After taking home the 2K Classic trophy Sunday against Georgetown in an 86-84 victory, No. 6 Duke will look to extend its NCAA-best 118-game non-conference home win streak Wednesday against Yale. The Blue Devils (4-1) have won their last two games heading into the matchup with the Bulldogs (3-1), who will be looking to bounce-back from a heart-breaking loss to No. 25 Southern Methodist Sunday. The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference in the game:
Duke: guard Luke Kennard
Kennard has earned his playing time off the bench, but not for the obvious reasons. The freshman’s hustle and demeanor has kept him on the court, despite his poor shooting start. Last year’s Parade Player of the Year is more than capable of lighting up defenses from three-point range and Duke will need him to begin to provide offensively off the bench going forward.
The matchup against Yale is the perfect time for Kennard to rediscover his shooting stroke, as he has made only 12-percent of his triples this season. With 7-foot center Marshall Plumlee and 6-foot-9 forward Amile Jefferson in the post, the Bulldogs will try to clog the paint and force the Blue Devils to make long-distance shots. This should give Kennard ample scoring opportunities against a smaller Yale squad, with the only question being whether the freshman can connect when he finds an open look.
As the Blue Devils continue to face tougher opponents, Kennard will need to be a consistent threat, especially from distance. If Duke wants to become an even more dangerous team on offense and put away the pesky Bulldogs early in the game, Kennard will need to display his ability to stretch the floor.
Yale: guard Makai Mason
In last week’s near-upset against Southern Methodist, Mason outplayed the Mustangs’ star guard Nic Moore and finished with 24 points and 7 assists. The game was not a fluke for the point guard, as he comes into the contest averaging 20.0 points per game and 4.3 assists per game. Mason is the heart and soul of the Yale offense, and if Duke can shut him down, the Bulldogs’ offense is likely to suffer.
Look for freshman Derryck Thornton to matchup with Mason, as they are of similar height and stature. Yale’s star was able to use his height advantage against Moore to find easy shots, but Thornton stands at 6-foot-1, meaning Mason will have to find other ways to put the ball in the basket. When Thornton comes out of the game, Blue Devil captain Matt Jones will likely switch on to Mason to keep him out of the lane.
Mason can also do a lot of damage from the foul line, as he has attempted at least six free throws in every game he has played this season. Against Southern Methodist, the sophomore took a career-high 11 free throws and connected on seven of them. After Thornton committed four personal fouls against Georgetown, Mason will look to get the point guard in foul trouble once again to help his team stay in the game Wednesday.
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