The bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has just rung again, meaning it's time to take another look at who is rising and falling with their performances for Blue Devil sports teams. Each week The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the world of Duke athletics.
Bull Market—Trending Up
Duke starting backcourt: Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook led the way again Monday night as the Blue Devils held off Florida State 73-70, combining for 42 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 79 total minutes. In their three most recent games, the duo has been averaging 29.3 points, 11.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds and just 2.3 turnovers in 74.7 minutes per contest. All eyes are usually on Jahlil Okafor when Duke takes the court, but with only eight scholarship players, Jones and Cook have both played like All-ACC guards since the dismissal of Rasheed Sulaimon.
The offense has been good, but more important has been their timely defense—Cook sparked Saturday's 30-point rout of No. 10 Notre Dame by shutting down Jerian Grant—and leadership. Every time the Blue Devils need a big play, the ball seems to always find the hands of one of their guards and as head coach Mike Krzyzewski put it Monday, "it's worked out pretty darn well."
Azura Stevens: Head coach Joanne P. McCallie's squad was trending up last week and Stevens is a big reason why the Blue Devils had another good week. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in three contests and was also named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week. Duke is now 9-2 in the ACC and appears to have its next great post player in Stevens—the Raleigh, N.C., native will get another chance to shine on a big stage Monday at No. 4 Notre Dame as the Blue Devils look to continue their recent surge.
Bear Market—Trending Down
Amile Jefferson: Jefferson has struggled to get going and stay on the court in his last five games, failing to record an outing with more than seven points, five rebounds or 23 minutes during the stretch. The 6-foot-9 forward's services haven't been needed as much, but against bigger teams like Florida State—which tied the Blue Devils 31-31 on the glass and outscored Duke 30-28 in the paint—down the road, the Blue Devils might need to get more out of the junior captain.
Jefferson will look to get going Saturday at Syracuse, which boasts standout big man Rakeem Christmas. Christmas averages 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, so Jefferson's ability to help center Jahlil Okafor contend with the big man will be one of many storylines to keep track of at the Carrier Dome.
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