After each Duke basketball game this season, check back here for the Player of the Game and more. The Blue Devils earned a 77-69 win against Wake Forest for their third straight home victory, and the Blue Zone is here with analysis:
One player: Mark Mitchell
While Monday night featured several standout performances, Mitchell seemed to shine above all others and extended his hot streak. The sophomore forward matched his career high and led all players with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including a make beyond the arc. He coupled his scoring by grabbing eight boards and blocking two — his impact was felt all around the floor and allowed the Blue Devils to walk away with a convincing win.
Mitchell’s offensive contribution was excellent both on and off the ball. He found numerous opportunities in the dunker spot as a target for sophomore center Kyle Filipowski to hit out of the double team before leveraging his explosive 6-foot-9 frame to blow by Wake Forest at the rim. The Sunrise Christian product demonstrated improved comfort in holding onto the ball through traffic and finishing through contact. Mitchell capped off his career night with an emphatic jam in the final 15 seconds that crushed the Demon Deacons’ comeback hopes and got Cameron Indoor Stadium jumping. The Kansas City, Kan., native has brought out a strong jump in his offensive production over the course of the recent homestand. Mitchell’s athleticism and interior presence combined with his defensive versatility have him performing as one of the best in the ACC and will undoubtedly prove critical to the Blue Devils throughout the remainder of their in-conference schedule.
One word: Toughness
Perhaps one of the biggest at-large questions surrounding this year’s roster has been the level of toughness with which the team plays. Monday night, however, they fought and won with an undeniable level of toughness. Filipowski and Mitchell each posted 38 quality minutes on the interior, battling defensively against Wake Forest’s bigs while also making high energy plays on the other end. They were key contributors to the team’s 32 points in the paint and 25 drawn free-throw attempts. Jared McCain — only 6-foot-3 — crashed the glass for 10 rebounds on the night to share a game-high with Filipowski. Toughness through contact and energy on the boards were standout developments from Monday night, developments that the young Duke rotation would do best to continue throughout the remainder of the season.
One stat: Four bench points
The Blue Devils’ 77-point scoring effort was the work of a relatively short list. Mitchell, Filipowski, McCain and Jeremy Roach combined for 73 points. The four points from Duke’s bench were all earned by freshman Caleb Foster. Sean Stewart played a short stretch but was quickly taken off the floor after getting himself into foul trouble. Ryan Young also saw the floor for only a couple minutes as he has recently come off the bench primarily when Filipowski is dealing with foul trouble. Overall, head coach Jon Scheyer’s rotation has been largely condensed to rely on his starters. While they have proven their ability to score and show effort on defense despite heavy usage, the lack of depth in the Blue Devils’ current rotation could be a problem against more physically dominant teams. The looming threat of foul trouble and the wear of defending these teams could lead to more of the exhaustion-induced live ball turnovers seen against Wake Forest.
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