The Blue Devils take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb at 7:00 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Before every basketball game, we’ll break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest.
Duke: guard Quinn Cook
The leader of the Blue Devil backcourt, Cook has scored 18.5 points in his last two games against No. 1 Arizona and then-No. 22 Michigan. Cook was the difference maker two weeks ago against the Wolverines, scoring 24 points and dishing out nine assists in the victory. He also went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Cook also has cut down on his mistakes, turning the ball over just twice in each of the last two contests. Look for Cook to help Duke take control of the game early on and become a scoring threat as the Gardener-Webb defense focuses on Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood.
Gardner-Webb: center Tyrell Nelson
The freshman big man has only started three games this season, but he will see an abundant amount of playing time for head coach Chris Holtmann’s squad in tonight’s matchup. Nelson is averaging 10.3 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. He is coming off his best performance of the season, as he dropped 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 106-54 rout of Clearwater Christian on Saturday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs will most likely match-up Nelson against Parker, which will test the defense of the young and slightly undersized center. If this team wants to run with the Blue Devils, it needs Nelson to perform well at both ends of the court.
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