After losing three consecutive conference games, the Blue Devils will look to get back to their winning ways Saturday when they face in-state rival N.C. State. Despite starting off conference play 0-5, the Wolfpack have shown improvement in recent games and have the talent to knock off Duke for the second consecutive season. Before each game, the Chronicle takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference maker in Duke's upcoming contest:
Duke: center Marshall Plumlee
With the Blue Devils in the midst of their first 3-game skid since 2007, head coach Mike Krzyzewski will certainly be looking to his lone healthy senior for experience and leadership as well as a bit of consistency. If there has been one steady element for the team in their string of three straight losses, it has been the 7-foot center’s solid efforts.
At the moment, Plumlee is posting the best numbers of his years in Durham. He scored a career-high 21 points against Virginia Tech Jan 9., before averaging 11.3 points and 11.7 rebounds during Duke’s three losses. For a little-utilized player who many pundits expected to be lost amongst the clutter of top recruits, the Warsaw, Ind., native is making his mark on this team, something that will have to continue Saturday against N.C. State’s trio of post players.
The Wolfpack’s main bruiser, Abdul-Malik Abu, is putting up nearly 12 points per game to lead his cohorts down low. Combined with juniors BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman, the group of big men have combined for nearly half of their team’s rebounds. Anya also leads the conference with 50 blocks. Without Jefferson, Plumlee will have to shoulder the load in the post for Duke as they try to score and defend against a talented Wolfpack team.
N.C. State: guard Anthony Barber
The ACC’s scoring leader at 22.3 points per game will undoubtedly be front and center Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. as the Blue Devils look to slow down one of the most potent scorers they will face all season. The lightning-quick guard has started every game this season and ranks fourth in the conference in assists, dishing out 4.8 per game. Barber victimized Pittsburgh this past Tuesday night, posting a game-high 31 points—including a perfect 14-for-14 mark from the free-throw line.
The Newport News, Va., native will man the point for the Wolfpack, but need to be drastically improved from his performances against Duke a year ago. Even though N.C. State was able to knock off the Blue Devils 87-75 at home last season, Barber scored just four points and committed four turnovers in 28 minutes of play. With the Wolfpack in search of their second consecutive win after losing five straight, they will need the high-scoring guard to keep up with Duke’s powerful offense.
Barber’s skill set could pose serious problems for a Blue Devil defense that has been vulnerable at times this season. The Fighting Irish backcourt pairing of Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia put up 46 combined points last weekend. If Barber can keep pace with his stellar statistics thus far this year, it could spell trouble as Duke looks to avoid its fourth straight loss.
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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."