As Duke prepares itself for the NCAA Tournament, The Chronicle gives you five things the Blue Devils must focus on to get to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
1. Crash the Glass
Duke shot 44.1 percent from the field this season, ranking it a lowly 139th in the country and a mediocre eighth in the ACC in that category. However, the Blue Devils made up for their poor shooting by grabbing offensive boards and getting easy put-backs. Duke was 15th in the country and third in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game, and senior Brian Zoubek led the team on the offensive glass by taking down 3.4 offensive rebounds per game. Zoubek also led the team in fouls, though, and Duke needs the 7-foot-1 center on the court and snagging missed shots if it expects to be playing in April.
2. Defense, Defense, Defense!
Three-pointers and slam dunks may be exciting, but defense is what wins basketball games, and this Duke team knows that. The Blue Devils gave up more than 70 points eight times this year and lost five of those games. In those five losses, Duke’s opponents shot 52.4 percent from the field. The Blue Devils’ offensive production has varied in those defeats (from shooting 37 percent in the loss to Georgetown to shooting 45 percent against Wisconsin), but their defense, or lack thereof, was their Achilles’ heel.
On the other hand, when the Blue Devils step up their defense, the team becomes nearly unbeatable. Duke is undefeated when it holds its opponent under 70 points.
3. Support the Big Three
It is no secret that Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith carry the bulk of the load for the Blue Devils, but if head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad wants to reach the Final Four, it is going to need some production from other players. Scheyer, Singler and Smith accounted for slightly more than two-thirds of the team’s points this season. Zoubek, senior Lance Thomas and the Plumlee brothers (Miles and Mason) need to chip in—even just a basket or two a game—for Duke to pose a threat to an elite team such as Villanova.
4. Protect the Ball
The Blue Devils turned the ball over 12.9 times per game during their first six ACC games and won just four of those matchups. In possibly its worst game of the season, an 89-77 defeat to Georgetown Jan. 30, Duke coughed up the ball 15 times.
In the 13 games since that lopsided loss to the Hoyas, however, Duke has turned the ball over just 9.7 times per game and has lost only once during that stretch. Turnovers hurt a team twofold: They waste possessions, and many times, they give opponents easy baskets.
5. Capitalize on the Freebies
One of the most underrated, but most important aspects of this year’s Duke team, is that it is full of exceptional free-throw shooters. As a team, Duke shot 76.3 percent from the charity stripe, good for seventh in the nation and best in the ACC. In the last couple of minutes of a game, the Blue Devils have knocked down clutch free throws and prevented their opponents from starting a comeback. During the NCAA Tournament, when teams become even more desperate and free throws even more important, the Big Three have the skill and composure to knock down free throws when the team needs them most. Smith shoots 78 percent from the free throw line, Singler shoots 80 percent and Scheyer a league-best 88 percent. Keeping up that excellent free throw percentage will significantly help the Blue Devils come Tournament time.
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