NEW YORK—Coming into the season, the Blue Devil backcourt was expected to be one of the best in the nation—if not the best.
With Duke returning an All-American and Preseason National Player of the Year in Grayson Allen alongside a lights-out shooter in Luke Kennard, a senior captain and defensive ace in Matt Jones and an electric freshman in Frank Jackson, it was difficult to foresee a game the Blue Devils could lose due to guard play.
But Duke ran into another elite unit Tuesday night—and it was the veteran Kansas backcourt that came out on top.
The starting duo of senior Frank Mason III and junior Devonte’ Graham may not have drawn as many national accolades as some of their flashier peers, but the two savvy guards are as big a reason as any that the top-ranked Blue Devils walked out of Madison Square Garden Tuesday night with their first loss of the season.
Mason III and Graham combined for 34 points on an efficient 56.0 percent shooting and played 75 of a possible 80 minutes, providing steady hands in a game that was anything but predictable—and drawing high praise in the process.
“It’d be hard to compare them. They’re such a tough backcourt. They’re really gritty with the ball, they’re all-around great players,” Kennard said. “I don’t know if we’re going to see a backcourt like that all year. They’re terrific players.”
In the first half, it was Graham who led the charge as both teams, mired in foul trouble, struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm. With Mason III and highly-touted freshman Josh Jackson slow to get going against Duke’s pressure defense, Graham carried the first-half offense with nine points and helped ensure that the Jayhawks kept within striking distance with an array of crossovers and jumpers.
The second half, though, was all Mason III.
He showed a flair for the dramatic in Kansas’ first game when he scored the last 11 points in regulation to force overtime against Indiana. This time, he did not need overtime to deal Duke the fatal blow—cutting through the lane for buckets seemingly at will whenever the Blue Devils were on the cusp of mounting a comeback.
“They’re very quick, they can penetrate, and we had to play without fouling tonight, keep our hands off as defenders,” Allen said. “That’s tough to do when they’re as quick as they are, but they can really penetrate and they attack very well off of ball screens.”
And of course, there was the game-winning jumper in the game’s waning seconds—one that hit nothing but net after Duke’s best perimeter defender, Matt Jones, tried to contest the shot.
When Graham was asked after the game if anyone else could have made that shot, Mason III fielded the question instead.
“Yes, [Devonte’] can,” he interjected. “He would’ve made the same play.”
Nearly every Blue Devil in the locker room spoke about how impressed they were with Mason III and Graham and how they controlled the game.
Duke has made it a point of emphasis this year to get back to its traditional man-to-man pressure defense—and with its athleticism, that should be no problem against most opponents—but could not execute it well enough against the Jayhawks’ dribble penetration.
“They’re really fast, really quick. They’re crafty. They’re older guys,” graduate student Amile Jefferson said. “They’re veterans and they understand the game, so it was just a tough one to give up, but they’re a really good team and their guards are really good and crafty.”
The Blue Devil guards have plenty of talent to match Mason III and Graham, but that was not on full display Tuesday.
Jackson played very much like a young freshman prior to his late-game outburst, and Allen—who shot just 4-of-15—was a far cry from the offensive force he was during last season, two results Duke will need to change if it hopes to prevail against top opponents.
And the Blue Devils will certainly run into other high-caliber guards during ACC play—N.C. State’s Dennis Smith Jr., North Carolina’s Joel Berry II and Virginia’s London Perrantes immediately spring to mind—but few teams can boast the balance and intangibles of Kansas’ perimeter pair.
For a Duke team that is still searching for its identity and go-to lineup in late-game situation—issues that will only become more complicated as the injured trio of Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden return to the court—there is plenty to be learned from what they saw across the floor Tuesday night.
“I’m really big on leadership and strong faces and he has as strong a face as there is at that guard spot. He’s stoic with how he looks,” Krzyzewski said of Mason III. “He gives the face of a great leader all the time. He’s a big-time guard but also a big-time winner.”
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