No. 9 Duke men’s basketball caps off a tough stretch of games tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium against red-hot No. 2 Auburn. Before the game, check out what The Chronicle’s beats predict will happen:
Ranjan Jindal: Duke 79-75
It’s strength against strength in this one, and Duke’s elite defense will have its hands full with Auburn. However, I think this week of practice was big for Jon Scheyer’s team, and they will be much improved with not fouling and playing disciplined on that end. For the Blue Devils to win, I think they have to be successful in transition and at the free-throw line. Look for the Tyrese Proctor-Khaman Maluach pick-and-roll game to be effective, and Duke pulls out a close one in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Dom Fenoglio: Duke 73-70
The most important difference between Wednesday's game and each of Duke’s marquee matchups to this point is its location. The Blue Devils should be much more comfortable playing in the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor, and fans should be itching for their first big home game of the season. We have yet to see Duke have a good shooting game against a top opponent, and I think that trend is bound to end sometime. I think it starts on the interior, and a successful game in my eyes is one in which the Blue Devils shoot more than 20 free throws.
Sophie Levenson: Auburn 75-69
The Tigers haven’t had any issues beating top-tier teams all season, and I don’t see Duke being the change maker here. If Johni Broome can put up 44 points against Iowa State and North Carolina in the span of 48 hours, he’s not going to find Cameron Indoor quite as scary as the Crazies like to think it is. Auburn has all the assets that Duke has: depth, size and a veteran presence. It’s the kind of team that is good in all ways — shooting, defense, athleticism, toughness. But I think it’s important to say this: Duke can lose three out of its four early-season trials and still be a contender come March. This game will be successful for the Blue Devils even if it’s only a teaching moment.
Caleb Dudley: Auburn 72-68
It is hard to pick against Duke at home, but I’ll do it here. On the Cameron Chronicles before the Blue Devils headed west, I said I thought Duke would go undefeated on the road trip before losing at home to the Tigers. I’ll stick with that loss prediction, as no one impressed me more over Feast Week than Bruce Pearl’s squad. While Cooper Flagg is spectacular, I think Johni Broome is just a smidge better right now, and I foresee the senior leading his squad to a crucial road victory and deflating a major shot at a resume builder for the home team.
Abby DiSalvo: Auburn 83-79
With the Tigers burning bright, this will be a tough game for the Blue Devils. Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara resemble more effective versions of Flagg and Proctor, especially after stellar performances at the Maui Invitational. Auburn has also shot well throughout its 7-0 season — boasting the fourth-best effective field-goal percentage in the country — while Duke has consistently suffered shooting woes against ranked opponents. The Blue Devils will certainly have Cameron on their side, but it might not be enough to keep the Tigers from another win.
Rodrigo Amare: Auburn 80-73
In each of Duke’s three big games so far this season, the Blue Devils have failed to score more than 72 points, remaining competitive mostly because of the team’s No. 1 ranked defense according to KenPom. If the Blue Devils mean to keep up with Auburn’s No. 1 ranked offense though, Duke will need to shoot much better, especially from three, than it has all season. While I trust the Blue Devils’ ability to turn its offense around come March, I’m not sure the unit is where it needs to be right now to go shot for shot with arguably the best team in the country.
Andrew Long: Auburn 81-76
My third-successive pick against the Blue Devils has way less to do with Duke than it does with Auburn, which for my money has been the runaway best team in college basketball so far. That’s mostly because the Tigers have a ridiculous resume, having taken down Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis in three days by a combined 29 points, after beating reigning Big 12 champion Houston on the road by five. The Blue Devil defense gives me confidence Wednesday night’s clash will be competitive to the end, but Auburn’s firepower combined with its absurd run of form makes me hesitant to bet against Pearl and his Tigers. The SEC gets one up on the Blue Devils for the second-straight year.
Rachael Kaplan: Auburn 80-75
Duke’s near-win against No. 1 Kansas came with Hunter Dickinson ejected down the stretch, and it still lost. The Tigers are just as good as the Jayhawks. Auburn’s high-powered offense — with its top-ranked 2-point shooting, per KenPom — is going to challenge the Blue Devils’ young bigs. Being in Cameron Indoor will help Duke, and if Proctor continues to make big 3-pointers, it will be a tight game throughout. However, I don’t think the Blue Devils will keep up with the Tigers’ offensive output, and Scheyer will be faced with his second home nonconference loss.
Season records:
Jindal: 2-0
Fenoglio: 2-0
Levenson: 1-1
Dudley: 1-1
DiSalvo: 1-1
Amare: 1-1
Long: 1-1
Kaplan: 1-1
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
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.