The bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has rung again, meaning it's time to take a look at who is rising and falling with their performances for Blue Devil sports teams. Each week, The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the world of Duke athletics.
Bull Market—Trending Up
Frank Jackson: After much anticipation, the basketball season officially began Friday, when the Blue Devils routed Marist 94-49, followed by another blowout win Saturday 96-61 against Grand Canyon. Freshman guard Frank Jackson led all scorers Friday with 18 points off the bench and put up a strong defensive effort with four steals. The Blue Devils relied on Allen against the Antelopes Saturday night, as he contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Jackson also contributed 21 points.
Tuesday night, the Blue Devils took on Kansas in the Champions Classic New York. Trailing by 10 with 4:53 remaining, Duke mounted a furious comeback behind two Jackson 3-pointers, with the second one tying the game at 75 with 15.5 seconds left. But with less than two seconds left, Jayhawk senior point guard Frank Mason III hustled down the court and sank a midrange shot that broke the hearts of Blue Devil fans.
The silence of the rams: After falling behind 14-0 Thursday night against No. 15 North Carolina, it looked like things were about to get ugly for the Blue Devils. Then, Duke scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two touchdown runs by quarterback Daniel Jones, tying the game at 21 heading into the halftime locker room. The Blue Devil defense kept the Tar Heels out of the end zone for the entire second half to spark a slim 28-27 upset win.
Duke's secondary played its strongest game of the year, intercepting North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky twice after he had only thrown two interceptions all season. Jones and Shaun Wilson each ran for more than 90 yards, and Jones added 240 yards through the air. The win was the Blue Devils' first against their Tobacco Road rivals since 2013, bringing the Victory Bell back to Durham.
Bear Market—Trending Down
Freshmen not named Frank Jackson: After head coach Mike Krzyzewski initially suggested freshman Jayson Tatum would be recovered from a foot sprain for the season opener against Marist, Tatum did not dress for the game and was sidelined alongside fellow injured freshmen Harry Giles and Marques Bolden. Krzyzewski also said earlier that Giles should come back later this month, but with the unexpected injury to Bolden, he is going to be more cautious with bringing his young players back from injuries. He has stated that his focus is on how the team can perform at the end of the season, not on how quickly the team can reach full strength. None of the three injured freshmen seem likely to play this weekend against Penn State and either Rhode Island or Cincinnati in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Saturday and Sunday.
Duke field hockey: In the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament Sunday, top-seeded Duke was leading 2-0 before allowing two goals in the final nine minutes of the game. When Delaware sophomore Greta Nauck scored in overtime, one of the Blue Devils' strongest seasons in program history came to an abrupt end. The loss kept Duke's seniors from reaching the third Final Four in their college careers. Those seniors, who lost in the national championship game three years ago, will graduate without being able to capture the program's first national championship.
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