Know Your Enemy: Previewing The Duke Blue Devils
Boston College faces off with the #2 Duke Blue Devils tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium. To prepare for the game we chatted with Shawn Krest of Duke Maven to get an insider's perspective into this Blue Devils team. For all your Duke information and opinions follow Shawn Krest on Twitter as well.
AJ Black: Duke sits at 11-1, and ranks #2 in the country. Expectations are always high for the Blue Devils but how are folks feeling about the start of the season?
Shawn Krest: This Duke team has a very different feel from recent Blue Devil teams. There’s no superstar no-brainer top NBA Draft pick (although Vernon Carey Jr. is making a case) who is the center of attention. While the freshman class is still the most talented group on the team, they didn’t arrive as complete packages like Zion, RJ Barrett, Marvin Bagley, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Austin Rivers and Kyrie Irving. As Coach K has said repeatedly since the preseason, this is kind of a throwback, old-fashioned team. The freshmen needed to learn from the older players and develop over time. It could be a sign of what’s to come as the one-and-done rule goes away in the near future, and Coach K and Duke are showing they’re ready for that era to come. As a result, I think Duke fans have embraced this team and feel more of a connection to it, as a team, than they did with the Bagley/Zion/Parker teams.
Black: What is the biggest strength of this year's Duke team?
Krest: The biggest strength of this year’s team is its depth. There isn’t that one guy to stop, nor is there that one approach you can expect as you’re game planning for the Blue Devils. Coach K spent most of November experimenting with lineups and mixing and matching, and he has a deep bag of tricks he can resort to, depending on how a game is going. You saw that in the game at Virginia Tech, where nothing was working, and he went to a small lineup to key a rally that broke a close game open in the second half.
Black: Boston College will beat Duke if they __________
Krest: BC will beat Duke if they penetrate and hit driving shots in the lane. While Tre Jones is considered a top on-ball defender in the conference, he, and the rest of the Duke guards, have shown a vulnerability to the drive at times this season. SF Austin upset Duke while hitting just two three-point shots the entire game. That’s because SFA was able to get the ball into the middle and disrupt the Duke defense. If Derryck Thornton can beat Jones off the ball and dish to shooters, make shots at the rim or dish to big men, it will get Duke into foul trouble and force Coach K to take off his jacket.
Black: It sounds like point guard Tre Jones will be returning today against Boston College. What does he bring to this squad?
Krest: Tre Jones is the team’s heart and soul. He keys the team’s pressure defense, which leads to the turnovers that key those big Duke runs that break games open. The Blue Devils didn’t even attempt to pressure in the backcourt the last two games, with Jones sitting out with an ankle injury. Jones is an elite passer and an improved shooter, but it’s on the defensive end that the Blue Devils really feel his absence … or presence.
Black: I have to ask, how did Stephen F. Austin beat the Blue Devils?
Krest: SFA is a veteran, experienced team who came to Cameron with no fear. They took it directly at the Blue Devils, driving the lane and challenging Jones on the outside and Vernon Carey on the inside. Everything that makes this Duke team more likeable and versatile is also its weak point—the freshmen weren’t ready to be challenged like that in a game against the lowest-rated KenPom team on their schedule. It’s why NW Missouri State nearly beat them in the first exhibition game, too. They didn’t know how to respond. With a Zion or RJ or Bagley, someone was available to flip the switch, but no one on Duke was able to step up and take over like that.
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