The Blue Devils were forced into using a four-guard lineup by necessity Sunday, but it might be hard to let it go.
Duke's backcourt continued to thrive in a 88-67 win Wednesday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium against William & Mary, as Frank Jackson led the way with 19 points and the No. 6 Blue Devils' four starting guards all scored in double figures. With so many crafty ball-handlers on the floor, Duke assisted on 18 of its 30 made baskets.
“We can spread the floor out, and we have playmakers on our team,” sophomore guard Luke Kennard said. “We trusted our teammates that if we’re open, they’re going to get us the ball. That’s how we’ve been playing, that’s how we need to play, and the coaches really emphasize sharing the ball pretty much every day in practice and before each game.”
The Tribe (2-2) hung around for most of the first half, but the Blue Devils took control of the game with a 16-5 run in the last four minutes of the half. A 3-pointer by junior Grayson Allen with 2:39 left gave Duke its first double-digit lead at 40-28, and William & Mary never pulled within single digits again.
Although the Tribe jumped out to an early 11-6 lead and stayed competitive with their perimeter shooting and impressive ball movement, it was no match for Duke's guards from the outside. Junior Matt Jones, Allen and Jackson all nailed at least two 3-pointers to help the Blue Devils (5-1) pull away, and a triple from the wing by Allen punctuated a 14-5 run midway through the second half that turned a 57-43 game into a rout.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Allen is still banged up, but felt better than he did Sunday against Rhode Island. The junior guard shook off some of his early-season struggles with 17 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds. He was also the primary defender on the Tribe’s Daniel Dixon, who finished tied with a team-high 13 points but shot just 4-of-14 from the field.
“He’s not there yet. He’s not who he will be. God bless him—he’s a stud,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s been a warrior, but we’ve got to keep playing, we’ve got to keep trying to win, get better and try to get him healthier.”
Duke got plenty of second chances when it missed shots, outrebounding William & Mary 39-25 and pulling down 11 offensive rebounds.
The Blue Devils dominated the glass even without freshmen Harry Giles, Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum, who all dressed out for the game for the first time of the season but did not play. Krzyzewski said the trio were in uniform as part of their mental transition to being a part of the team, but did not provide a timetable for their return.
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel, we just don’t know how long the tunnel is,” Krzyzewski said. “Harry looked pretty good in the warmups, and he just hasn’t had contact, and Marques felt pretty good. Jayson, we have to keep for a little bit longer where he’s not doing that.”
In their place, Duke's guards all crashed the boards effectively, and Kennard posted eight rebounds and six assists to go along with his 11 points.
“[The coaches] really want the perimeter to start crashing the boards more,” Kennard said. “We’ve continued to do that, and it helps. When we start four guards, it takes a little pressure off of Amile [Jefferson].”
Jefferson once again had a strong game on the interior, scoring 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting and pulling down 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Sophomore Chase Jeter played just 13 minutes but did not look hampered by an ankle injury he suffered Saturday against Penn State, and 7-foot reserve Antonio Vrankovic also came off the bench for some productive minutes late in the first half.
Vrankovic scored the Blue Devils' last four points of the period and pulled down three rebounds, including one that resulted in a tip-in at the buzzer.
“Antonio’s doing a great job for our team of bringing a energy, a verve, a spark off the bench,” Jefferson said. “For a game like today where we start off flat and then he comes in and he’s screaming, he’s yelling, he’s getting rebounds, he’s altering shots, it’s big for our team.”
Duke's frontcourt rotation could change soon, but it is unclear if Bolden, Giles and Tatum will play when the Blue Devils return to their home floor Saturday at noon against Appalachian State.
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