The 15th-ranked Blue Devils will play their second game in three days as they host Long Beach State Wednesday at 4 p.m. The matchup will conclude the non-conference portion of Duke's schedule with ACC play kicking off Saturday against Boston College. The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference in the game:
Duke: center Marshall Plumlee
Since senior Amile Jefferson was sidelined indefinitely with a right foot injury, the Blue Devils have been in search of a consistent post presence to fill a gaping hole on both ends of the court. Although head coach Mike Krzyzewski would ideally have freshman Chase Jeter pick up some of the slack, the freshman has yet to prove that he is ready for the spotlight, so until then, Duke will continue to rely on its 7-foot center.
In the biggest of moments against then-No. 2 Kentucky, Plumlee rose to the occasion, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. But prior to Monday night against Elon, the Warsaw, Ind., native failed to tally double-digit points or collect more than eight rebounds—something that the Blue Devils have sorely missed without Jefferson. Plumlee’s 10-point, 11-rebound performance Monday showed that he will have a significant advantage against undersized teams and is capable of stepping up when called upon.
Long Beach State utilizes a consistent rotation of nine players and with the Blue Devils’ current depth issues and the team playing three games in six days, all seven members of Krzyzewski’s rotation will need to make an impact Wednesday. The 49ers don't have a player taller than 6-foot-8 giving Plumlee the opportunity to assert himself early and often. There is no reason for Duke to not dominate the paint like they did Monday night when they outscored the Phoenix by 14 down low and out-rebounded them 53-30. Until Jefferson is healthy, the Blue Devils will need more from Plumlee and tonight should be another step in the positive direction for the graduate student.
Long Beach State: guard Nick Faust
If there is anyone on the 49ers roster that has experience playing against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, it is their leading scorer. Faust is a name that should be quite familiar to Blue Devil fans, as he played his first three seasons with Maryland before transferring and sitting out a season. The senior has emerged as a potent scorer—something that he showed in flashes with the Terrapins, but never established as he was buried in a rotation among a great deal of talent.
The guard has flourished through the team’s first 14 games, averaging 16.1 points per game and shooting an effective 44 percent from the field as a whole and a solid 43 percent from beyond the arc. The Baltimore native will ensure that Long Beach State is no cakewalk for a Duke defense that has struggled at times this season. In a pair of narrow road losses at No. 8 Arizona and No. 25 UCLA, the senior posted 17 and 24 points, respectively, showing that he is capable of keeping his team in contention with some of the best teams in the country.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."