Brandon Ingram
The statline: Wednesday vs. Indiana: 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes; Saturday vs. Buffalo: 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 38 minutes
The good: Freshman Brandon Ingram finally appears to have broken through. After starting the season strong and scoring 36 points in Duke’s first two contests, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged just eight points in Duke's next five games. But Wednesday the Cameron Crazies saw the freshman at his best as he posted a career-high 24 points in Duke’s 94-74 rout of Indiana. In a two-minute span, the Kinston, N.C, native scored eight of the first 10 points for Duke and finished the first half with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor to help the home team jump out to a lead at the half.
On Saturday, when the Blue Devils blitzed Buffalo 82-59, Ingram proved that his outburst against the Hoosiers was not an accident and carried the team with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. At one point in the game, all Duke players except for the freshman had missed 16 consecutive shots—showing just how valuable Ingram has become for the Blue Devils. The forward also showed his ability to play both ends of the floor as he finished with four blocks in Sunday's game and has been disruptive in the passing lanes all season.
The bad: Perhaps the only thing that kept Ingram from scoring even more this week was foul trouble as Ingram finished with four fouls against Indiana and three fouls against Buffalo. The freshman has markedly improved on the defensive end from the start of the season, but will have to show that he can stay in front of opponents without fouling going forward.
The bottom line: Ingram struggled with the speed and physicality of college basketball at the beginning of the season as evident by his season-low four points in a loss against Kentucky. But it seems that the freshman has finally taken off. Ingram has become a dangerous player on the offensive end for Duke due to his versatility, which allows him to score near the basket or step out and hit the three. As Ingram develops as the season progresses, look for the freshman to continue to show the promise that made him one of the most highly-touted recruits in his class.
Honorable mention: Sophomore guard Grayson Allen has had a sensational season in his second year as a Blue Devil, averaging a team-leading 21.8 points per game. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has scored in double-figures in all but one of Duke's nine contests thus far this season. Against the Hoosiers, Allen posted 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and against the Bulls, the sophomore posted his first career double-double with a season-high 11 rebounds to go along with 22 points.
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