Luke Kennard
The statline:
Saturday at Wake Forest: 34 points on 11-for-14 shooting, four rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes.
Monday at Notre Dame: 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting, four rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
The good: After losing three out of four games, the Blue Devils found themselves in another hole down by 10 at the half against Wake Forest Saturday. It was when the team needed him most that Kennard erupted for 30 second-half points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting and an impeccable 5-for-5 half from beyond the arc. Kennard’s final triple with 6.6 seconds remaining in the game put Duke up 85-83 and capped a potential season-saving comeback.
The Franklin, Ohio, native tied a career high with six made triples in the game, and his 34 points were just one shy of his career high. Two-thirds of the way through the season, Kennard’s efficiency has been remarkable. He has now converted 54.0 percent of his shots from the field and 46.9 percent from beyond the arc. Once wondering how many minutes he would get with the talented freshman class coming in, Kennard has emerged as the leader and go-to option for the Blue Devils.
The bad: An 85.0 percent free-throw shooter on the season, Kennard struggled from the line against the Demon Deacons, cashing in on just 6-of-10 opportunities from the charity stripe. Kennard followed up that performance with a perfect 5-for-5 outing from the stripe against the Fighting Irish, yet he fell into foul trouble, eventually fouling out in the final minutes of the win in South Bend, Ind.
The Bottom Line: With head coach Mike Krzyzewski out and the losses piling up for the nation’s preseason top-ranked team, the future looked bleak for the Blue Devils heading into their matchup with Wake Forest. However, Kennard’s explosive second half has seemed to turn things around for now. After a big road victory at Notre Dame, Duke is heading into a three-game homestand with a lot of confidence, looking to rise back toward the top of the ACC standings.
Honorable mention: Jayson Tatum had the best performance of his career Monday night in South Bend. The former third-ranked recruit put up 19 points on an efficient 8-for-14 shooting and added a career-high 14 rebounds to notch his first double-double. Rather than rushing his shots and hoisting up 3-pointers, the 29.2 percent 3-point shooter took only one shot from deep in the game, instead attacking the rim with authority. Tatum still needs to improve upon his five turnovers from Monday, but it seems as if the St. Louis native is closer to finding his niche than ever.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.