The premier matchup of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge between No. 4 Duke and No. 2 Wisconsin tips off at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The game will feature two of the nation’s best big men in Blue Devil freshman Jahlil Okafor and Badger senior Frank Kaminsky and is more than likely the crown jewel of nonconference play this year—aside from the NCAA tournament of course. Three things Duke must do in order to upset the Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Wednesday night:
Contain Kaminsky with Okafor and other bigs
It is a matchup for the ages. Two of the nation’s best players will go toe-to-toe and there is a strong possibility that whichever player performs the best will be on the winning side. Kaminsky is averaging 16.6 points per game for the Badgers to Okafor’s 17.7 with both players shooting greater than 55.0 percent from the floor. When Kaminsky is playing on the low block or in the paint, it will be imperative for Okafor to close him down and prevent him from getting easy looks at the rim.
The Wisconsin senior has one inch on Okafor but is also almost 30 pounds lighter, meaning the young center will have to use his strength and agility and not his sheer height to stop Kaminsky. However, the Badger star also has a proclivity for shooting threes and although he does not fire at will like some outside shooters, he is making 40.7 percent of his triples this season. It will be interesting to see how head coach Mike Krzyzewski handles Kaminsky's versatility since having Okafor play the perimeter is usually not a prudent decision.
Regardless of the defensive strategy Duke employs, it needs to find a way to slow down the first-team All-Big Ten center if it wants to slow down Wisconsin's offense. Kaminsky showed what can happen when he gets going early in last year's Sweet 16, when he dropped 28 points and added 11 boards to lead the Badgers past Arizona.
Hold down the defensive end
From a team and not an individual perspective, this is a contest of one of the country’s best offenses against one of its best defenses and something has to give. More than likely, Bo Ryan and the Badgers will find a way to significantly slow down the nation’s fourth highest scoring offense and if they do, Duke will need to show up on the defensive side of the ball too.
The Blue Devils have shown flashes of brilliance when they do not possess the ball this season and have particularly played well defensively in the few games in which they did not shoot the ball well. That is a good sign for Wednesday night because if Wisconsin can frustrate the Duke offense to the point that concentration slips on the other end of the floor, it could be a long night for the Blue Devils.
Duke will have to be weary of Kaminsky stepping out and shooting from the perimeters but also needs to maintain its discipline against everyone for a full 35 seconds on each possession because of the Badgers' depth. Reserve forward Duje Dukan, not the frontcourt trio of Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes, was the one who sparked Wisconsin's wins at the Battle 4 Atlantis, so every Blue Devil that takes the court needs to be ready to defend.
Win on the perimeter
Wisconsin has a slight advantage in the frontcourt with Kaminsky, Hayes and Dekker against Okafor, captain Amile Jefferson and swingman Justise Winslow, but Duke has the upper hand in the backcourt and it is paramount that the Blue Devils take advantage. The best way to disrupt the Bo Ryan defense is to pass the ball around efficiently and hit open shots when they're available because there will not be many free looks throughout the game.
Point guard Tyus Jones has been a phenomenal distributer of the basketball so far and averages 6.0 assists per game; the Apple Valley, Minn., native had a season-high 10 dimes in Sunday’s win against Army. Senior co-captain Quinn Cook is the team’s second-leading scorer with 15.6 points per game and is doing so on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. On the defensive end, each guard that steps on the floor for Duke will need to be explosive and quick to his man, especially if Kaminsky finds his way to the perimeter.
Kaminsky is Wisconsin's best player, but point guard Traevon Jackson is the Badgers' go-to-guy down the stretch and the engine that makes the Badgers go. If the Blue Devils can attack him offensively and get him out of a rhythm early, their 40-minute pressure defense could stymie the offense that committed the least turnovers per game in the nation last year.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.