Beyond The Arc: Duke basketball vs. Central Missouri

In their final preseason exhibition game, the No.4 Blue Devils overcame a slow start to defeat Division II opponent Central Missouri 87-47 Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. After falling behind 13-7 early in the first half, Duke used a 17-0 run built on strong defense and ball movement to leave the Mules in the dust.

Freshman Justise Winslow once again led the Blue Devils in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook and Grayson Allen all also finished in double-digits in a game that saw the Blue Devils lead by as many as 44 points. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski once again opted to rotate his 10 players in two separate units at times, with Okafor, Winslow, Tyus Jones, Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson starting the game. The Blue Devils now have one full week of practice before the regular season tips off Friday against Presbyterian.

Revisiting the three keys to the game

• Keep Sharing the Ball: The Blue Devils assisted on 17 of their 29 field goals in the game. Tyus Jones was the leading distributor for the second game in the row with six assists. Duke’s passing created excellent 3-point looks set up by great passing out of the post and around the key. Okafor occasionally struggled to pass when faced with a double team—leading to his four turnovers for the game— but made numerous passes to cutting teammates to make up for it.

• Stay Hot From Behind the Arc: The Blue Devils struggled mightily from beyond the arc in the first half, shooting only 2-of-13. These struggles would persist throughout the second half with the exception of two late corner 3-pointers by Allen with the game well out of reach. Sharpshooters Matt Jones and Rasheed Sulaimon were both unable to find their shooting strokes, finishing 1-of-4 and 1-of-5 from downtown, respectively. However, of perhaps equal importance was Tyus Jones’ and Quinn Cook’s struggles from beyond the arc. Both finished 1-for-4 for the game and must improve from long distance in order to give the Blue Devils the perimeter presence they need to succeed.

• Stay Healthy: Duke came out of its two exhibition games unscathed on the injury front as the regular season begins Friday. One of the Blue Devils' greatest strengths is their tremendous depth; the reserve lineup of Cook, Sulaimon, Allen, Marshall Plumlee and Semi Ojeleye could start for most teams in the country. Early in the season, Krzyzewski has been wary of playing his players too many minutes, instead electing to spread out playing time both to give them opportunities to prove themselves and avoid significant injury.

Three Key Plays:

• 11:37, first half: With Duke struggling to get going against the reigning Division II champions, the senior leader Cook hit a momentum-changing 3-pointer that forced the Mules to call a timeout. The triple ended the Blue Devils' slump from beyond the arc and was part of the 17-0 run that swung the game in Duke's favor.

• Jahlil Okafor has four blocks: The weakness that led to last year’s early exit in the NCAA tournament was poor interior defense. However, with Okafor’s length inside, the Blue Devils look to have shored up their issues in the paint. The freshman often intimidated the smaller Central Missouri players and had numerous emphatic rejections in the win.

• Central Missouri is held scoreless for 7:52 in the first half: After starting the game with fluid offense sets and open jump shots, the Mules faced an extended shooting drought that allowed Duke to bust the game wide open. A contributing factor in Central Missouri’s offensive struggles was the stifling Blue Devil defense, which certainly raised its level of play after lacking some intensity in the first nine minutes of the game. The Blue Devils’ effort to improve communication on the Mules’ ball screens was fueled by Jefferson and Marshall.

And the Duke game ball goes to … Justise Winslow

Winslow used his 6-foot-6, 225-pound build to take advantage of mismatches against the Mules throughout Saturday’s game. In addition to his strong offensive performance, the freshman played strong defense on the wing and exhibited the boundless athleticism that makes him such an intriguing player.

And the Central Missouri game ball goes to … Rakeem Dickerson

Dickerson came out of the gates aggressive and not intimidated by the raucous Duke crowd. The senior's quick 3-for-3 start from the field helped the Mules build a 13-7 lead, but it proved to be one that they could not maintain.