 from 3-point range, but the senior forward’s ability to stretch the defense could be crucial against a Creighton team that normally holds its opponents to just 31.1 shooting from beyond the arc. Duke is making 40.5 percent of its 3-pointers this season, the fourth-best clip in the country.
“Kelly is one of the most skilled players in the country,” McDermott said. “I got a chance to see him this summer. He's really good, pick and pop, and then Plumlee, one of the most athletic bigs in the country. We're going to have our hands full but we're going to be ready.”
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