After getting dominated inside in a blowout loss to No. 9 Florida State Tuesday, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils will face another elite frontcourt Saturday at noon at No. 14 Louisville. Here are three keys to success for Duke.
Force the Cardinals to shoot from the perimeter
Louisville has the size advantage in the interior, especially if Blue Devil forward Amile Jefferson misses his second straight game with a right-foot bone bruise. But if Duke packs it in and forces the Cardinals to beat them from the 3-point line, Louisville is prone to long stretches of cold shooting.
The Cardinals are shooting just 34.0 percent from beyond the arc this year—14th in the ACC—and the Blue Devils are second in the conference in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 29.1 percent shooting from deep. That could be a recipe for a strong defensive performance for Duke after it allowed three of its first four ACC opponents to score more than 80 points.
Rebound
The Seminoles dominated Duke on the boards and had 19 second-chance points in its comfortable victory Tuesday, and things will not get any easier for the Blue Devils Saturday. The Cardinals are third in the ACC in rebounding margin and have four players averaging more than five rebounds per game. If Duke big men Harry Giles and Chase Jeter cannot keep Louisville's frontcourt of Mangok Mathiang, Ray Spalding and Anas Mahmoud off the offensive glass, it could be another long night for the Blue Devils.
Go up strong inside
Duke had four of its shots blocked by the Seminoles Tuesday, including a dunk attempt by freshman Jayson Tatum, and will need to do a better job of attacking the defense and being strong with the ball in the paint Saturday. The Cardinals are second in the nation in blocks per game with 6.8, led by the 7-foot Mahmoud, who swats away nearly three shots per contest. The Blue Devils cannot let Louisville get the crowd going and create transition opportunities after blocked shots to start building momentum in front of its home crowd.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.