At long last.
It’s been a long offseason, but the fourth-ranked Blue Devils will finally return to game action Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium, hosting 2019 Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State for an exhibition contest. Last Friday's Countdown to Craziness brought Duke fans their first peek at the 2018-19 squad, showcasing a talented roster with more depth than other recent Blue Devil teams.
Here are five questions to be answered in this weekend’s matchup between Duke and the Bearcats:
Will Northwest Missouri State put up a fight?
As a Division II squad, the odds are stacked against Northwest Missouri State Saturday, but this is by no means talent-dry team. Coming off of their second national championship in three years, the Bearcats have enough to compete with many Division I squads. No one is expecting the Division 2 powerhouse to pull out a win, which could potentially work to their advantage, but it landed a game against a team of Duke’s caliber for a reason: this is a group with championship pedigree that will give the Blue Devils an early test.
Has Duke solved its shooting woes?
Perhaps Duke’s biggest shortcoming last year was its inability to consistently shoot from 3-point range, especially in clutch situations. It’s impossible to tell if the Blue Devils' shooting has improved just yet, but judging solely from Countdown to Craziness, it doesn’t look good. Duke shot just 4-for-25 from beyond the arc in the Blue-White scrimmage, but the team doesn't seem worried just yet.
“There [were] a lot of guys who weren’t really hitting shots tonight that have hit shots in practice," Blue Devil point guard Tre Jones said at Countdown to Craziness. "There’s guys that hit shots tonight that will have off days as well.”
How will the freshmen handle the national spotlight?
Not only does the thunderous atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium take some getting used to, but now every point, every stat and every mistake will be viewed and analyzed by millions. For Duke's freshmen coming into a new world, there will be an adjustment period.
"I was a little bit nervous, but got it out against the other team, so hopefully next week there aren’t any nerves," Blue Devil freshman forward Matthew Hurt said at Countdown to Craziness. "We have practice tomorrow, practice next week, so we’re going to keep working and get ready for our game next Saturday.”
Fortunately, for the freshmen, Duke has two games to get rid of the nerves and shake off the rust before the first real challenge of the year: its regular season-opening showdown with No. 3 Kansas.
How has Alex O’Connell developed?
Alex O'Connell has been a reliable role player for the last two years, but can he break through this year? Duke's junior guard put on a show during the Blue-White scrimmage and while his team took the loss, he put up 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including one of the few 3-point makes of the evening.
“I’ve been working this summer trying to expand my offensive game," O'Connell said at Countdown to Craziness. "With my athleticism, I can get rebounds offensively and defensively, coach puts a big emphasis on making each other better, so if that’s something I can do I’m happy.”
While he will still come off the bench this year, he is likely to see more playing time. As a valuable member of the rotation this year, it will be interesting to see Saturday how O'Connell's role has evolved.
Has Tre Jones’ shooting improved?
Amid the many highlights of Countdown to Craziness, one of the lowlights was Jones going 1-for-10 from the field. As a player who was projected to be an NBA first-rounder just a few months ago, Jones is expected to be Duke’s leader on the court this year, but he desperately needs to find a consistent shot.
Of course, we can’t jump to conclusions after just one scrimmage, but if Tre’s shooting doesn’t improve by the time ACC play rolls around, there will rightfully be cause for concern.
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