Nonconference play is supposed to give teams a chance to mix and match their personnel, identify strengths and weaknesses and allow freshmen to adjust to the college game.
Duke has just two nonconference games left before the start of its ACC gauntlet, and the Blue Devils have figured out a number of things. Sophomore Grayson Allen, when healthy, is hard to stop. Freshman Brandon Ingram, after a slow start, is playing at a high level.
But the time between now and Saturday's conference opener at Boston College will be spent trying to answer a potentially season-defining question: how to survive without Amile Jefferson.
After a break for the holidays, the No. 15 Blue Devils will host Elon at Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night at 8 p.m., looking to respond after their second loss of the season. That defeat—a 77-75 overtime loss at the hands of Utah at Madison Square Garden—gave the Blue Devils a sense of just how different life will be without Jefferson.
Jefferson—Duke's senior captain and leading rebounder—continues to be sidelined by his fractured foot. The Blue Devils (9-2) felt his absence on the glass against the Utes, losing the rebounding battle, 56-38 and surrendering 48 points in the paint.
Elon will not trot out Utah 7-footer Jakob Poeltl, but the Phoenix (9-3) should provide Duke with another quality nonconference test.
Head coach Matt Matheny's squad lost three starters from last year's 15-18 squad, but the Phoenix have found a winning formula of late, rattling off six straight wins. That formula includes a heavy dose of senior guard Tanner Samson—the program’s leading all-time 3-point shooter—who is on pace to lead the team in scoring for a second straight year with 15.8 points per game.
Samson does most of his damage from beyond the arc, making 43 percent of his attempts from long range. HIs success is representative of Elon's game plan as the Phoenix score 39 percent of their points via the long ball.
Like Duke, the Phoenix have also benefitted from an influx of talented freshmen. Guard Dainan Swoope has proven a versatile alternative to Samson’s sharpshooting, ranking second on the team with 11.6 points per contest.
Swoope shoots 3-pointers, but does so less frequently than his senior teammate. When Samson struggled against Syracuse and then-No. 24 Michigan, Swoope shouldered the scoring load, leading the Phoenix in both losses and helping Elon stay close until late against the Orange.
Without Jefferson's double-double average inside, the Blue Devils are also perimeter-oriented, now more so than ever.
In Jefferson's stead, Ingram has shifted to the power forward position, and responded by leading the Blue Devils in rebounds in each of Duke's first two games without the senior forward, combining for 19 against Georgia Southern and Utah. Ingram continues to move all over the floor on the offensive end, and the emergence of Luke Kennard—who scored a game-high 24 points against Utah—gives the Blue Devils even more perimeter shooting.
But the production in the interior remains a cause for concern. Graduate student Marshall Plumlee and freshman Chase Jeter combined for just 14 points and 20 rebounds in Duke's last two games, with neither displaying the back-to-the-basket poise that Jefferson provided.
Monday's matchup should provide Jeter with another opportunity for Jeter to develop on the offensive end, but he and Plumlee will have to make sure they take care of the defensive glass. Elon is 7-0 when it collects at least 40 rebounds, but 2-3 otherwise.
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