No. 12 Duke men's basketball will take on No. 17 Arizona tonight at 10:30 p.m. Before the game, check out what our beats predict will happen:
Ranjan Jindal: Duke 83-70
I initially predicted that Arizona would win this game because it is very hard to play on the road, especially for the first time. But I just think Duke is the better team right now, and I worry about the Wildcats’ consistency offensively. Look for the Blue Devil guards to control the pace of the game, and I think Tyrese Proctor has a productive day behind the arc. I also think that Khaman Maluach can take advantage of Arizona’s lack of starting size, and the pick-and-roll game will lead Duke to a victory.
Dom Fenoglio: Duke 81-75
I’m going to stick with the prediction I gave Arizona Desert Swarm, and it’s because I believe Duke is in line for a bounce-back shooting performance. With the way the Blue Devils have played defense, I think they should be well-positioned if they shoot at even an average rate from deep. My biggest concern, as always, is foul trouble. If Khaman Maluach or Maliq Brown spend too much time on the bench, Duke will have a harder time keeping the Wildcats out of the paint. Finally, I will be keeping an eye on who the ball goes to in big moments. Scheyer put the ball back in Flagg’s hands — despite his costly turnovers against Kentucky — at the end of the first half against Wofford. The freshman phenom will need to execute if he is presented with a similar opportunity Friday.
Sophie Levenson: Duke 76-71
Arizona falling to Wisconsin last Friday doesn’t mean anything good for Duke — Tommy Lloyd has not lost two consecutive basketball games since he started coaching the Wildcats. But there’s a first time for everything, and the Blue Devils are hungry for their first big-time win of the season. Playing Kentucky early meant Duke could get rid of its early jitters, and the freshmen could experience a serious opponent. Now, the Blue Devils know they have to follow through on shooting and stay level-headed in clutch moments, both things I am confident Duke can do. Caleb Love always frightens me a bit — he’s like an Achilles’ heel that won’t graduate — but, strange as it may be, he performs best against this team in Cameron Indoor. Friday night’s matchup won’t be easy, but I expect a happy group jetting off to Las Vegas this weekend.
Caleb Dudley: Duke 80-77
I think Duke gets revenge from last season in this go-round over in Tucson. In last year’s contest, Oumar Ballo was the difference in my opinion, as his presence down low was too imposing for Duke’s frontcourt to deal with. This year, I think the Blue Devils should have the advantage in terms of both skill and size down low, especially if Motiejus Krivas is still playing at less than 100% with a lower body injury. Duke should shoot significantly better than it did in the Champions Classic, and barring a classic Caleb Love microwave scoring effort, it should emerge with a victory in the desert.
Rodrigo Amare: Duke 81-73
Arizona is not the same team that downed the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor last year. The Wildcats’ defense in particular has looked very questionable to start the season, especially after giving up over 100 points to Wisconsin. Duke can’t possibly shoot any worse than it did against Kentucky, and Scheyer’s men have a chip on their shoulder after last week’s defeat. I expect the Blue Devils to get their season back on track with a strong win in Tuscon, Ariz.
Abby DiSalvo: Duke 87-79
In this matchup, Duke gets another chance to take down a team of Wildcats. Arizona will look to claim victory by controlling the ball in transition — its menacing 51.3 rebounds per game already ranks second in the country — but the freshman duo of Flagg and Maluach should challenge star rebounder Tobe Awaka around the glass. If the Blue Devils can deprive the Wildcats of valuable boards and shoot consistently, they stand to add this road game to their win column.
Rachael Kaplan: Arizona 83-79
The timing of this game could not be worse for Duke. It had its immediate rebound from the Kentucky loss, and it played well against Wofford. But I don’t think Arizona will drop two straight. The Wildcats were torched by Wisconsin and John Tonje, and this crew is experienced enough not to repeat their mistakes so quickly. I’ll believe that the Blue Devils have the better of Caleb Love when I see it, especially coming out of an offensive lull (which I’m sure will end as he faces Scheyer again). It is too early in the season for Flagg to feel he has to put the team on his back; in a few months, once he has grown used to the bigger stage, my answer might be different. However, I think Duke drops its second heartbreaker of the early season.
Andrew Long: Arizona 79-76
So much has changed in college basketball this year — John Calipari is at Arkansas, Houston lost its first nonconference game in two years and Tony Bennett no longer mans the Virginia sideline. But a couple crucial things, at least for this game, haven’t changed at all: Caleb Love’s Blue Devil voodoo and the fact it remains ridiculously hard to win true road games against elite opponents. In the past two seasons, Arizona has lost only three times at home. The Wildcats bucked that trend by logging an elite road win last year in Durham. In that game it was not Arizona’s big men who killed Duke (Kyle Filipowski had 25 points and eight boards), but a balanced scoring effort to the Blue Devils’ lopsided one. The architects of that win — Love, Jaden Bradley, KJ Lewis — are all back, and with nearly 15,000 amped-up Arizonans chirping in Duke ears, I think the Blue Devils start Feast Week still hungry for marquee win number one.
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.