Looking to bounce back from their first lackluster performance of the season, the No. 2 Blue Devils will take on defending national champions Connecticut at 8 p.m. at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Three keys to Duke earning its 10th win of the season:
Win the battle of the titans
Freshman Jahlil Okafor has impressed critics around the country with his play this season, particularly after the first 20-point, 20-rebound performance by a Blue Devil since Elton Brand in 1998 when the Chicago native scored 25 points and corralled 20 boards in Monday’s win against Elon. The center is nearly averaging a double-double and has showed poise and confidence in tough road environments like against the then-No. 2 Wiconsin Badgers in Madison Dec. 3.
However, he isn’t the only seven-footer to be reckoned with in Thursday’s game against Connecticut. The Huskies’ center, Amida Brimah, has made 20 of his last 21 shots across two games in which he combined for 54 points, including 40 points against Coppin State. The Ghana, native has also made 87.5 percent of his free throws in that stretch and grabbed 16 rebounds. Although Brimah has one inch on Okafor, Duke’s freshman phenom will have to use his 40-pound advantage to control the fight in the paint on both ends of the court.
Contain the superstar
Despite Brimah’s recent monster numbers, he isn’t even close to being the leading scorer for the reigning national champions. Senior Ryan Boatright averages nearly 19 points a game to complement his 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals per contest. The 5.6 boards are especially impressive, as the 6-foot guard averages even more than Brimah, which is indicative of his hustle and motor.
The Aurora Ill., native, who played pickup basketball with Okafor during summer visits back to his home state, has done an excellent job statistically of filling in for the Huskies after the departure of first-round draft pick Shabazz Napier this past summer. However, after recent losses to Texas and West Virginia, Connecticut’s 4-3 record will be sure to galvanize Boatright further, as seen in Sunday’s 21-point victory against Coppin State, when Boatright had 22 points behind 57.1 percent shooting from downtown.
It’s crucial that Duke’s stellar perimeter defense forces Boatright to take tough shots inside the arc and that guards Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook show more urgency in keeping dynamic guards away from the bucket. With a finisher like Brimah inside, the Blue Devil guards cannot count on Okafor's shot-blocking to bail them out when beaten off the dribble.
Focus on the fundamentals
Despite Monday’s win against Elon, the Blue Devils did not have an excellent night aside from Okafor’s performance. As a team, they shot an abysmal 51.9 percent from the free throw line, only 0.1 percent higher than their shooting clip from the field. Missing 13 of 27 free throws may not have mattered against a weak nonconference opponent like Elon, but against big-name programs like Connecticut and in conference play, the bricks from the charity stripe can make all the difference.
Duke will have to hunker down and hit its shots if it wants to have any success in March. The same could be said of their ability to take care of the ball. The Blue Devils' 17 turnovers was their most all season, including four from point guard Tyus Jones.
Jones needs to set the tone again on the big stage, as he has done in every big game Duke has played so far this season, if the Blue Devils are to avoid more costly mistakes against the Huskies. More concerning than the mistakes that appeared on the stat sheet was the lack of hustle and attention to detail Duke showed Monday, and the Blue Devils might not be able to overcome such errors against a team with more raw talent. Thursday night
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