In No. 2 Duke’s first game since its win against then-No. 2 Wisconsin Dec. 3, the Blue Devils notched a 75-62 victory against Elon Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Freshman Jahlil Okafor had a career night on his 19th birthday. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound center stood four inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than any Elon starter, and he used that size difference to his advantage on his way to an incredible 25 points and 20 rebounds, both career highs. The 20 rebounds were also a freshman record for Duke, and helped Okafor pick up his second double-double of the young season.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Resume the rhythm on offense: The game got off to a sluggish start for both teams Monday with the first basket coming three minutes into the contest. As would be a common theme Monday, that bucket came from Okafor as he began to tear apart the Phoenix down low. Once the first made shot came, though, the Blue Devils were able to find a rhythm on the offensive end, jumping out to a 15-2 lead on seven consecutive baskets. Duke would eventually take a 36-21 lead into the half. There was a momentary scare early in the second half as Elon closed to within 11, but the Blue Devils were able to regain their composure and jump back out to a 20-point lead with less than 14 minutes remaining.
- Contain Luke Eddy: For the most part, the Blue Devils were able to keep Eddy in check on Monday. Aside from 10 points in the final four and a half minutes—when the game had already been decided—Eddy was a non-factor off the bench for the Phoenix. The sophomore was able to finish with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, but he also was only able to attempt one 3-pointer and missed it. Duke was able to contain the dangerous Elon backcourt, holding it to just four triples on the day with a fifth coming from forward Collin Luther. The Phoenix shot 42.4 percent from the floor as a team.
- Keep getting strong play from Tyus Jones: Monday may not have been the encore that Jones was looking for after his dominating performance against the Badgers. Jones only attempted one field goal on the day, a missed jump shot that came with 4:42 remaining in the first half. The freshman point guard knocked down four free throws in the final three minutes to keep himself from going scoreless for a second time this season, but he committed a season-high four turnovers, showing some rust after the long break. Fortunately, Okafor’s dominance allowed the off day to go mostly unnoticed, but Jones will look to bounce back quickly against Connecticut Thursday.
Three key plays:
- 17:00 remaining, first half: Duke opened the contest with three straight missed shots before Okafor knocked one down three minutes into the contest. The basket started a 7-0 spurt for the Blue Devils, which quickly became a 15-2 run as Duke distanced itself from the Phoenix. It was also the first basket the freshman center made on his way to a historic birthday night performance.
- 16:28 remaining, second half: Luther had just knocked down a 3-pointer for Elon to bring the Phoenix back to within 11 points, closer than they had been to Duke in the second half. It seemed as if Elon was picking up some momentum in Cameron and with the Duke backcourt shooting poorly, it seemed within the realm of possibility that the Phoenix could attempt a comeback. Cue Okafor to the rescue. After a 10-1 run for Elon, the freshman put his foot down and knocked down a shot on the possession immediately following Luther’s triple. The shot sparked an 11-2 run for Duke that helped return them to a comfortable margin.
- 6:47 second half: With Duke shooting sloppily, the Phoenix did all they could to hang around late in the second half. Unfortunately for Elon, there was a man on the court who simply would not let that happen. With 6:47 left in the contest, Okafor slammed a dunk home off a pass from senior Quinn Cook to give the Blue Devils a 19-point lead and essentially slam home the final nail in Elon’s coffin.
Three key stats:
- Jahlil Okafor posts career-highs in points and rebounds: It was an historic day for the freshman from Chicago. Not only was it his 19th birthday, but also by posting 25 points and collecting 20 rebounds in a single game he did what no Blue Devil had done since Elton Brand back in 1998 when he had 21 points and 21 rebounds against Fresno State. He also broke the single-game rebounding record for a freshman, which was previously held by Mike Gminski, who had a 17-rebound performance in 1977. This will surely be a night that the young center will never forget in what should be a long career full of incredible achievements.
- Duke shoots just 18.8 percent from three-point range: It was not all sunshine and rainbows for the Blue Devils Monday. Despite the incredible showing from Okafor as well as great performances from forwards Amile Jefferson and Justise Winslow who posted 13 and 12 points, respectively, the Duke backcourt lacked the usual production that Blue Devil fans have come to expect early on. Cook had just seven points to go along with Tyus Jones’ four and Matt Jones’ three. Junior Rasheed Sulaimon may have been the only bright spot in the backcourt as he put up 11 points, but Duke’s guards hit just 8-of-25 shots on the day. Most of that can probably be a attributed to the 12-day break Duke received after its win against Wisconsin and hopefully all the rust has shook off as the Blue Devils head north to face Connecticut on Thursday.
- The Blue Devils shoot just 51.9 percent from the free throw line: Another slight sign of worry for Duke was its shooting from the charity stripe. The Blue Devils are shooting just 70.0 percent from the free throw line on the season and just a dismal 51.9 percent Monday night against Elon. The one knock on Okafor’s play so far in his young career has been his shooting while standing unguarded at the stripe. The freshman is shooting just 52.0 percent on the year from the free throw line and shot 5-of-11 there Monday. The team as a whole needs to improve this aspect of its game going forward, but Okafor especially needs to find his rhythm from the free throw line.
And the Duke game ball goes to… Jahlil Okafor
Free throw shooting aside, what more can you say about the young man? Okafor has been on a tear from the start of his career and simply helped solidify his position among the elite players in the country with his performance Monday night. Okafor continues to shoot at a high percentage and Monday he showed just how badly he can burn you single-handedly if you do not account for him on the low block.
Okafor will return to being tested by a large center when the Blue Devils travel to face Connecticut Thursday night. Huskies center Amida Brimah is a 7-footer and will at least provide a challenge for Okafor in the paint. It might be a night that the freshman shows off his physicality as Brimah weighs 40 pounds less than Okafor, meaning he might be able to muscle his way down low against Connecticut. Either way, it will be tough to follow the performance he put on against Elon.
And the Elon game ball goes to… Luke Eddy
Despite the poor day offensively from the Elon starters, Eddy was able to find a way to accumulate 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting as well as a couple rebounds and a couple steals to add to his tally. No other member of the Phoenix hit double digits in points, as the Blue Devil defense was able to find ways to suffocate Elon for most of the night. Even as a reserve player for the Phoenix, Eddy continues to lead his team in scoring and is near the top in assists as well. Eddy will play a key role as Elon tries to make a run in its first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference.
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