Heading into Saturday’s game, Duke’s recent success suggested the team had finally figured things out—the defense suddenly was one of the best in the nation, and though the offense had taken a hit, the Blue Devils had not looked better all season than during their four-game winning streak.
The only uncertainty Saturday was how this success would be affected by the return of the team’s best player, Marvin Bagley III. But after a dominant return against Syracuse, Bagley put that concern to rest.
Duke welcomed Bagley back from his four-game absence due to a right knee injury with open arms, as the freshman scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards in the Blue Devils’ win. Bagley, who did not start but spent 31 minutes on the floor, was also impressive on the defensive end, fitting in well to a new 2-3 zone that has completely transformed Duke’s defense.
“There were a lot of different things I saw throughout the games I sat out that I [had] to keep in my mind when I came back,” Bagley said. “I tried to keep [them] in the back of my mind, so when I came back it wasn’t new to me.”
Playing across from classmate Wendell Carter Jr. in Duke’s zone for extended stretches for the first time, Bagley put to rest any doubts about his ability to function well in what has quickly become one of the most effective defensive schemes in the nation. Carter and Bagley, who stand 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-11, respectively, give the Blue Devils as much length down low as almost any team in the country. The pair helped hold Syracuse to just 12 points in the paint, compared to 36 points around the rim for Duke at the other end of the floor.
“Marvin is a very athletic, smart defender. With him in that zone, [we’re] long [and] very athletic,” Carter said. “It’s just a great zone. They can’t really get a lot of passes off, and we’re all over the boards every time.”
Bagley appeared to be fully recovered, moving naturally and fluidly without any sort of brace or pad on the right knee he injured in the first half of the Blue Devils’ loss at North Carolina more than two weeks ago. And if the extended playing time was not enough evidence that he is feeling back to normal, his style of play was.
Multiple times, Bagley was on the receiving end of acrobatic alley-oops, including a lob from Grayson Allen from past halfcourt and a flashy reverse dunk over a defender. He finished the game with a devastatingly efficient 8-of-9 shooting mark from the field, a testament to his many dunks and opportunities around the lane.
“We didn’t have our shots we usually have, with the threes and the inside shots—we had to figure out different ways to score,” Bagley said. “It just so happened most of mine were dunks, a lot of them were dunks, and that’s just how we got to score today.”
Besides running the floor on fast breaks, Bagley also worked well down low against Syracuse’s own signature 2-3 zone, one of the most unique defenses in the ACC. Matched up with lengthy players such as 7-foot-2 Paschal Chukwu, and with the Orange shutting down Duke’s 3-point threats, Bagley and Carter combined for 35 points against an imposing frontcourt.
“We knew we were going to be playing against a zone,” Bagley said. “We didn’t get the shots that we usually get on the threes and shots like that, so we had to attack it in a different way. We just adjusted to their defense, and we did a pretty good job.”
One of the reasons Bagley was able to take some extra time off was Duke’s outstanding play in its previous four games heading into Saturday’s matchup. In their four-game winning streak since losing to North Carolina, the Blue Devils allowed the ninth-fewest points per game in the nation and notched a signature win on the road against then-No. 11 Clemson.
With Bagley back and the defense clicking, two of the team’s biggest concerns that loomed in the days following the loss to North Carolina seem to be a thing of the past.
“I just wanted to be out there with the guys and my teammates, and I’m just happy to be back,” Bagley said. “We’ve just got to keep continuing to get better.”
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