It is an unusual day when this needs reminding: Duke basketball also has a game Tuesday.
As the football team gears up for play against Texas A&M in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Saturday night in Atlanta, the Blue Devil basketball squad will play Elon at 1 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.
It is the final nonconference game for Duke, which is coming off an 82-59 win against Eastern Michigan at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Compared to the Eagles, the Phoenix present another type of challenge for the Blue Devils, though, with an efficient offense that pushes the tempo.
“Elon is a very different team,” associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “They’re a team that wants to play really fast, wants to shoot a lot of threes, prefers to play man rather than zone although they can do both.”
Elon (7-6) ranks 16th in the nation with a 49.6 field-goal percentage, scoring 81.4 points per game. Wojciechowski noted their ability to shoot 3-pointers from four positions on the floor as the Phoenix rank eighth in Division I with 9.6 3-pointers per game, hitting them at a 42.5-percent clip.
Wojciechowski said Sebastian Koch and Tanner Samson are “two of the better shooting wings that we’ll play against.” Both hit more than three treys per game, with the 6-foot-8 Koch also dishing 3.4 assists per game and presenting matchup troubles with his lanky frame.
“They’re an outstanding offensive team,” Wojciechowski said. “They’ll provide a real challenge for our defense.”
Their leading scorer is the one player who doesn’t shoot from deep, senior forward Lucas Troutman, who averages 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
With such a variety of weapons, Elon’s aggressive offense will give the Blue Devils a different look to prepare against, even if it may appear like a low-key end to nonconference play.
“We prepare for each game like it’s a championship game,” Wojciechowski said. “That’s the habit we want to be into.”
Sophomore Rodney Hood did not start for the first time all season against Eastern Michigan, though he played 25 minutes off the bench while resting more than usual because he was under the weather.
Wojciechowski said the team anticipates he will be fully ready to go Tuesday.
Playing at the Greensboro Coliseum is also important to the Blue Devils. Though the NCAA tournament does not make its way through there this season, it is once again the host of this year's ACC tournament.
“You want to play at locations similar to where the tournaments are played in,” Wojciechowski said.
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