3 Concerns For Duke in Week 1

The Duke Blue Devils are off to a 2-0 start as anticipated after beating Texas in Charlotte and Western Carolina in Durham. Scheyer and company would tell you they are not thrilled with their performances but the college season is all about building to March. Here are the 3 takeaways from Duke in their first week of games.

3 Concerns For Duke in Week 1

1. Point Guard Consistency Will Be Key

Caleb Foster got off to as poor of a start as anyone could have anticipated in the first half against Texas. Thankfully, his second half was much better. Foster utilized his defense to be a spark plug for the Blue Devils. Texas guard Jordan Pope got loose for a few threes and started to heat up. Scheyer responded by giving Foster the role of defensive stopper and he answered the call. Pope struggled to separate from Foster and was unable to score late as the Blue Devils pulled away. That also gave Foster a boost on the offensive end as he ended the game with 7 points, including a five point flurry in the second half.

Cayden Boozer had a nice, steady impact in the first half of the Texas game and provided a much needed spark at times. He also has the benefit of some twin intuition on his side. He is also Duke’s best playmaker out of the pick-and-roll. Cayden is one of the few guys that can consistently make plays for others off the bounce.

Both guards played well against Western Carolina. This will be something to keep an eye on as the season continues. Both guys likely play better together but that leaves too much size on the bench for the Blue Devils. Duke needs Caleb Foster to make a leap.

2. Foul Trouble in the Frontcourt

As expected, Patrick Ngongba and Maliq Brown spent a lot of time hearing whistles. Both players fouled out versus Texas. Ngongba logged 24 mins while Brown only got 13. Duke needs these guys on the court as they have huge impacts on the glass but also are two of Duke’s best passers.

Brown has a knack to knock the ball away but he also reaches constantly. He can find himself picking up plenty of ticky-tack fouls but he puts himself in bad positions to get those fouls. Ngongba also tends to slap down when contesting out of frustration. Both guys need to be a lot smarter in order to avoid concern number three.

3. Rebounding Problems

The Blue Devils got destroyed on the glass against Texas. The Longhorns were able to pull down 18 offensive rebounds out of a possible 40 opportunities. Duke was the bigger, more physical team and still gave up nearly 50% of misses forced as second chances. That absolutely cannot happen. Teams with more opportunities often find ways to win games. Duke cannot give that gift to inferior opponents. Western Carolina nabbed 15 offensive rebounds as well which is inexcusable.

Part of this is the foul trouble as documented above. The other part is the guards and wings not participating in rebounding. Dame Sarr and Isaiah Evans must have a big impact on the glass. They are both incredibly long and athletic. Ngongba and Boozer will be battling bigs which leaves Sarr and Evans free to come clean up the glass. This will be crucial as the competition gets much tougher.

Last Word on Week 1 for Duke

The Blue Devils are 2-0. Cameron Boozer struggled early versus Texas and then had a monster second half. Isaiah Evans showed his microwave abilities with a lethal jumper. The defense absolutely clamped down in the second half of the Texas game and for most of the Western Carolina game.

All-in-all, the Duke defense and effort are in a good spot. The offense leaves a lot to be desired as Duke tries to iron out roles. There is no question Cameron Boozer is option one but where to get him the ball has been the concern. Look for far more post ups by Boozer to initiate the offense. That means some jumpers for Ngongba/Brown but that is fine. Duke has shooters to surround Cameron Boozer who is a great passer and elite on the block.

Next up is Army in a cool Veterans Day matchup and a tribute to Coach K.