Duke will take the floor for its first exhibition game Friday night against Virginia State without its top two freshmen Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, who are both sidelined with injuries. But the Blue Devils should still make quick work of the Trojans and be able to experiment with different lineups. Here are three keys to Friday's matchup:
Aggressive defense
One of Duke’s main focal points this season will be improvement on defense, which was 86th in the nation last year in defensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy's ratings. Against Virginia State, the Blue Devils will have their first opportunity to test how the defense has improved in the offseason. Duke will have to contain guard Kevin Williams and forward Elijah Moore, who finished first and second for the Trojans last year in scoring.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said the Blue Devils will return to playing more full-court man-to-man defense than they have in recent years, and freshman Frank Jackson will need to translate his athleticism into being a shut-down defender on the ball this year—he will have his first opportunity to do so against Virginia State. A particular concern last year was junior Grayson Allen’s defense—this season, he will have to improve on his 0.7 defensive plus/minus, which measures how many points a player earned or lost for his team per 100 defensive possessions and was among the lowest on the team last year.
Production in the paint
After Amile Jefferson’s foot injury last December, Duke struggled at times with its post play, placing more pressure on graduate student Marshall Plumlee and then-freshmen Chase Jeter and Brandon Ingram to handle the ball in the paint. This year, the Blue Devils have much more depth down low and will look to take advantage of their range of options in the paint. With the return of Jefferson, a more experienced Jeter and a strong freshman class highlighted by center Marques Bolden, Duke will be a force in the post that was nearly nonexistent on offense last year. Against the Trojans, the Blue Devils will have to work the ball inside to develop a unit that could pay dividends further down the road.
Work the bench
The most obvious difference between this year’s team and last year's is the amount of depth Duke added in the offseason. Krzyzewski was sometimes forced to play with a rotation of only six or seven players last year, but this year, he will have a bench full of solid reserves who will be able to round out the Blue Devils' lineup. A few returning players who started last year, like Luke Kennard and even co-captain Matt Jones, will likely come off the bench at times this season. Each player will need to find his role on this team, and the exhibition matchup against Virginia State offers a perfect opportunity to do so, though the absence of Giles and Tatum may force some into bigger roles in the exhibition contests.
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