With finals—and Wisconsin—in the rear-view mirror, the Blue Devils are gearing up for a busy end to 2014.
No. 2 Duke returns to action after an 11-day hiatus with a 7 p.m. tilt against Elon Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. With a matchup against defending national champion Connecticut on the horizon, the Blue Devils are looking to maintain focus in their first game in nearly two weeks.
"It's that old fight against human nature," assistant head coach Nate James said. "Coming off a long layover, coming off a big win, coming off exams, finals and everything. As long as we approach the game with clear heads and ready to move on, I think we'll be good."
The last time Duke (8-0) took the floor, the Blue Devils turned in their most impressive performance to date, an 80-70 win at the Kohl Center against the then-No. 2 Badgers—the first time in the past six seasons they have won their first true road game. Led by point guard Tyus Jones' 22 points, Duke shot a blistering 65.2 percent against one of the nation's better defenses in a hostile road environment and now ranks second in the country in both points per game and field goal percentage.
Freshman center Jahlil Okafor and junior forward Amile Jefferson have anchored the offense and comprised one of the nation's most efficient frontcourts so far this season. The duo combines for 27.6 points and 15.9 rebounds per game, and each is shooting better than 64 percent from the floor. Jones, freshman swingman Justise Winslow and senior captain Quinn Cook all join Okafor in double-figure scoring, creating a balanced offensive juggernaut. All of Duke's scholarship players are playing more than 10 minutes per contest.
With the long stretch between games and the added academic pressure of final exams, James said the Blue Devils made minor adjustments in the practice schedule to keep the team fresh both physically and mentally. The long period between games can sometimes wear on a team, but the competitiveness of practice has remained high.
"You want to be strategic on what you decide to do with them. They've been really, really good," James said. "Most players don't like practice, they get tired of seeing each other, but that's a good thing in the sense of competing in practice, in the scrimmages [head coach Mike Krzyzewski] puts together to keep them geared up for our next opponent.... Luckily for us, they get along. That's half the battle right there."
Monday's game will also be Duke's first without forward Semi Ojeleye, who announced his decision to transfer Sunday afternoon. The sophomore's departure leaves the Blue Devils with just nine scholarship players, and may necessitate more time for Justise Winslow at the small forward position.
Elon (5-4) lost many key contributors from last year's team, which lost to Duke 86-48 New Year's Eve. But head coach Matt Matheny still has plenty of talent at his disposal, particularly in the backcourt. The Phoenix have already played two Power-Five opponents on the road the season and fallen just short both times, losing 68-67 to Northwestern and former Blue Devil associate head coach Chris Collins and falling 78-73 Dec. 11 at Missouri.
"They're well-coached, they're tough, they play a really tough schedule, so they're not going to be intimidated by coming into Cameron, obviously we play them quite frequently," James said. "Their coach is always prepared for us and their players play for 40 minutes. They had a really close game where I thought they rallied and came back from a large deficit."
Two of Elon's three top scorers come off the bench for Matheny, including leading scorer Luke Eddy. The 6-foot-1 guard averages 13.6 points per game and shoots an even 50 percent from behind the arc. Working in tandem with junior guard Tanner Samson—a 44.2 percent 3-point shooter in his own right—Eddy will command Duke's attention all afternoon.
The final member of Elon's three-headed offensive attack is Elijah Bryant, a true freshman who has carved out a role for himself as one of Matheny's first substitutes. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Bryant is averaging 11.4 points per game but has committed a team-high 34 turnovers.
"With Samson they do a great job of looking for him within their sets. They really push the ball in transition, so finding him in transition is a key. We can't give him any uncontested looks," James said. "[Eddy] can put the ball on the floor, he's a little more aggressive off the bounce. He'll go coast-to-coast in transition, and in the half-court I think he's a little more capable of creating his own shot."
The Phoenix have featured a variety of defenses this season, including a 1-3-1 zone that has proven successful, but the commanding post presence of Okafor may force Elon into a new look. Offensively, the Phoenix have scored more than 110 points in two of their past three games, but will have to contend with a larger Duke team that is only surrendering 60.5 points per game.
After tangling with Elon, the Blue Devils will turn their attention to the defending champion Huskies and a Thursday contest at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., in another hyped nonconference game.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.