Coming off its largest loss of the season, Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday to play the second half of a home-and-home series with Wake Forest. The Blue Devils defeated the Demon Deacons 91-75 in Winston Salem, N.C. earlier this season, and a repeat performance Tuesday would give Duke momentum heading into Saturday’s matchup against seventh-ranked North Carolina. Here are the three keys to the game:
Diversify the offensive attack
At different times this year, the Blue Devils have lived by the three, and died by the three. Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh was a case of the latter. Against the Panthers, Duke took 32 shots from beyond the arc, but only sunk 11 of its attempts. With the Panthers dominating on the inside, the Blue Devils were forced to shoot often from the outside and that trend ultimately proved costly.
To secure a favorable outcome against Wake Forest, the Blue Devils will need to build an inside game to complement their outside game and provide another way to score points if shooters go cold. One way Duke could accomplish this would be to get more production from center Marshall Plumlee. The graduate student was held scoreless for the first time all season against Pittsburgh, and his four-rebound performance against the Panthers was also well-below his average production level this season.
Look out for the extra pass
The Demon Deacons boast multiple offensive weapons that come together to make Wake Forest one of the more balanced offensive teams in the ACC. With seven players averaging 7.1 points per game or better, the Demon Deacons can spread defenses and create opportunities for themselves in the passing lanes. Freshman guard Bryant Crawford is Wake Forest’s leading distributor with 4.4 assists per game and will be an important assignment for Duke’s guards come Tuesday
After being out-hustled against Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils will need to step up on defense to prevent Demon Deacon drivers from getting a step on them. Wake Forest boasts a much deeper bench than Duke and will have more access to subs than coach Mike Krzyzewski’s injury-hampered and fatigued squad. Anticipating the Demon Deacons’ ball movement will be key in order for the Blue Devils to turn in a bounce-back effort defensively.
Hammer the glass
The Blue Devils performance on the boards Sunday could be described as anemic at best. The Panthers dominated Duke 39-20 on the glass and punished the Blue Devils by scoring 19 second-chance points. Duke has now been outrebounded in all but one of its six conference defeats despite averaging a 1.3 rebound advantage against opponents overall on the season.
With the Demon Deacons sporting two skilled bigs in Devin Thomas and Konstantinos Mitoglou , the home team will face an uphill battle on the glass and will need multiple players to be more aggressive to close out defensive possessions. A big night from Plumlee would make things easier for the less vertically-endowed members of the Blue Devils squad, but the battle of the boards—as always—will come down to hustle, not height.
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