Duke basketball Player of the Week: Week 8

Quinn Cook

Statline: Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Wake Forest: 12 points, 3-of-10 shooting, 1-of-5 from 3-point range, 5-of-5 free throws, four rebounds, two assists, two steals; Sunday, Jan. 11 at N.C. State: 18 points, 6-of-13 shooting, 4-of-7 from 3-point range, 2-of-2 free throws, four rebounds, two assists, one block

The good: The road was bumpy for the Blue Devils starting off road conference matchups, but certain players took it upon themselves to step up when a veteran leader was needed. One of those individuals was senior captain Quinn Cook, who took control late during the Wake Forest game to bring Duke back from its first second-half deficit and spark a late run that led to a 73-65 Blue Devil victory. Although the team shot for a measly 26 percent from beyond the arc during its 87-75 loss at N.C. State, Cook was 4-of-7 and is shooting 39.8 percent from distance while still averaging 2.6 makes per contest.

The bad: Cook led his young teammates late in the game against Wake Forest, but he didn’t see many shots fall until the end of the game when he had a crucial three-point play and sealed the win at the free throw line. And although Cook had an 18-point scoring game against N.C. State Sunday, he still could not prevent the long droughts that plagued Duke throughout the game as Wolfpack guards Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner had their way against the Blue Devil backcourt. Perimeter defense continues to be a concern for Cook and the rest of his teammates.

The bottom line: The Washington, D.C., native is having a spectacular senior season and has provided the leadership Duke missed last season up to this point in the season. As long as the Blue Devils learn from their mistakes and Cook continues to play efficient offense while being more disciplined on defense, Duke should be able to look back on Sunday's loss as a blimp on the radar rather than the start of an alarming trend in road games. Cook and company have a shot at redemption Saturday against a top-10 team in Louisville after hosting Miami Tuesday.

Honorable mention: Freshman center Jahlil Okafor continues to lead the Blue Devils and had another solid week despite constant double teams. Against Wake Forest, he was frustrated by the activity of the Demon Deacons and had five turnovers, but Okafor still managed to put 12 points on the board and added 11 rebounds. Against the Wolfpack, he scored eight quick points and sparked a late 11-0 run to give Duke new life with three minutes remaining, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Chicago native continues to lead the ACC in scoring at 19.2 points per game and is second in the nation in field goal percentage, firing at a 68.4 percent clip.