As 2019's curtains come to a close, the show we know as Duke men's basketball is trying to go out with a bang.
Though the decade will end after the Blue Devils’ Tuesday evening matchup against Boston College, that game will mark the beginning of the ACC gauntlet, and a chance for Duke to enter the new year on the right foot.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils will face off against the Eagles, a team in the midst of a daunting two-game road trip—Boston College came away victorious last Saturday in a nail biter against California in San Francisco. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will attempt to use the game against the Eagles to make his players more team-oriented.
“The key thing with a young team is trying to teach them how to win together,” Krzyzewski said. “[The Blue Devils’] attitudes are great. We have great attitudes and their work ethic is good.”
While Duke’s effort has almost never been in question this season, even with star point guard Tre Jones watching from the sidelines with a foot injury for the past two games, the team’s ability to move the ball on offense and convert on open shots has been somewhat of a struggle. Last Saturday, the Blue Devils (11-1, 1-0 in the ACC) allowed an unranked Brown to stay competitive throughout the first half, entering the locker room at halftime with just a six-point lead against a much less talented Bear team. Duke could not lift the rim on the lid from deep, sinking just two of its 16 attempted 3-pointers.
Duke hopes to fare better against the Eagles, as Boston College (8-5, 1-0) has allowed its opponents to shoot 32.2 percent from deep, which puts the team at 157th in 3-point defense in the country. In order to take advantage, the Blue Devils will most likely look to junior Alex O’Connell to get them going. O’Connell hit both of Duke’s made 3-pointers on the day against Brown, which sparked the late-game run to give Duke a comfortable lead against the Bears.
However, even if Duke’s offense suffers against Boston College, the Blue Devils will again try to rely on their defensive pressure to take advantage of the Eagles. Thus far, Duke has averaged 17.1 turnovers a game, which does not bode well for Boston College. The Eagles have coughed up the ball 15 times per contest, tied for 257th-worst in the nation in turnovers. This may be Duke’s meal ticket en route to its second ACC win of the year.
“It always comes down to us playing defense,” O’Connell said. “If we play defense at the level we’re capable of then we can put together stretches like [the late run against Brown].”
The game against Boston College will bring back a familiar face to Durham, as the Eagles’ leading scorer, Derryck Thornton, once donned a Blue Devil uniform back in Duke’s 2015-16 season. After not receiving the playing time he thought he deserved under Krzyzewski, Thornton transferred first to Southern California, but returned back to the ACC to play for Boston College in his final year of NCAA eligibility.
With one of the best perimeter defenders in the ACC in freshman Wendell Moore, Krzyzewski may have the upper hand in that battle, as he experienced Thornton’s weaknesses—inefficiency from the field and a poor outside shot—firsthand. Still, Thornton’s rocky tenure in the NCAA has given him the experience needed to become a prolific slasher and competent team leader.
After a relatively light nonconference schedule, Duke is in for a stretch of tough, hard-nosed ACC opponents who will never go down without a fight. With a two-game road trip against Miami and Georgia Tech to begin the new year and a much-anticipated matchup against third-ranked Louisville next month, the Blue Devils must find their rhythm early on in their in-conference stretch. With Jones’ injury still listed as day-to-day, his possible return against the Eagles is still up in the air. Despite this, Duke has the talent to put away Boston College and finish 2019 with a win.
“I still think we have a lot of work to do,” senior captain Jack White said. “I think we’re only just scratching the surface of who we can be. We’re just gonna keep working into conference play and keep taking it one day at a time.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.