The Blue Devils take on North Carolina at 9 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 Andre Dawkins
The Blue Devils have had spurts of great offensive play in the last few games, but have also struggled to put points up on the board during some stretches, especially late in games. Against the Tar Heels on Feb. 20, Duke was outscored 14-6 in the final four minutes of the contest. The Blue Devils have success when they can get their 3-point attempts to fall through the net and the best candidate to ignite the Cameron Crazies tonight with a few 3-pointers is Andre Dawkins. He only had five points in the Feb. 20 matchup and was held scoreless from beyond the arc. Dawkins has shown us his ability to take over games with his sweet shot, such as 20-point performance against Pittsburgh, and will have some open looks if the North Carolina defense begins to focus on Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker. If Dawkins can consistently find the bottom of the net during tonight’s game, it could be one of the cures to the Blue Devils’ crippling scoring droughts.
North Carolina: forward J.P. Tokoto
Since a nine-point, seven-rebound performance in the last episode of the Tobacco Road Rivalry, Tokoto’s play has gone nowhere but up in the Tar Heels’ last four games. He has registered double digits scoring in each of those contests, highlighted by 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in an overtime win against N.C. State Feb. 26. Tokoto, a versatile forward who can play inside and outside of the paint, has an athletic frame that enables him to get to the rim and score. Even when he is not scoring, he has surprisingly been a solid passer in the North Carolina offense, averaging almost three assists per game. Defensively, Tokoto will most likely be matched up against Parker or Hood, which means that he will be working hard at both ends the floor. If he can get in the face of these two players and frustrate them early, it could be a long night offensively for the Blue Devils. We do not think that Tokoto will post triple-double like numbers, but if he does take control of the game, it could spoil Duke’s senior night.
The fans voted on who would be the X factor for tonights game, resulting in a tie between Dawkins and Amile Jefferson with 28.6 percent of the vote each. Marshall Plumlee received 21.4 percent, Rasheed Sulaimion 14.3, and Tyler Thornton 7.1 percent.
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