After shaking off the rust from a week off in Monday's 75-62 victory over Elon, the Blue Devils will look to ace one of their toughest non-conference tests Thursday at 8 p.m. against the reigning national champion Connecticut at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
We get you ready for tonight's game by breaking down a player on each team that could make the difference; check back with the Blue Zone to find out the x-factor before every Duke basketball game this season.
Duke: forward Amile Jefferson
The 6-foot-9 power forward doesn’t get the same shine as star freshman Jahlil Okafor, but will be crucial to Duke’s chances of pulling out a victory Thursday. In addition to serving as one of the biggest leaders in the locker room for this young squad, Jefferson has also made key contributions on the court for the Blue Devils. The Philadelphia, Pa., native has averaged 9.3 points per game—on a blistering 71-percent shooting mark from the floor—along with 7.9 rebounds per contest.
But Jefferson’s biggest contribution on Thursday night will have to be on the defensive end against one of the best low-post scorers in the entire nation in Connecticut’s Amida Brimah—a 7-foot sophomore from Ghana—and a long Huskie front line.
It will be paramount for Jefferson to help defend Brimah—who is coming off of a 40-point performance on 13-of-13 shooting from the field and 14-of-16 shooting from the line—without fouling and help the Blue Devils win the battle on the glass.
The Blue Devils will also look to Jefferson to contain Brimah and his fellow players in the post without the help of an extra defender. The Duke defense has shown some vulnerabilities getting to open 3-point shooters when doubling post players and allowing the Huskies to knock down a couple of early three-pointers Thursday could ignite the Connecticut contingent at the IZOD Center.
With a solid performance on defense and a few timely baskets in the post, Jefferson will put the Blue Devils well on their way to a 10-0 start to the season.
Connecticut: guard Rodney Purvis
The sophomore transfer from N.C. State is familiar to Duke fans for his momentum-swinging dunk in the Wolfpack’s 2013 upset of the then top-ranked Blue Devils. But Purvis will have to play a much larger role for the Huskies Thursday than he did for that N.C. State squad.
Thus far, Purvis has yet to perform up to his McDonald’s All-American billing coming out of high school on the collegiate level. After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations, the Raleigh, N.C. native has averaged just 7.2 points on 35-percent shooting from the floor. The guard has also struggled through an ankle sprain that has caused him to miss three games—all Connecticut losses— this season.
But in recent games against Coppin State and Yale, Purvis appeared to slowly be getting back to full speed and becoming the much-needed scoring option for the offensively challenged Huskies.
Perhaps the only way to stop Jahlil Okafor in the early part of the season has been to get him in foul trouble. With Purvis’ biggest strengths being his willingness and ability to drive to the basket, the guard will be a key part of Connecticut’s effort to send Okafor to the bench and free up space for Brimah and company down low. Head coach Kevin Ollie will also look to use Purvis as the primary floor general when starting point guard Ryan Boatright heads to the bench.
After spurning the Blue Devils in recruiting two years ago, Purvis could look to use Thursday’s matchup on the national stage to show that he still possesses the promise that made him a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school.
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