Duke men’s basketball prepares to take on Incarnate Word back home Tuesday. The Chronicle previews the game with an overview and X-Factor:
Overview
2023-24 Record: 8-23, 3-15 in Southland
2024-25 Record: 5-4
Head Coach: Shane Heirman
Series History: N/A
To say the matchup against Duke looks out of place in Incarnate Word’s schedule would be an understatement. The Blue Devils are the only Power 4 team that the Cardinals will face in this year’s regular season play.
Led by second-year head coach Shane Heirman, Incarnate Word has struggled to hold onto a winning record this season — mirroring the Cardinals’ past campaigns. To the team’s credit, Incarnate Word is relatively new to Division I. The Cardinals moved up from Division II in 2013, and were not eligible for postseason play until 2018. In Division II, Incarnate Word found occasional success in the NCAA Tournament, with three appearances, but only one contest win.
This season is only Heirman’s seventh season coaching college basketball, and his first as a head coach. Heirman replaces previous head coach Carson Cunningham, who was fired after five straight losing seasons during his tenure in San Antonio.
The Cardinal’s roster leans older, with star players Dylan Hyman and Davion Bailey being a senior and graduate student respectively. Incarnate Word is also familiar with transfers, much of their roster came from regional schools, including Amani Drummond who followed Heirman from Central Michigan to San Antonio.
Although schedule difficulty is not comparable between the two teams, the Cardinals have a leg up on Duke when it comes to field goal percentage. Duke plays hard and fast, taking shots often, but compromising on accuracy. Duke has only three players who shoot above 50%, Khaman Maluach, Sion James and Maliq Brown, with a combined average of 60.2%. Meanwhile, Incarnate Word features five players above 50% shooting. Although the Cardinals may have difficulty finding openings at the basket Tuesday, their accuracy can make each shot count.
X-Factor
Duke: Darren Harris
After Isaiah Evans' standout performance versus Auburn, coach Jon Scheyer may be feeling more favorable towards the team’s less prominent freshmen – especially against an opponent like Incarnate Word. The Herndon, Va., native was the 31st ranked recruit in the ESPN Top 100, but has only seen 27 minutes of playing time this season, none of which came in high profile games. However, in a freshmen class filled with offensive threats such as Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, Harris needs to find a way to stand out defensively if he wants to increase his playing time. The 6-foot-6 freshman is known for his shooting, but serious development in other areas of his game could lead to increased playing time with the Blue Devils.
Incarnate Word: Davion Bailey
The 6-foot-4 graduate student leads the Cardinals in scoring with an average of 17.7 points this season. Bailey transferred to Incarnate Word after spending his 2023-24 season with Ball State and 2021-23 seasons at Southeastern Community College. The Indianapolis native has proved invaluable for the Cardinals in points, though he’s not as proficient on other areas of the court with an average of only 2.9 rebounds per game. As a result, Bailey may struggle with Duke’s physicality to remain in possession of the ball. Against the Blue Devils, Bailey must have the best game of his young Cardinals’ career for Incarnate Word to have a realistic chance of competing.
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