All season long, the Blue Devils have tolerated the talking heads of the major sports networks criticizing their lack of a true center. But if the stats have anything to say about it, Duke's upset loss to Boston College Sunday may have been due to struggles at the point guard position, which was expected to be a strength heading into this season.
Just look at the combined line of Greg Paulus and Nolan Smith Sunday: 44 minutes, 1-for-8 shooting, two assists, two turnovers, three points. When compared to the combined effort of Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek at the center position (8-for-9 shooting, eight rebounds, 16 points) it appears that the Blue Devils' problem maybe "smaller" than it appeared at the beginning of the season.
The performance by Duke's floor generals is all the more disappointing after their good effort against North Carolina, even in a loss: Paulus posted eight points and three assists, while Smith added 11 and two of his own off the bench.
So it appears the most important questions surrounding Duke as they head into this Sunday's matchup with Wake Forest are not about the big men down low for once, but rather about whether the point guards will be able to rebound from arguably their worst performance of the year against the Eagles.
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