There is no shortage of storylines heading into Saturday's contest at the KFC Yum! Center—just not the one everyone expected.
No. 4 Duke limps into Louisville, Ky., to take on the No. 6 Cardinals Saturday at noon, trying to shake off back-to-back regular-season ACC losses by double-digits for the first time since 1982-83. The Blue Devils watched N.C. State storm the court for the second time in three years Sunday in Raleigh, then gave up 56 points after halftime in a 16-point loss to Miami Tuesday, snapping a 41-game home winning streak.
Had the Blue Devils (14-2, 2-2 in the ACC) taken care of the Wolfpack and Hurricanes, Saturday's game—the first ever between the schools as ACC foes—would have been head coach Mike Krzyzewski's first shot at 1,000 career wins. Now, the earliest he can reach that milestone is Jan. 25 at St. John's—but only if his team can flip the script on the defensive end Saturday.
"Our team, especially for a young group like we have, we didn't have many bumps in the road at the start of the year," Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer said. "I think that's part of human nature where you don't think there are going to be that many bumps. Back-to-back, we've had two huge bumps. For us, [it's about] 'How do we respond as a group?'"
Prior to Sunday's game at PNC Arena, Duke had given up more than 70 points just twice all season, but allowed both N.C. State and Miami to shoot better than 50 percent from the field, surrendering 177 points in the two games. As a result, the Blue Devils tumbled to 64th in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency rankings.
Angel Rodriguez and the Hurricanes pummeled Duke with ball screens, finding plenty of room to operate in the lane. Scheyer said defending the ball-screen—something Rick Pitino's Cardinals will utilize Saturday—was a major focus point in Thursday's practice.
"Our guards need to really control the ball and keep the ball in front, and as a team we need to communicate," Scheyer said. "A lot of times, the screen came and the guy was able to go away from the screen, away from our help, which is exactly what we don't want. Our two guys involved with the screen should be in sync with each other and in the right place."
After going toe-to-toe with Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky in December, freshman center Jahlil Okafor will share the paint with another first team AP Preseason All-American in Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior is averaging 15.2 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds per contest, and might lead the nation in intensity and energy. A force down low, particularly on the glass, Harrell spent the offseason working on his outside shot, extending his range all the way out to the 3-point line, although he is just 7-of-27 from long range on the year.
"He never stops playing. There's not ever a play that he takes off, offensively or defensively," Scheyer said. "He's got a great nose for the ball. You've got to put a body on him, and even when you do that, it might not be good enough.... He's a warrior."
Harrell presents a matchup problem for Duke, especially if he is able to step outside the paint and knock down some jumpers. Freshman Justise Winslow gives up two inches and 15 pounds to the junior, and although captain Amile Jefferson has the length to defend Harrell, he doesn't normally spend much time out guarding the perimeter.
As a team, Louisville (15-2, 3-1) shoots just 30.4 percent from beyond the arc, the 293rd-best mark in the country. But for a Blue Devil defense that has given up 10 triples in each of its last two games and failed to stop dribble penetration Tuesday against Miami, containing the Cardinal backcourt will be no easy task.
Guards Terry Rozier and Chris Jones are under-sized, but use their explosive speed to streak past defenders on the drive. Duke has struggled against small, quick guards this season—notably Dec. 18 against Ryan Boatright of Connecticut but also Dec. 29 against Julius Brown and Toledo. Boatright broke down the Blue Devils off the dribble for 22 points and added three thefts on defense. Brown scored 19 points, many of them coming in the first half on drive after drive to keep the Rockets close.
Jones—a 5-foot-10 senior—and Rozier—a 6-foot-1 sophomore who leads the Cardinals with 17.4 points per game—are also the key to Louisville's swarming defense. Each is averaging 2.2 steals per game and will look to pressure Duke's two-point guard backcourt of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook.
"They're very confident, they really cause havoc when they can get in transition, get steals," Scheyer said. "We need to keep them out of our paint—that's a big key for us.... [Jones and Rozier] are really, really effective in ball screens, which is obviously something we didn't do a good job of on Tuesday, so we can expect to see that."
The last time the Blue Devils lost three games in a row, Scheyer was a freshman. Heading into a raucous road environment against a high-intensity opponent, maintaining poise and matching Louisville's energy will be critical for Duke to avoid slipping further in the ACC race. The memory of the past two outings should provide some added motivation.
"For us, we're coming off two losses. Anytime we play, we want to win, but especially the way we came out last time should give us that extra edge that we might need," Scheyer said. "We could play great and not come out of there with a win. We know we're going to have to play really, really well to win."
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