Not sure that this game really needs much of a preview. How about: Duke - really good, contender for national championship; Stanford - exceeding very modest preseason expectations, one final possession lay-up away from a 4-game losing skid. Duke favored by 18.5, O/U 140.5, implied score 79.5-61. Opened at Duke -21.5, so I guess somebody must be betting on Stanford. The Blue Devils are 21-3, 13-1 in the ACC, and 14-0 at home.
My hopes: 1) Stanford avoids a blowout & does not seem to be in awe of the setting; 2) Jaylen Blakes, in his return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, puts up a much better line than MOC did in his return to Maples (on a Duke message board, the Blue Devil fans are also hoping for a good game from Blakes, but obviously hoping it will be in a losing cause); and 3) Maxime bounces back from the rough game at Georgia Tech and shows he is worthy of being in consideration for ACC Player of the Year, which has pretty much been already given to Cooper Flagg.
Here's a nice preview from the Duke perspective. Very interesting, and complimentary, comments regarding Kyle Smith.
https://www.dukebasketballreport.com/202...cheyer-acc
As a team, Duke is as dominant as you might suspect in ACC statistics; 3rd in scoring offense, 1st in scoring defense, 1st in scoring margin (+19.5), 3rd in FT% (behind #2 Stanford); 2nd in FG%; 1st in FG% defense; 4th in 3pt%; 2nd in 3pt% defense; 2nd in rebounding; 1st in rebounding margin (+7.75); 1st in assists; and 1st in assist/turnover. Other than that, they're just not very good.
Three freshmen have started in all 24 games:
#2 Cooper Flagg (6'9/205 G/F) In the top 12 in the ACC in scoring (19.8), rebounds (7.6), FG% (48.3), assists (3.96), FT% (81.4), steals (1.6), and blocks (1.21). As a senior in HS, he was a McDonalds All-American, Gatorade National PoY, and Naismith PoY. He is currently the favorite not only for ACC PoY, but also for the Wooden Award.
#7 Kon Knueppel (6'7/217 G/F) Averages 13.2ppg & 3.6rpg and ranks 7th in the ACC with 54 3pt FGs. High school awards in Wisconsin included Mr. Basketball, AP Poy, & Gatorade PoY.
#9 Khaman Maluach (7'2/250 C) Averages 7.9ppg, 6.25rpg (18th in the ACC), and 1.13 blocks/game (12th). From South Sudan, joined NBA Academy Africa in 2021.
Tyrese Proctor (#5, 6'6/183 Jr G) has also started every game. He averages 11.8ppg & 3.4rpg and ranks 5th in the ACC with 56 3ptFGs. He is from Australia and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team 2 seasons ago.
The 5th starter will likely be #14 Sion James (6'6/220 Gr G). He averages 7.9ppg & 4.25rpg in his first season at Duke after 4 years at Tulane. He ranks 14th in the ACC with 3.17 assists/game and 3rd in assist to turnover ratio (2.71).
One category where Duke has nobody in the top 15 is minutes/game. They have a deep roster, typically using a 10-man rotation. Significant players off the bench include:
#3 Isaiah Evans (6'6/175 Fr G/F) Another McDs AA and North Carolina HS Mr. Basketball, Gatorade PoY & MaxPreps PoY. Averages 6.3ppg.
#1 Caleb Foster (6'5/ 202 So G) Averages 5.0ppg. California MaxPreps PoY 2 seasons ago. Had an offer from Stanford - what a mistake he made - could be starting here!
#18 Mason Gillis (6'6/225 Gr F) Played 4 seasons at Purdue, where he was Big 10 6th Man of the Year last season.
#6 Maliq Brown (6'9/222 Jr F) Played 2 seasons at Syracuse. Ranks 10th in the ACC with 1.6 steals/game and is described by Coach Jon Scheyer as a "defensive menace".
#21 Patrick Ngongba II (6'11/250 Fr C) Missed his sr year of HS due to injury, but still ranked #19 player nationally and best player from Virginia by ESPN & 247Sports.
So the Devils have a "B squad" that could be quite competitive on their own. And if they need a secret weapon today, maybe we'll see #20 Neal Begovich (6'9/230 Gr F) take the court against his former team. Following up on his Economics degree from Stanford, he is pursuing a Master of Management Studies graduate degree from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. He has appeared in 5 games for the Blue Devils, racking up 5 rebounds & 2 assists.
Another familiar face is on the Duke coaching staff. Mike Schrage, an assistant coach during the Johnny Dawkins area spent 10 years at Duke (1999-2008) previously and was hired again by Jon Scheyer in 2022. That's sure to bring back some good memories for Stanford basketball fans.
