Following a nail-biting loss to No. 1 Kansas, the Blue Devils will look to get back on track at home Friday against Seattle. The Blue Zone is here to give an overview and X-factor for each team ahead of the contest:
Overview
2023-24 record: 23-14, 11-9 in WAC
2024-25 record: 2-4
Head coach: Chris Victor
Seattle heads to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time ever coming off a five-point loss to Furman Nov. 26. After a strong 2023-24 season that concluded with a victory in the College Basketball Invitational, the Redhawks have started slow out of the gate with a 2-4 record. In Friday’s contest, Duke will hope to continue its streak of dominance over unranked mid-major schools, while Seattle looks for a major upset in the first meeting between these two programs.
This season, the Redhawks have been driven by talent from the transfer portal. Former Georgia forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe has excelled at the forward position, while Idaho State transfer Maleek Arington leads the team in assists at a solid five per game. Despite this influx of talent, Seattle has been a victim of bad luck thus far in the season. Head coach Chris Victor’s team has come out on the wrong end of several close games, as each of the Redhawks’ four losses was decided by seven points or less.
As stated above, the Blue Devils have built up a dominant streak against unranked, mid-major opponents. Their last loss to such a team occurred in 2019 to Stephen F. Austin, a team that coincidentally also plays in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). With this contest, Duke will hope to get right at home in anticipation for a top-tier matchup against No. 4 Auburn next Wednesday.
X-Factor
Duke: Caleb Foster
Foster, a starting guard for this Blue Devil team, played just 15 minutes in Duke’s loss to Kansas, recording just six points. Through six games, the sophomore’s efficiency has left a bit to be desired, shooting just 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from three. Against Seattle, Foster will likely be paired up against Arington, who received Big Sky All-Defense honors last season with Idaho State. As such, Friday’s game will be a good test for the Harrisburg, N.C., native, whose potential growth may prove critical this season for Duke’s championship aspirations.
Seattle: Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe
The Redhawks may have struggled to start the season, but Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe has played exceptional basketball for the team thus far. The Toronto, Canada native averages 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals while making 63.2% of his field goal attempts, all team-highs. He has scored at least 12 points in each of Seattle’s six games this season, posting four double-doubles in the process. It will be interesting to see how the 6-foot-8 Moncrieffe matches up against the 6-foot-9 Cooper Flagg and 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach, especially when it comes to rebounding in the low post. Win or lose, Moncrieffe will hope to continue his excellent season in Cameron Indoor Friday.
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