Coming off a 84-54 victory against Hartford, Duke will host Yale on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. The Blue Zone looks at a key player for each team:
Duke: Forward Cam Reddish
The No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2018, Cam Reddish, had a shooting night to forget against Hartford on Wednesday.
Despite receiving several good passes and open looks all night, Reddish failed to capitalize on all but one of his nine 3-point attempts, finishing the game with 5 points on 2-for-12 shooting. In 31 minutes of action, the Pennsylvania native failed to get to the line and produced his worst field goal and 3-point shooting percentages of the season. With a matchup against Yale on the horizon, Reddish will look to bounce back against a perimeter defense that surrendered a 46.3 percent 3-point percentage to Lehigh on Wednesday night.
Even without being effective on the offensive end, Reddish notched four steals and a block, covering the passing lanes and making his presence known on the other end. Such perimeter defense will be needed Saturday night against a Bulldog squad that shoots an impressive 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.
If Reddish can find the rim on more of his shots Saturday night, Duke should coast handily to its ninth victory.
Yale: Forward Jordan Bruner
On the other end, junior Jordan Bruner will need to sustain his offensive contributions if Yale wishes to be within striking range of Duke. Having missed the entire regular season last year with a torn meniscus, Bruner has not disappointed thus far in his return, posting 13 points per game on an average of 25 minutes.
At 6-foot-9, Bruner is more than just a big man, as he shoots an impressive 40 percent from distance while leading the team in rebounds as well as assists. On the defensive end, Bruner had the second most blocks in the Ivy League his freshman year, and he will need to bring that same defensive energy Saturday night against a Blue Devil team that feasts in the paint.
Bruner put up 13 points and hauled in 8 boards in Yale’s victory against Lehigh on Wednesday, and the South Carolina native will need to make his presence felt inside against a bigger Duke team. If Bruner can continue his success on the offensive end while holding down the fort on the other side, Yale may be able to contain the crowd in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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