The seventh-ranked Blue Devils picked up their third conference win of the 2017-18 campaign, demolishing Wake Forest 89-71. The Blue Zone gives three key takeaways and stats and looks forward for the Blue Devils:
Three key takeaways:
1. Ailments don’t stop the Blue Devils
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was out for today’s contest against Wake Forest, propelling assistant coach Jeff Capel into the lead role. Additionally, starting freshman guard Gary Trent Jr. was questionable heading into the game with nausea, although he was able to play, while sophomore big men Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden were out with injuries. However, the remaining Duke squad appeared to be at full health in its dominant 89-71 victory over the Demon Deacons. And the ailments didn't seem to hurt Trent—he finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from deep in 31 minutes.
2. Allen continues scoring trouble
Senior captain Grayson Allen failed to convert a field goal attempt this afternoon on five attempts, finishing with just two points. The guard has shot just 30.7 percent from the floor in conference play thus far. Despite this, Allen was able to make an impact, accumulating 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Perhaps with all of the weapons surrounding him, Duke fans could expect to see more Swiss Army knife-type games from Allen.
3. O’Connell provides a spark
Energetic guard Alex O’Connell proved to be electric off the bench once again, tallying 13 points in just 15 minutes. The highlight of the freshman guard’s afternoon came in a minute-long stretch at the end of the first half in which he scored nine consecutive points. O’Connell continues to lead the team in true shooting percentage and is one of Duke’s most efficient scorers—he could keep pushing for more time in the rotation with play like this.
Three key stats:
1. Carter fouls out
After picking up four fouls in each of the Blue Devils’ prior three contests, Wendell Carter Jr. had five fouls against Wake Forest, disqualifying him from the contest with 7:52 left in the game. An ongoing issue, Carter’s foul troubles need to improve, especially with Duke’s top reserve bigs in DeLaurier and Bolden sidelined. When he was been on the floor, he notched a double-double despite a 3-for-9 shooting day, scoring 15 points and racking up 11 boards.
2. Duke gets hot from outside
The Blue Devils connected on 12 three pointers on just 23 attempts, amounting to an incredible 52.2 percent clip. Trent led the team with six made three-pointers, a career high. After struggling mightily from deep against Florida State and N.C. State, Duke has picked up its play, albeit against weaker competition, also nailing 12 from deep against Pittsburgh Wednesday.
3. Duke goes 27-of-34 from the free throw line
The Blue Devils’ physicality proved to be too much for the Demon Deacons, as they reached their high-water mark for free throws made in a game for the 2017-18 season. Perhaps more importantly, Duke shot 79.4 percent from the charity stripe, which is a great deal better than their 68.9 percent team mark entering Saturday's matchup against Wake Forest.
Looking forward:
Although Wake Forest looks to be one of the weakest teams in the ACC—they currently sit at 1-4 in conference play—Duke fired on all cylinders. Although two of Duke’s most utilized bench players in DeLaurier and Bolden were out for Saturday's game, five players appeared off of the bench for Capel, each notching at least four minutes. Duke will need a strong bench to thrive as the season progresses.
Perhaps most importantly, Grayson Allen needs to regain his shot. If he is unable to reassert himself as the elite scorer he has been in the past, the Blue Devils may struggle to ascend to the elite levels of which they are capable of reaching.
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