Duke Blue Devils
ACC (26-7, 13-5)
Once again Duke brought in another group of extremely talented freshmen to carry the Blue Devils back towards the top of the ACC. There have been some tough losses, mostly on the road against teams Duke should beat like Boston College and St. John’s, but overall this is a Duke team ready to make a run towards the Final Four.
Big Wins: 11/14 vs Michigan State (88-81), 2/18 at Clemson (66-57), 3/3 North Carolina (74-64)
Bad Losses: 12/9 at Boston College (84-89), 2/3 at St. John’s (77-81), 2/26 at Virginia Tech (63-64)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Why They Can Surprise:
There is certainly the talent here to get to the Final Four. Marvin Bagley III is having a magnificent freshman campaign and averages 21.1 points and 11.5 rebounds. He will be a lottery pick whenever he decides to leave Duke. Fellow freshman Wendell Carter, Jr. averages 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. With those two in the paint, Duke is one of the best rebounding and shot blocking teams in the country. Gary Trent, Jr. is a big 6-6 freshman guard who helps out on the glass as well. He is also an amazingly consistent three-point shooter, connecting on 41.5 percent of his 205 attempts from long range. Of course Grayson Allen is a good shooter too and a very dangerous all-around shooter. As the only upperclassmen in the regular rotation, Allen will be even more of a leader during the NCAA Tournament. Trevon Duval is a good leader too despite being just a freshman. He averages 9.9 points and 5.5 assists.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Duke could very easily have four freshmen drafted in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, if they opt to leave school. So these are extremely talented freshmen, but they are still freshmen. Last year’s team was pretty freshmen heavy too, although not this much, and they struggled in the NCAA Tournament, losing to South Carolina in the Second Round. This group could face similar challenges when the lights are shining bright during the NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Trevon Duval, Freshman, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 5.5 apg
Grayson Allen, Senior, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 4.5 apg
Gary Trent, Jr., Freshman, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 1.4 apg, 4.2 rpg
Wendell Carter, Jr., Freshman, Forward, 13.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Marvin Bagley III, Freshman, Forward, 21.1 ppg, 11.5 rpg
Key Role Players:
Marques Bolden, Sophomore, Center, 4.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Alex O’Connell, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg
Javin DeLaurier, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 85.1 (7th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.5 (100, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.4 (18, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.0 (12, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (102, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (52, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.5 (212, 11)
Rebound Margin: 9.4 (4, 2)
Assists Per Game: 17.5 (8, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (131, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Troy
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to South Carolina
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina-Wilmington
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Yale
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oregon
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Robert Morris
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over San Diego State
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Utah
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Gonzaga
2015 NCAA National Semifinal win over Michigan State
2015 NCAA National Final win over Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mercer
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Albany
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Creighton
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Michigan State
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Lehigh
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over West Virginia
2010 NCAA National Final win over Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Binghamton
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/4
