Following their most complete performance of the season, the No. 4 Blue Devils face a quick turnaround and don’t have much time to revel in their success. Duke travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Florida State at 7 p.m. Monday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center, just more than 48 hours after finishing a demolition of then-No. 10 Notre Dame Saturday afternoon. With three consecutive ACC victories, the Blue Devils have vaulted themselves back into the mix for the regular season conference crown. Here are three keys to Monday’s contest as Duke looks to continue rolling:
Contributions from the bench
The Blue Devils are undefeated since Rasheed Sulaimon’s dismissal limited them to eight scholarship players, but that doesn’t mean the increased minutes aren’t taking their toll on the starters. Sophomore Matt Jones has come off the bench and stepped up in a big way, logging at least 20 minutes in five straight games and averaging more than 12 points per game—including a career-high 17 in Saturday’s triumph against the Fighting Irish.
Having to travel on the road so quickly after an emotional win could leave Duke a bit fatigued come tip-off Monday. Another strong performance from Jones and quality minutes from fellow reserves Grayson Allen and Marhsall Plumlee—who have played sparingly and combined for just eight points following Sulaimon’s departure—would give the Blue Devils a major boost. It could also perhaps allow the starting backcourt duo of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook—who have seen significant bumps in their minutes in ACC play—to take a few much-needed breathers throughout the game.
Neutralize the bigs
The Seminoles are one of the taller teams Duke has faced to date, boasting three players that stand seven feet or taller—Kiel Turpin at an even seven feet, Michael Ojo at 7-foot 1 and Boris Bojanovsky at 7-foot-3. The trio is not a focal point of Florida State’s offense—none of them average more than six points per game—but they provide head coach Leonard Hamilton a variety of options to attempt to combat Blue Devil big man Jahlil Okafor.
Ojo has started 15 games for the Seminoles this season, and his 292-pound frame gives him a distinct advantage against Okafor down low. Okafor struggled at times against Georgia Tech’s Demarco Cox—another big-bodied post presence—last week, yielding several buckets in the paint. Florida State will look to have Ojo wear down Okafor and the rest of Duke’s frontcourt with his physicality, but Turpin and Bojanovsky are also viable options if Ojo isn’t quite up to the task.
Close out on the perimeter
This one might seem a little unusual, considering the Seminoles rank last in the ACC with just 4.1 made triples per game and are second-to-last with a 28.9 percent mark from beyond the arc. But Georgia Tech was also a squad with similar weaknesses from long range, and the Yellow Jackets were extremely effective from deep Wednesday night when they hit 8-of-11 treys. Much of that was due to an outstanding performance from Chris Bolden, but the Blue Devils left several Yellow Jacket shooters with open looks and ultimately paid the price in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes.
Florida State has just one shooter who is converting at even a 30 percent clip from downtown—junior guard Devon Bookert, who is making better than 41 percent of his attempts. If Duke can focus on closing out and chasing him—and the rest of the Seminoles—off the 3-point line, it will be able to make Florida State a one-dimensional offense. That should play to the Blue Devils’ advantage, especially if they can replicate the same defensive intensity from Sunday’s victory that was highlighted by intense on-ball pressure and improved defense in pick-and-roll situations.
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