And a barnburner it shall be.
Next up for Duke Basketball is Auburn and the Tigers pose some real challenges for the Blue Devils.
Bruce Pearl has had some dicey NCAA issues over the years but no one doubts his coaching ability. He did a terrific job at Tennessee, prior to his NCAA problems there, and he’s done a remarkable job at Auburn, where historically it’s been quite difficult to win. His teams are fast, fun and hard to stop. And he’s played a very tough schedule so far, with wins over Houston, Iowa State, UNC and Memphis.
This year’s team is currently ranked #2 and has some serious talent.
Johni Broome is a rarity in today’s game: he’s a 6-10/240 lb. senior who is averaging 20.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 3.3 apg and 3.1 blocks. He leads the team in all those categories.
It’s a real boon to have a senior big man who is that productive in this era. He’s been a marginal NBA prospect until recently, but he’s answered a lot of questions now and should move up.
Chad Baker-Mazara, 6-7, is another senior starter. He’s getting 12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 1.9 assists.
Denver Jones? A 6-4 senior.
Chaney Johnson? A 6-7 senior.
Miles Kelly? The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is a 6-6 senior.
You have to go six deep in minutes played to find a non-senior - 6-1 freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford. He’s very quick, too.
Not surprisingly, given the experience and Pearl’s proclivities, KenPom ranks Auburn #1 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
However, Duke is #1 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Auburn is hitting 65.7 percent of its two points shots but Duke is allowing just 40.3 percent there. Something has to give.
Duke will counter Auburn’s offensive firepower with the defense we just mentioned. Khaman Maluach is still adjusting to college ball, but he is 7-2 and at times you see where he’s going to be. He’s just not there consistently. However, he’s a major pain in the...lane.
Obviously Cooper Flagg is a superb defender and Kon Knueppel is a much scrappier defender than we expected. He may lead the team in floor burns.
Tyrese Proctor is outstanding on that end and Caleb Foster ain’t bad. However, a big key for Duke’s defense comes off the bench with Maliq Brown and Sion James.
In the last game against a better than expected Seattle, Brown was hugely disruptive. He has a real knack for getting his hands on the ball and either stealing it or just forcing the offense into starting over. Having him come in for Maluach gives Duke two very distinct looks. Both are challenging.
And James has proven to be a huge asset. He's ridiculously powerful. He’s not quite Zion Williamson strong, but he’s nonetheless built like an NFL player. He gives Duke a three-guard rotation that is very difficult to deal with.
As we saw against Seattle, Isaiah Evans, aka the Slim Reaper, got in the game early, and that’s great. Duke’s offense has periodically struggled and he’s proven he can shoot. If he’s playing well enough to get consistent minutes, he could change things for Duke, and possibly a lot. There are sometimes issues that go beyond talent. We loved Sean Stewart last year, but he just lacked a fundamental understanding of what he was supposed to do, and that kept him on the bench far more than he should have been - at least going by his talent.
If Evans has made a leap, he could be trouble for the other team and a major boon for Duke.
The bottom line is this is going to be a high-level game. Auburn brings vastly more experience than Duke, but Duke has a very talented team that has already - by design - taken some knocks. If it doesn’t pay off Wednesday, it will soon.
One last note: you may remember that there was an incident on the flight to Houston that forced Auburn to go back and leave transfer Ja’Heim Hudson and Jahki Howard at home. We have no idea what Pearl’s plans were for them this year, but Houston was game #2 this season. Since then, Hudson has played six minutes, four against Iowa State and two against Memphis, and Howard has got just two, both against Memphis.
Not that it matters, but you may remember that Howard was just ripped for his body language against Vermont. And please note that the guy who goes thermonuclear in this clip is Kelly, who, unlike his teammates, has been in Cameron before.
