College Basketball
Post Exam Drought?
Duke last played a game on Dec. 8th against Yale. Since then, the Blue Devils have been taking exams. Is there a chance Duke could come out flat tonight against the Tigers?
Starters
Duke
Center – #20 Marques Bolden
Forward – #01 Zion Williamson
Small Forward – #05 RJ Barrett
Guard – #02 Cam Reddish
Point Guard – #03 Tre Jones
Princeton
Point Guard – Jose Morales
Guard – Jaelin Llewellyn
Guard – Devin Canna
Small Forward – Myles Stephens
Forward – Richmond Aririguzoh
Statistics
Duke
Duke is still led by their four freshman Tre Jones, RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish. RJ Barrett (24.2 PPG) and Zion Williamson (20.4 PPG) have solidified themselves as the first two offensive options for the Blue Devils. Cam Reddish (14.5 PPG) has proven to be Duke’s best shooter. He has taken a total of 74 threes and has hit 27 of them, clocking in at .365%.
Tre Jones (8.8 PPG) has been forgotten by most on the offensive side of the ball because of his freshman counterparts. The freshman point guard has controlled the floor speed and has been a big part of his teammates’ offensive success. He has averaged 5.6 assists per game this season. As a team, Duke is shooting the ball at .500% from the field and has scored 92.9 points per game as a team.
Defensively, Duke has been far better than expected. Before the season was underway, people questioned if a team starting four freshmen would be able to play as a unit on defense. Duke has done just that and more. They lead the country in blocks per game with 7.5 and are fifth in the country in steals, with 11.1 per game. Tre Jones and Zion Williamson have done more than expected on the defensive end and they have improved with every game. As a team, they are forcing opponents to shoot 37.4% from the field and have only given up 65.7 points per game.
Princeton
The Tigers are led offensively by the duo of senior Devin Cannady (21.3 PPG) and freshman Jaelin Llewellyn (19.5 PPG). Senior Myles Stephens has also pitched in, scoring 13.5 points per game and leading the team in assists, with 5.3 per game. As a team, Princeton has scored 72.8 per game.
On the defensive side of the court, the Tigers are led by Jose Morales, who leads the team in steals with 2.6 per game. Princeton does not do a great job of protecting the rim, with 3.3 blocked shots per game.
Duke’s Key
All Duke needs to do to win this game is slow down Devin Cannady and Jaelin Llewellyn. That is where the majority of the Tigers’ offense will be coming from, so if Duke can defend them out on the perimeter, the Blue Devils should have no problem stopping the Tigers.
Princeton’s Key
For Princeton to have any chance of winning this game, they can’t turn the ball over. The Tigers turn the ball over 13 times per game. If they want to pull out an upset in Cameron Indoor, they have to limit RJ Barrett and Duke in
Prediction
Princeton is a veteran team with two elite scorers. It’ll be close early on. Cannady and Llewellyn will hit tough shots early on and the Tigers will be within 12 at the half. Duke will gameplan at the half and will force turnovers. The Tigers dynamic duo will struggle to score in the second half.
Score
Duke: 91
Princeton: 72
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