Key Three: Can Duke stay strong against Eastern Michigan?

This Wednesday evening, the Eastern Michigan Eagles will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a matchup with the newly  top-ranked Blue Devils. The Blue Zone breaks down three potential keys to victory for the Duke squad:

Transition Defense

Duke came away from its 22-point victory over non-conference opponent Army with a few question marks. The Blue Devils took care of the Black Knights handily in the second half, but retired to the locker room after showing clear weaknesses on the defensive end in the first half. Army’s legion of small, quick guards had head coach Mike Krzyzewszki’s young, relatively inexperienced Blue Devils reeling on many possessions. 

This issue may very well resurface on Wednesday, as the Eastern Michigan make the trip from Ypsilanti, Mich. touting returning Paul Jackson as its primary offensive facilitator. The redshirt senior has already racked up 18 assists in the team’s first three contests, and has averaged a team-leading 18.7 points in these games. At 6-foot-2, the star will look to push the pace against the bigger, stronger Duke lineup. Junior Damari Parris, coming in at 6-foot-1 and starting all three games alongside Jackson thus far, will only contribute to the transition offense the Eagles will need to hang with Duke. 

The Blue Devils must improve on their communication and switching when defending the fast break to deliver another statement win against MAC contender Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.

Staying Consistent

Simply put, Duke needs to find a way to play consistent basketball for 40 minutes. 

Against then-No. 2 Kentucky, the Blue Devils put together two halves of dominant play, outscoring head coach John Calipari’s talented squad by 17 points on both sides of the break. The freshmen-oriented Duke squad was also able to stay disciplined on the other side of the ball, allowing 42 each period in a consistent performance. This is not exactly a low total in the game of college hoops, but the Blue Devils were able to engage in successful lead control for the whole contest, even switching to a 2-3 defensive zone in the latter stages of play.

The Spartanburg, S.C. native has posted mind-boggling numbers over his first two contests as a Blue Devil.  Williamson has dropped 55 points in just 55 minutes of play, but more significantly, he is doing so on 81.5 percent shooting. His ability to score every time he touches the ball will be instrumental for his team all season long, and it is enough to keep the Devils in any game. On Sunday, before R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish hit their stride in the second half, Williamson drained 21 in the first 20 minutes of play to help the team to an eight point advantage. 

Even when his freshman counterparts were struggling, Williamson kept producing, which will be key again on Wednesday evening.

Also of note, the Eagles travel to Durham with three sizeable forwards to complement their smaller backcourt. Controlling the backboards are 6-foot 11-inch Boubacar Toure, 6-foot 10-inch James Thompson IV and 6-foot 7-inch Ty Groce, all of whom will look to pull the ball off the rim for Eastern Michigan. This trio has totaled 74 rebounds in the opening games of the 2018-19 campaign, and has the size to contest for every missed shot. However, if Williamson can use his nearly inhuman vertical leap to put up anything close to his 16-rebound performance Sunday against Army, Duke should have enough offensive possessions for their prolific scoring to carry them to a big win. 

Second chance opportunities will play a big role in the outcome of this game, and if the Blue Devils can convert some of their own and deprive Eastern Michigan of consecutive possessions, look for the newly crowned No. 1 team to cruise to victory in their second game in Cameron Indoor Stadium.