After picking up its first road win of the conference season, Duke will return home Saturday to take on Wake Forest at noon. The Blue Devils will look to build some momentum on defense heading into its toughest road test yet, a trip Monday to take on No. 18 Miami. The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team that could be the difference-maker.
Duke: Guard Alex O'Connell
After playing 29 minutes against Texas in the PK80 Invitational, it looked like O'Connell was ready to contribute for the Blue Devils on a regular basis. But he has seen his playing time dip as of late, including playing just two minutes in an upset loss to N.C. State Jan. 6.
If Duke wants to bring the intensity on defense that it has been sorely lacking this season, O'Connell has to see the floor more. The Blue Devils seem to play flat-footed on defense—until O'Connell comes in. Especially against the Demon Deacons, whose calling card is perimeter shooting, Duke will need him to inject energy to help a defense that has struggled to do much of anything against quality opponents.
Wake Forest: Center Doral Moore
Although Wake Forest has a wide variety of shooters from deep, they have a secret weapon—who can be very hard to miss despite standing at 7-foot-1—Doral Moore. The junior big man has been a very efficient second option for the Demon Deacons, who can exploit one of Duke's underlooked vulnerabilities—interior defense.
Moore has been an exceptional finisher, making more than 90 percent of his tries at the rim. Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III can't sleep on Moore. In under 23 minutes per game, Moore has averaged nearly a double-double with 9.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. When he's on the floor, he's efficient and dangerous, which could help Wake Forest make the game much closer than head coach Mike Krzyzewski would like.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.