Duke vs. Coppin State: Preview and Tale of the Tape
Duke snaps its longest gap between games since 1982 on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, against Coppin State.
The Blue Devils last played on March 7, against UNC, 266 days ago. The Blue Devils went 267 days between the end of the 1981-82 season and the start of 1982-83.
Coppin State head coach Juan Dixon returns to Cameron Indoor for the first time since Jan. 17, 2002, when he led the Maryland Terrapins against the Blue Devils at the height of the rivalry between the two schools. Dixon is in his fourth season as head coach of the Eagles.
Coppin State returns just three players from last season, including DeJuan Clayton, who is in the top 12 on the school’s career scoring and assists lists. The Eagles also add two transfers: Anthony Tarke (UTEP) and Chereff Knox (St. Joseph’s).
Both Duke and Coppin State saw the starts to their seasons delayed due to COVID outbreaks. Duke postponed Wednesday’s opener due to positive tests on opponent Gardner-Webb. Coppin had a positive test on its team, which wiped out its two-game participation in a MTE. After arriving at Duke, everyone in the Coppin State party tested negative, so it appears the game is still on.
Tale of the tape
KenPom rating: Duke 2, Coppin State 332
Torvik: Duke 9, Coppin State 332
Torvik prediction: Duke 92-62
Torvik odds of winning: Duke 99%, Coppin State 1%
Tempo (Torvik): Duke 75.2, No. 27 nationally, Coppin State 76.2 No. 5
Adjusted Tempo (KenPom): Duke 74.9, (No. 41), Coppin State 75.5 (No. 28)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: Duke 112.8 (No. 5 nationally), Coppin State 88.0 (No. 346)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: Duke 86.5 (No. 4), Coppin State 103.8 (No. 283)
The Key
This should be a chance for Duke to get its six freshmen and one graduate transfer on the floor and get everyone some game experience. It will also get everyone in the program used to an empty Cameron Indoor Stadium for gameday. The Blue Devils should have a significant talent edge and cruise to a blowout win.