I'm not sure how anyone could be optimistic about this game. If it does not go well, at least there are some good alternatives. With a 1:00 start, halftime would be a good time for a nice nap on the couch. Or maybe I'll switch over to ESPN+ to see Rintaro Sasaki, et al take on Cal St Fullerton.
My hopes: 1) Stanford avoids a blowout & does not seem to be in awe of the setting; 2) Jaylen Blakes, in his return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, puts up a much better line than MOC did in his return to Maples (on a Duke message board, the Blue Devil fans are also hoping for a good game from Blakes, but obviously hoping it will be in a losing cause); and 3) Maxime bounces back from the rough game at Georgia Tech and shows he is worthy of being in consideration for ACC Player of the Year, which has pretty much been already given to Cooper Flagg.
Here's a nice preview from the Duke perspective. Very interesting, and complimentary, comments regarding Kyle Smith.
https://www.dukebasketballreport.com/202...cheyer-acc
As a team, Duke is as dominant as you might suspect in ACC statistics; 3rd in scoring offense, 1st in scoring defense, 1st in scoring margin (+19.5), 3rd in FT% (behind #2 Stanford); 2nd in FG%; 1st in FG% defense; 4th in 3pt%; 2nd in 3pt% defense; 2nd in rebounding; 1st in rebounding margin (+7.75); 1st in assists; and 1st in assist/turnover. Other than that, they're just not very good.
Three freshmen have started in all 24 games:
#2 Cooper Flagg (6'9/205 G/F) In the top 12 in the ACC in scoring (19.8), rebounds (7.6), FG% (48.3), assists (3.96), FT% (81.4), steals (1.6), and blocks (1.21). As a senior in HS, he was a McDonalds All-American, Gatorade National PoY, and Naismith PoY. He is currently the favorite not only for ACC PoY, but also for the Wooden Award.
#7 Kon Knueppel (6'7/217 G/F) Averages 13.2ppg & 3.6rpg and ranks 7th in the ACC with 54 3pt FGs. High school awards in Wisconsin included Mr. Basketball, AP Poy, & Gatorade PoY.
#9 Khaman Maluach (7'2/250 C) Averages 7.9ppg, 6.25rpg (18th in the ACC), and 1.13 blocks/game (12th). From South Sudan, joined NBA Academy Africa in 2021.
Tyrese Proctor (#5, 6'6/183 Jr G) has also started every game. He averages 11.8ppg & 3.4rpg and ranks 5th in the ACC with 56 3ptFGs. He is from Australia and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team 2 seasons ago.
The 5th starter will likely be #14 Sion James (6'6/220 Gr G). He averages 7.9ppg & 4.25rpg in his first season at Duke after 4 years at Tulane. He ranks 14th in the ACC with 3.17 assists/game and 3rd in assist to turnover ratio (2.71).
One category where Duke has nobody in the top 15 is minutes/game. They have a deep roster, typically using a 10-man rotation. Significant players off the bench include:
#3 Isaiah Evans (6'6/175 Fr G/F) Another McDs AA and North Carolina HS Mr. Basketball, Gatorade PoY & MaxPreps PoY. Averages 6.3ppg.
#1 Caleb Foster (6'5/ 202 So G) Averages 5.0ppg. California MaxPreps PoY 2 seasons ago. Had an offer from Stanford - what a mistake he made - could be starting here!
#18 Mason Gillis (6'6/225 Gr F) Played 4 seasons at Purdue, where he was Big 10 6th Man of the Year last season.
#6 Maliq Brown (6'9/222 Jr F) Played 2 seasons at Syracuse. Ranks 10th in the ACC with 1.6 steals/game and is described by Coach Jon Scheyer as a "defensive menace".
#21 Patrick Ngongba II (6'11/250 Fr C) Missed his sr year of HS due to injury, but still ranked #19 player nationally and best player from Virginia by ESPN & 247Sports.
So the Devils have a "B squad" that could be quite competitive on their own. And if they need a secret weapon today, maybe we'll see #20 Neal Begovich (6'9/230 Gr F) take the court against his former team. Following up on his Economics degree from Stanford, he is pursuing a Master of Management Studies graduate degree from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. He has appeared in 5 games for the Blue Devils, racking up 5 rebounds & 2 assists.
Another familiar face is on the Duke coaching staff. Mike Schrage, an assistant coach during the Johnny Dawkins area spent 10 years at Duke (1999-2008) previously and was hired again by Jon Scheyer in 2022. That's sure to bring back some good memories for Stanford basketball fans.
I'm not sure how anyone could be optimistic about this game. If it does not go well, at least there are some good alternatives. With a 1:00 start, halftime would be a good time for a nice nap on the couch. Or maybe I'll switch over to ESPN+ to see Rintaro Sasaki, et al take on Cal St Fullerton.