Coming off a painful loss at home to Pittsburgh, Duke men’s basketball will look to get back in the win column on the road against Louisville. The Blue Zone brings your three keys to a Blue Devil victory:
Stronger start
After a frustrating loss against Pittsburgh on home soil Saturday, Duke will hope to bounce back and salvage its ACC record in a clash against Louisville Tuesday. Although the 80-76 defeat was only the second time the Blue Devils lost at Cameron Indoor this season, it was still a painful memory considering that the Panthers had a poor 1-5 ACC record coming into the game and they lost to Duke 75-53 just two weeks ago.
In order to get back to its winning ways, the Blue Devils cannot allow Louisville to take an early lead. One of the reasons Duke lost to Pittsburgh was its slow start to the game, failing to score and giving the Panthers an immediate 9-0 lead. Whilst it is true that the Blue Devils have made impressive comebacks, like their recent win against Georgia Tech, it is important to remember that the team is now in a different place. Starters like senior guard Jeremy Roach and sophomore forward Mark Mitchell may miss the game due to injury. Hence, Duke must be firing as soon as the game starts to prevent a nightmare scenario where another comeback is needed.
Improved offense
Rebounding is clearly an area of improvement for the Blue Devils. In three of its four losses this season, Duke was out-rebounded. Indeed, after holding a 20-10 rebounding edge at halftime, Pittsburgh finished with a 32-25 rebounding advantage to secure the win Saturday. Moreover, the Blue Devils didn’t secure their first offensive rebound of the game until the final seconds of the first half, when freshman forward TJ Power secured the ball and scored after a missed 3-pointer. Clearly, Duke was missing the presence of Mitchell, who averages 5.6 rebounds per game. Nevertheless, other players need to step up in his absence and capitalize on missed shots.
The Blue Devils also struggled with shooting efficiency last time out, as all of their players except graduate center Ryan Young (who only attempted three shots) had a field goal percentage at or below 50%. On the other hand, senior forward Blake Hinson was 80% accurate in field goals and shot 7-for-7 from deep. It is therefore imperative that Duke shoots well in the game against Louisville.
McCain to the rescue… again
Although freshman guard Jared McCain admitted that he was responsible for not containing Hinson Saturday, he was the Blue Devils’ leading scorer with 20 points to his name. The Sacramento, Calif., native has been instrumental in Duke’s offensive output, producing double digits in eight of his last nine outings. McCain’s consistency was marred by a poor performance against Georgia Tech, where he put up a measly six points. Since two starters will potentially miss the game against Louisville, the freshman guard is expected to deliver and showcase his 41.6% rate from behind the arc.
With the entire locker room frustrated after a loss, McCain is sure to be fueled up and motivated for another big game Tuesday. If he maintains his current form, McCain could lead the Blue Devils back to victory.
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