No. 7 Duke hits the road again Saturday to face No. 14 Louisville, looking to salvage its week after an 88-72 blowout loss at No. 9 Florida State Tuesday night. The Blue Zone takes a look at a player from each team who could be the difference-maker in the game:
Duke: Guard Grayson Allen
A little less than a year ago, the first of Allen's three tripping incidents took place when the 6-foot-5 junior stuck his leg out to send Louisville forward Ray Spalding sprawling to the floor. And after Allen faced repeated jeers throughout Tuesday night's game at Florida State, it is certainly likely that he will face a similar level of hostility Saturday afternoon.
Since returning from his one-game suspension, though, the Jacksonville, Fla., native has found a bit of an offensive rhythm, filling a new role for the Blue Devil attack. After averaging 16.0 points per game through Duke's first 12 contests, Allen has averaged just 12.0 points in ACC play, but he has also averaged nearly eight assists a night. With the Blue Devils lacking a true point guard, the junior has stepped up as a distributor at just the right time.
As Duke still sits without a road victory in conference play, Allen will likely be a key piece in the top-15 matchup at the KFC Yum! Center this weekend. If Duke wants to earn a crucial win, however, Allen will need to find the shooting touch that made pundits label him the preseason ACC Player of the Year. With Luke Kennard averaging 20.4 points per game and the Blue Devils getting a little more than 17 a game from Jayson Tatum, Duke could use another scoring threat against one of the ACC's best defensive units.
Louisville: Forward Deng Adel
In the first matchup between the Blue Devils and the Cardinals last season, Adel played just two minutes, finishing with a lone made free throw in Duke's victory. It was an entirely different story 12 days later, though, when the then-freshman tallied 12 points and five boards in 28 minutes as Louisville stormed back to knock off the Blue Devils. And after Adel exited early with a head injury at Georgia Tech last weekend, he responded Wednesday night, scoring 15 points and gathering six rebounds against Pittsburgh.
With Duke forward Amile Jefferson's status still up in the air for the ACC showdown Saturday in Louisville, Adel will potentially have a chance to victimize the Blue Devils for a second straight contest. In Tallahassee, Fla., the Seminoles outscored Duke 56-28 in the paint, and with Adel averaging double figures thus far this season, the Cardinals will likely look to the Melbourne, Australia, native to take advantage of a Blue Devil frontcourt that has struggled defensively without its veteran leader.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."