The Blue Devils take on the Crimson Tide at 9:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Before every basketball game, we’ll break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest.
Duke: guard Andre Dawkins
Dawkins will make his return to MSG, a venue where he put up 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting—including six 3-pointers—against Michigan State Nov. 15, 2011, helping Mike Krzyzewski surpass Bob Knight as college basketball's career wins leader. After playing just two minutes against Davidson and not seeing any action against Kansas, Dawkins has become a significant contributor off the bench for the Blue Devils. The redshirt senior has notched 13 points or more in three of Duke's last four games, pouring in 11 3-pointers during that stretch. He's starting to establish himself as the primary scoring threat off the bench, and if he remains hot in New York, he could find his way into the starting lineup, especially if Rasheed Sulaimon continues to struggle.
Alabama: point guard Trevor Releford
Releford doubles as the Crimson Tides' leading scorer and primary ball-handler. When he gets in a groove, the 6-foot senior is awfully difficult to contain—in four games this season, he's averaging 18.0 points per game and shooting a blistering 59.5 percent from the floor, including an impressive 11-for-22 mark from behind the arc. But the key to an Alabama upset could be Releford's ability to distribute to his teammates after getting into the lane. Vermont's Sandro Carissimo did this time after time Sunday, tallying nine assits and helping the Catamounts score 50 points in the paint against the Blue Devils. The Crimson Tide have just 40 assists on 119 made baskets this season—only four from Releford—but drive-and-dish has been an effective strategy against the Blue Devils so far this season.
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