With the Blue Devils opening postseason play in the ACC tournament's second round Wednesday against N.C. State, The Chronicle's postseason preview follows several major storylines that will affect Duke this week in Washington and throughout the NCAA tournament later this month.
Hero? Villain? 'He's a warrior': Throughout his two seasons at Duke, Grayson Allen has worn many hats. The almost-forgotten fourth member of a stacked No. 1 recruiting class. The postseason hero who made a name for himself at the Final Four. A prolific scorer lauded by fans, teammates and coaches alike for his efforts on the court. And, most recently, the recipient of national ire for the way he has treated some opponents.
Big star, big minutes: Ingram working his way through fatigue: The morning after playing a full 40 minutes in Duke’s 74-73 victory against North Carolina in Chapel Hill Feb. 17, freshman Brandon Ingram woke up sore. The freshman has played more than 37 minutes in a game 12 times since Amile Jefferson went down—a number that would have been higher if not for occasional struggles with foul trouble.
Trying to stay fresh: Without Jefferson, depth front and center heading into grueling postseason: When Duke announced March 5 that Amile Jefferson’s season was finished, the Blue Devils lost any hope they had of injecting the senior’s nightly double-double back into a depth-strapped roster.
In point-guard heavy ACC, Thornton's defense key in D.C.: Although his offense has not always been there, freshman floor general Derryck Thornton has faced off against some of the most seasoned and talented point guards in college basketball—from Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis to Virginia’s London Perrantes and Tar Heel Marcus Paige—and kept up with them all.
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