As Duke men’s basketball prepares to take on a resurgent SMU squad, the Blue Zone previews the encounter with an overview and X-Factor:
Overview
2023-24 record: 20-13, 11-7 in the AAC
2024-25 record: 11-2, 2-0 in the ACC
Head coach: Andy Enfield
History: Duke leads 3-1
Last meeting: 94-79 Duke, March 19, 1988
In its first season in the ACC, SMU has burst out to a red-hot start, showing that it plans to completely flip the script from its disappointing results last season. The team has not lost a game since late November and handily won its first two conference games against Virginia and Boston College.
The Mustangs were initially predicted to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but early conference play has shown that they just might have the potential to go far in conference play. Of course, SMU has yet to face the brunt of its inaugural ACC schedule which will truly test just how far it has come since last year. After the Mustangs welcome Duke to Moody Coliseum, they will later face off against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, playing both Tobacco Road rivals in a span of three days. Facing off against Duke will undoubtedly be the hardest matchup for the Mustangs thus far in the season, and they will need to keep their momentum rolling for any chance of rising up to the challenge and knocking off one of the top teams in the country.
Head coach Andy Enfield has the benefit of relying on a veteran roster as the team looks to pull off the major upset. Senior guard Chuck Harris has proved to be a significant scoring threat by shooting 49.1% from the 3-point line, while Oregon transfer Kario Oquendo is also shooting an impressive 47.7% from beyond the arc. The Mustangs have just enough weapons to give the Blue Devils some trouble, which bodes well for a good road matchup for Duke in its first game of 2025.
X-Factor:
SMU: Boopie Miller
Miller is a familiar opponent for the Blue Devils. The Chicago native formerly played for Wake Forest before transferring to SMU this season. Last season with Wake Forest, Miller helped lead his former team to a 83-79 win over Duke, racking up 15 points and five assists in the victory. The 6-foot guard currently carries the brunt of the offensive load for his team and is coming off a season-high 24 points, having shot 6-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc in SMU’s last game against Longwood. Miller will certainly hope to use his previous knowledge of the Blue Devils to help the Mustangs continue their winning ways.
Duke: Cooper Flagg
Flagg has paced Duke’s offense thus far this season. The freshman phenom leads the Blue Devils in several categories including points scored, rebounds and assists. Duke got off to a slow start in its last game against Virginia Tech before a second-half breakthrough led by Flagg helped the Blue Devils cruise to victory.
Simply put, Duke cannot afford to get off to a slow start against SMU. It will need its star freshman to play at his best to ensure SMU does not get early momentum and run away with the game. In addition to his skill, the Newport, Maine native has a tendency to bring a burst of energy to the Blue Devils whenever Duke needs it the most. If Flagg rises to the occasion on the road and comes into Moody Coliseum playing to the best of his ability, the Blue Devils should have no trouble extending their win streak into 2025. However, a slow or sloppy start from Flagg and his teammates might give the Mustangs just what they need to make a statement in their first season in the ACC.
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