After Tuesday’s heartbreaking 77-75 loss to Kansas in New York at Madison Square Garden, the Blue Devils will look to bounce back in an afternoon matchup against Penn State Saturday in Uncasville, Conn., in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off semifinals. The Blue Devils will then play the winner of the Cincinnati-Rhode Island game on Sunday afternoon. The team will play on back-to-back days for the second time this season, which should give it more of a test after Duke cruised through its first set of back-to-back games last week. The Blue Zone takes a look at a player from each team who could be the difference maker in this weekend’s matchup:
Duke: Guard Grayson Allen
After shooting just 4-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc and finishing with 12 points in Duke’s loss to Kansas, Allen must find a way to shake off his struggles for the Blue Devils to be successful. With three of Duke’s heralded freshman still sidelined due to injury, the Blue Devils are dependent on the junior guard for much of their scoring. But through three games, Allen is shooting just 34.9 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from the 3-point line, as opponents are keying in on stopping the preseason ACC Player of the Year. Allen must make better decisions with the basketball and let the game come to him to ensure Duke’s success in the next couple of games and beyond.
Penn State: Guard Shep Garner
The 6-foot-2 guard from Chester, Penn., was Penn State’s second-leading scorer last season and is averaging 15.0 points per game to go along with 4.0 assists and a 38.1 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc through three contests. Garner is the team’s unquestionable leader on the floor and is averaging more than 35 minutes per game. The junior guard should present another challenge to the Blue Devils' perimeter defense after the team faced a plethora of talented guards in its loss to Kansas. The Blue Devils must contest Garner’s 3-point attempts and limit his penetration into the paint, where he can cause problems for the Blue Devils defense with his ability to create for others and score.
Cincinnati: Guard Jacob Evans
After averaging 8.4 points per game last season, the sophomore guard from Baton Rouge, La., has taken his game to the next level this year, averaging 21.0 points per game and shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the arc in Cincinnati's first two games. Evans has been efficient from the field in his sophomore season and would provide the Blue Devils with a tough defensive assignment with his ability to shoot from beyond the arc and put the ball on the floor. If the Blue Devils play the Bearcats, the defense will have to limit Evans’ scoring opportunities and make things difficult for the 6-foot-6 guard.
Rhode Island: Guard E.C. Matthews
The junior guard missed almost the entire 2015-2016 season due to a torn ACL injury suffered in the first game of the season, but he has picked up right where he left off two years ago for the Rams. Matthews averaged 16.9 points per game as a sophomore and was emerging as one of the nation’s premier guards before the knee injury derailed his third season. This year, the 6-foot 5 guard is averaging 20.0 points per game and shooting an extraordinary 71.9 percent from the field through three games. Matthews is sure to provide a matchup problem for the Blue Devils, who struggled to contain Kansas’ elite backcourt Tuesday.
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