After another convincing road win against Notre Dame, the Blue Devils will play their final out-of-conference game against St. John’s this Saturday in Durham. The Blue Zone looks at a key player for each team:
Duke: Guard Tre Jones
It seems hard to imagine anyone containing Shamorie Ponds, the 6-foot-1 senior guard who has been the catalyst to St. John’s successful season thus far. However, Duke has a defensive-minded point guard who has just as good of a chance as anyone at slowing down Ponds’ production this Saturday—Tre Jones. Although Jones is just a freshman, his on-ball defense is reminiscent of a seasoned veteran, as the Apple Valley, Minn., native has racked up 40 steals in 19 games, and is so active on the defensive side that even the most experienced ball handlers have appeared uncomfortable putting the ball on the floor near him.
Jones will also be asked to help beat a zone St. John’s will potentially run, as Duke has faced a similar defense for the past five games which has hurt its offense without Jones in the lineup. Jones played very well against Notre Dame, as he penetrated at the right time, got his teammates open for deep shots and made a 3-pointer of his own. A similar offensive performance against the Red Storm is necessary in order to keep Duke’s offense from becoming stagnant.
In his third game back at the helm for Duke after a few missed games due to injury, Jones should be back in the swing of things. Jones is the anchor on both sides of the ball for Duke, and his play should help propel Duke over St. John’s at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
St. John’s: Mustapha Heron
Duke’s man-on-man defense has been excellent this year, as the Blue Devils are currently ranked sixth in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. However, something that has slightly hurt the Blue Devils this season are good 3-point shooting teams. St. John’s is ranked 26th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, with help from guard Mustapha Heron who has the second highest clip on the team at 43 percent. With Duke primarily focused on stopping Ponds from lighting up Cameron, Heron will have many opportunities to make an impact on the game from deep.
Heron brings experience to the table as a junior transfer from Auburn, which could potentially provide problems for Duke on both ends of the floor. In the past, Duke has struggled against experience, as its transition offense relies on its opponents turning the ball over, something older players don’t do as much. Heron has not been the best at securing the ball this year, as he leads St. John’s in turnovers with 52. However, if he makes a conscious effort to limit fast-break opportunities for the Blue Devils, he could play a big role in upsetting Duke for the second year in a row.
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