It was a long offseason, but now it's time for the real fun to start.
After winning its two exhibition contests by an average of 48.5 points, No. 4 Duke will open the regular season against Presbyterian Friday at 6 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Friday's tilt is the first leg of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, an event that culminates next weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Blue Devils will also host Fairfield Saturday at 8 p.m. in another Coaches vs. Cancer Classic contest.
Duke's quartet of highly touted freshmen has been the center of attention thus far, and made the transition to the college game appear seamless in the team's two exhibitions. Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Grayson Allen each reached double-digits in both exhibition contests for the Blue Devils and point guard Tyus Jones recorded 17 assists in the two games.
"You look at our team and there’s no one that looks like [Okafor], no one," Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel said. "Justise, Tyus and Grayson are all very talented; they seem like they’re a bit more mature for a freshman class.... Grayson, he was under the radar, at least initially. He’s not one of those guys that’s talked about and recruited at a high level for a long time, so he’s a worker. He’s a guy that gets after it with hard work."
Friday's regular-season opener marks the start of a busy stretch for Duke, which plays five games in an eight-day span to open its non-conference slate. With so many games in such a short stretch, the Blue Devils' depth will be crucial in navigating through the packed schedule, particularly in applying the full-court press Duke employed throughout its two exhibition games last week.
"One of the things we talk about is that we don’t want to pace ourselves, we want to set the pace," Capel said. "We feel like we have 10 guys that can play, so when their number is called they can come in and be very positive for us.... You have to constantly be ready and be engaged and be ready to come in, and one of the ways [to keep] applying constant pressure is to have guys that are fresh and guys who can play really fast."
Through the exhibition slate, head coach Mike Krzyzewski has stuck with the same starting lineup of Okafor, WInslow, Jones, sophomore Matt Jones and junior Amile Jefferson. An unchanged rotation would make Friday's game the first regular season contest in seven years to feature a Blue Devil starting lineup that included three freshmen. The last time that happened, current Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer took the court with classmates Gerald Henderson and Brian Zoubek against North Carolina Feb. 7, 2007.
Presbyterian returns all five starters from last year's team, one that suffered through a dismal 6-26 campaign and a 2-14 ledger in Big South play. But among its veteran roster are three players who scored in double-figures last season. Leading the pack is redshirt senior Jordan Downing, who scored at a 20.2 point-per-game clip in his second year with the Blue Hose after transferring from Davidson.
Capel compared Downing's skill-set and talent to that of former Blue Devil Seth Curry, who, like Downing, transferred schools after beginning his college career at Liberty.
"Watching him on tape, he reminds me a little of when Curry was at Liberty, a kid that you say, ‘You know, this guy should probably be at a different level,'" Capel said. "He can really, really shoot the ball. He knows how to get his shot off, he can shoot with range and they do a great job of springing him for shots."
Containing Downing will be a top priority for Duke Friday, especially in transition, where the Blue Hose do a good job of finding the 6-foot-5 guard for open shots.
Down low, Okafor will have to contend with 6-foot-8 center William Truss, a senior who nearly averaged a double-double last year at 10.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. On the perimeter, the Blue Devils' platoon of guards will have to slow down Austin Anderson, who Capel said is the Blue Hose's most versatile player, capable of playing anywhere from point guard to power forward.
"You see some of the things they can do on tape and you’re a little surprised at what their record was last year because they have some guys who are really talented," Capel said. "Obviously they’re not happy with how their record was last year, and they’re going to come in here and try to execute. We have to do a good job defensively of not letting Downing have a big night."
Regardless of what unfolds this weekend, the Blue Devils have already punched a ticket to Brooklyn for the semifinals and finals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Duke will meet Temple Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m. and either Stanford or UNLV Nov. 22.
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