Brandon Ingram
- Year: Freshman
- Height: 6-foot-9
- Position: Guard/Forward
- This year’s stat line: 17.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 APG
- The Blue Zone’s Expected Stat Line: 16.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 APG
Season Breakdown:
As the latest in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s collection of star freshmen, Ingram joined the likes of Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor as outstanding rookies who shouldered a heavy scoring load for the Blue Devils. In what many suspected would be his only year of college basketball, the Kinston, N.C. native started the year slow—registering only four points in the Champions Classic matchup against Kentucky—and moved to the bench for November contests against Yale and Utah State.
After returning to the starting lineup for Duke’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge clash with Indiana, everything came together for Ingram. His first shot dropped and then the second, staking the Blue Devils to an early lead as they ran away with a 20-point victory against the eventual Big Ten regular-season champions. Ingram had 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and knocked down 4-of-6 3-point attempts after shooting just 24 percent from beyond the arc entering the game.
From that point forward, Ingram failed to reach double figures in scoring just once. Krzyzewski moved to smaller lineups following senior Amile Jefferson’s season-ending foot injury, giving Ingram the freedom to move around the court and use his length in the paint as well as his smooth jumper on the perimeter, trademarked by a high release that makes it nearly impossible to block.
During Duke’s toughest stretch of the season against three consecutive ranked opponents, Ingram poured in 18, 25 and 20 points against Louisville, Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. At one point in the stretch, the freshman scored 18 straight points for the Blue Devils to give them the lead against the Cavaliers at home.
Following his excellent run in conference play, Ingram was equally valuable in the NCAA tournament, scoring at least 20 points in every tournament game. In what was probably final game in a Duke uniform, the likely one-and-done freshman poured in a team-high 24 points in a 14-point Sweet 16 loss to Oregon. Ingram was the only true offensive threat for the Blue Devils in the loss and illustrated why he was such a coveted recruit in the first place.
Results relative to expectations:
Ingram exceeded expectations, being named ACC Freshman of the Year, making the All-America Freshman Team and shouldering a heavy offensive load as the second-leading scorer for Krzyzewski’s squad. He silenced any doubts that his slender frame would not translate well to the physicality of the college game, holding his own against opposing power forwards at times and putting up impressive rebounding numbers in Jefferson's absence with eight double-doubles. Ingram’s stellar season has dramatically improved his draft stock, and most projections expect him to be one of the first two selections in this summer’s NBA draft.
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