No. 18 Duke returns home to play Miami Saturday, looking to draw back to .500 in conference play after a week off to recover from two straight losses. The Blue Zone takes a look at a player from each team who could be the difference-maker in the game.
Duke: Forward Jayson Tatum
After struggling mightily against one of the stronger defensive squads in the nation last Saturday against Louisville, Tatum will need to rebound against the Hurricanes' 11th-best scoring defense. Miami has shown holes recently, though, especially after giving up 96 points Wednesday in a loss at Wake Forest. Tatum has been frustrated by length offensively, and the Hurricane defenders will certainly pressure the freshman swingman to try to frustrate him.
The Blue Devils need Tatum to respond on both sides of the court. With graduate student forward Amile Jefferson questionable with a right-foot bone bruise that has kept him out the last two games—both losses—Tatum will need to be more active on the boards, especially if classmate Harry Giles finds himself in foul trouble once again. The past two games, Tatum has averaged only 4.5 rebounds, which is more than two rebounds less than his season average.
Offensively, Tatum has proven to be one of Duke’s sparkplugs, especially on tough drives to the hoop. The top-three recruit can take over games in short spurts, and with the Blue Devil offense struggling outside of stars Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard, Tatum needs to step up once again to push a struggling Duke team to another gear Saturday.
Miami: Forward Dewan Huell
With Jefferson sidelined, Duke’s inexperienced frontcourt has been inept at guarding the pick-and-roll. Especially with a group of talented Hurricane guards similar to Louisville’s backcourt crop, the Blue Devil forwards’ first focus will be to contain the likes of Davon Reed, Ja’Quan Newton and Bruce Brown. But in the post, lightly scoring Cardinal forward Anas Mahmoud—who averages just 6.5 points per game—gashed Duke for 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Huell can be in for a similar game if the Blue Devils cannot find a defensive solution.
Mahmoud got the majority of his points off of uncontested layups and simple alley-oops, plays that require little offensive skill beyond good positioning. If Huell—a 6-foot-11 freshman—can take advantage of easy opportunities, it may spell danger for a fragile Duke team that has had trouble defending its own basket.
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