The Blue Devils enter the locker room at Cameron Indoor Stadium leading Ferris State 64-16 in their final exhibition contest of the season. Here are five observations from the first 20 minutes of play:
1. Attacking the basket
The Blue Devils made it a point early on to attack the rim, which allowed them to get to the line four times within the first five minutes of the game. With its elite athleticism and size, Duke left Ferris State with no choice but to foul once a Blue Devil slashed to the paint. Duke only went 15-of-21 at the charity stripe though, leaving some room for improvement.
2. Clogging the passing lanes
For Blue Devil nation, it was refreshing to see every player who stepped on the floor focused and engaged on the defensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs committed 12 turnovers in the first half, got blocked three times and found it difficult to move the ball on offense against the long arms and quick slides by Duke’s man-to-man defense. Duke earned much of its offense as a result of its defense, scoring 20 points off turnovers.
3. Joey Baker gets in early
While Coach K usually gives a lot of his players time on the court during these less important exhibition games, freshman Joey Baker was subbed into the contest in before the second media timeout, indicating that he might be develop into a rotational player this season. Many believed Baker might redshirt this year due to his age and unclear role on this year’s team, however, the rookie's shooting ability may keep him on the floor.
4. Player of the half: R.J. Barrett
Barrett led the team in scoring once again with 19 as Duke entered the locker room. He was not afraid to pull the trigger behind the three point line, hitting on two of his five 3-point attempts. He was also active on the boards, coming down with eight rebounds, the most for any Blue devil.
5. Sharing the ball
Led by Tre Jones’ four assists, the Blue Devils did a good job of getting the ball to slashers on fast-break opportunities, as well as in half-court sets. Duke logged 13 assists on 22 made baskets, highlighting the team chemistry the Blue Devils have built in their preseason games as well as during the summer in Canada.
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