Duke men's basketball Player of the Week: Week 12

Brandon Ingram

The statline:

Monday at Miami: 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 39 minutes

The good: Despite Duke shooting just 42-percent from the field against a stingy Miami defense, Ingram notched a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to keep Duke close on the scoreboard. The freshman made his impact felt by scoring six consecutive points towards the end of the first half to provide some much-needed firepower for a Blue Devil squad that had missed nine of its 10 previous shots. Ingram's double-double was his second in the last three games and the freshman once again showed the ability to score when needed, even against the Hurricanes' athletic defenders. 

The bad: Although Ingram had no trouble putting the ball in the basket, he could have taken better care of the basketball. In the defeat against Miami, the freshman committed a team-high four turnovers and partly contributed to the Hurricanes’ 13 points off turnovers. In the absence of senior Amile Jefferson, the Blue Devils have needed more team effort to control rebounds and defend in the paint. Ingram did his part on the glass with 10 boards Monday night, but needs to help keep opponents from scoring around the rim, as the Hurricanes punished Duke with 42 points in the paint.

The bottom line: The freshman swingman continues to improve and has become the most reliable offensive weapon on head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s short-handed roster. Averaging 17.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his first collegiate season, Ingram has proved what he can do on offense by both attacking the hoop and hitting perimeter jumpers. The biggest key for the freshman going forward may be to be more assertive on the floor and ask for the basketball. With Jefferson still out for the foreseeable future, Ingram must also improve his defense in the lane to keep opponents from scoring at will. 

Honorable mention: Sophomore Grayson Allen led the charge on offense with Ingram against the Hurricanes and finished with 17 points and four rebounds. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has stepped up in the rebounding category recently and has continued to turn in consistent scoring performances, averaging 20.1 points per contest—the second-best mark in the ACC. But Allen struggled to find his shot against Miami—draining only one of five 3-point attempts in the game—and had numerous shot attempts altered by the Hurricanes' Tonye Jekiri.