Coming off a lopsided 85-63 loss to No. 2 Ohio State last Tuesday, Duke will look to regain its groove at Cameron Indoor Stadium as it hosts Colorado State (5-3) tonight at 7 p.m.
After going through a gauntlet of eight games in just 19 days to start the season, the No. 7 Blue Devils (7-1) have had seven days since their last game, which has allowed for a much-needed period of consistent practice time and the opportunity for players to reflect on a tough loss.
“We have been practicing the past five or six days with no games and hard practices,” freshman shooting guard Austin Rivers said. “We’ve learned and I think we’ve gotten better even since the Ohio State game. Sometimes games like [Ohio State] can actually help a team.”
Rivers was one of Duke’s few bright spots in Columbus, Ohio, finishing with a career-high 22 points against the Buckeyes. The two-time ACC rookie of the week established himself as one of the best drivers in college basketball from day one, but as the season has progressed Rivers has become more of a complete player.
“I think [Rivers] is a much better defender. He has cut down on his turnovers and he is playing a more well-rounded game,” associate head coach Chris Collins said. “We have been encouraged with how he has improved.”
For the Rams, an upset win against a top-10 team would be a huge NCAA Tournament resume booster for a program hungry to make the 64-team field for the first time since 2003—when it fell to the Blue Devils 67-57 in the first round.
Colorado State returns a majority of last year’s squad that for most of the season was on pace to earn one of the final NCAA Tournament at-large bids. A few costly losses down the stretch, however, prevented the Rams from ending their tournament drought, leaving them with a fifth-place finish in a tough Mountain West Conference that saw its top two teams—Brigham Young and San Diego State—make the Sweet Sixteen.
In order to make the upset a reality, Colorado State will need its best performance yet from its prolific perimeter attack to compensate for the team’s lack of interior height. So far this season, the Rams have had the second highest three-point shooting percentage in the country at 45.6 percent, which nearly led them to road wins against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams Stanford and Northern Iowa. Wes Elkmeier and Dorian Green spearhead a potent backcourt averaging 17.5 and 11.4 points, respectively.
“Hopefully, we can do a good job with our perimeter defense, take away the open shots and not let them get in their comfort zone,” Collins said.
Colorado State will be at even more of a disadvantage on the boards with their leading rebounder Pierce Hornung—who averages 7.3 rebounds a game—likely unavailable tonight due to a concussion. Duke should be able to use its size advantage to overpower the Rams inside, especially given Mason Plumlee’s high-level play as of late. The 6-foot-10 junior has asserted himself as one of the premier big men in the ACC, averaging a near double-double with 12 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
“The fact that he has added a low-post scoring game with his jump hook and ability to attack the basket—now he is becoming a complete player and somebody that presents a lot of problems for the opponent,” Collins said.
The Blue Devils will need stronger contributions from Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins against Colorado State after the two juniors were each held scoreless last Tuesday against Ohio State.
With a return to form from its veterans, Duke will look to get out to a quick start, control the glass and use its talent to overwhelm a scrappy Colorado State squad to start the month of December stronger than it finished November.
“We aren’t going to show up to a game like we did for Ohio State,” Plumlee said. “It doesn’t matter who you play, you can always get beat if you show up like that.”
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