Preview: No. 4 Duke Looks to Rebound Versus Miami

The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils welcome the Miami Hurricanes to Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday at 9 p.m.

For the first time this season Duke must recover from a loss instead of continuing their winning streak. On Sunday afternoon Duke traveled to PNC Arena where they dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten thanks to the NC State Wolfpack. NC State outplayed Duke for the majority of the game and managed to grab a 19-point lead in the second half. Duke tried to mount a furious comeback but the Wolfpack were not going to let the game slip away.

Dec 31, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Amile Jefferson (21) and guard Tyus Jones (5) defend as Wofford Terriers guard Derrick Brooks (1) tries to pass the ball in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

NC State fought off Duke’s best attempt at a comeback and won the game 87-75. Even though they lost the game on Sunday was not their worst all-around performance of the year. The Blue Devils only turned the ball over 10 times and they won the battle of the boards 39-37.

Duke was able to get good shots and create opportunities for their teammates but the shots just were not falling. The Blue Devils had their worst shooting game of the year. They shot 24-65, 36.9 percent, from the field and 7-27, 25.9 percent, from three. NC State did play a large role in their inability to make shots.

The Wolfpack blocked 10 shots and were contesting almost every three that Duke took. If the Blue Devils aren’t able to make open shots versus Miami they may fall victim to their second straight upset.

The Miami Hurricanes are not a team to be taken lightly. If Duke is even slightly overlooking Miami then they are in for a long tough game. The Hurricanes are a relatively young team, but they have experience where it matters most.

Miami is led by transfer point guard Angel Rodriguez and transfer guard Sheldon McClellan. Rodriguez transferred from Kansas State and sat out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules and McClellan transferred from Texas and also sat out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

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Rodriguez is an elite defender who has the ability to score the basketball. He is an extremely tough player and has the experience to go along with his toughness. As a sophomore at Kansas State Rodriguez was named All-Big 12 Second Team, Big 12 All-Defensive Team and Phillips 66 All-Championship Team. Rodriguez helped lead the Wildcats to a Big 12 Co-Championship. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals while starting all 33 games for the Wildcats. Rodriguez can do it all and will be a handful for Tyus Jones all game long.

NC State proved that Duke may have trouble defending a bigger and more physical guard. The Blue Devils are relatively small at guard with Quinn Cook being listed at 6-2 and 185 pounds and Tyus Jones being listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds. NC State’s Trevor Lacey, 6-3 and 210 pounds, lit up Duke for 21 points with five made three-pointers. Cook will be charged with another difficult task in guarding McClellan.

Sheldon McClellan knows how to score. As a freshman at Texas he was the second leading scorer on the team with 11.3 points and managed to score more than 20 points in two separate games. As a sophomore McClellan only got better as he increased his average by two points per game. He averaged 13.5 points while appearing in 34 games.

Now that both players are in their junior season they continue to get better. McClellan and Rodriguez are a dynamic duo who combine to score 30 points per game out of the Hurricanes 69.8 points. To stop Miami Duke must stop one if not both of the Hurricanes top players.

For Duke to earn a victory they must play better team defense. Before the NC State game the Blue Devils were playing great team defense. If a man was beat off the bounce then there would be one or two defenders in help position. Duke was limiting teams to less than 10 assists per game because of their team defense. The Blue Devils need to apply more pressure on the ball to take away easy passing lanes.

Jan 11, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward BeeJay Anya (21) pulls down a rebound between Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) and forward Justise Winslow (12) during the first half at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

What to Watch For: How does Duke defend the ball? How well the defense can perform is going to determine how far the Blue Devils go in March. Duke needs to apply more pressure on the ball so they close the passing lanes and create Miami to turn the ball over. Watch for an increase in intensity on defense from Duke.

Good teams rarely have two poor shooting games in a row. Duke is looking to bounce back from their horrific shooting on Sunday and Cameron Indoor Stadium should provide a nice boost in their shooting percentages.

The first five minutes of the game are going to be important for the Blue Devils. Duke needs to get off to a quick start and see the ball go through the hoop. If the Blue Devils start off slow and miss shots early expect Miami to keep it close all game long. If the Blue Devils make a few early shots then expect them to make one of their big runs and open the game up.

Key Match-Ups: Guard play. A great match-up is going to be the battle between Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook versus Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan. Jones and Cook have to be aggressive and attack the basket for Duke to be at its best. When Duke is at its best Tyus Jones is creating for his teammates and himself. The duo needs to be aggressive offensively.

Jahlil Okafor versus Tonye Jekiri. Okafor is a dominant big man with terrific low post moves. He is patient with the ball and rarely makes mistakes. The exception was the first half of the Wake Forest game where he was careless with his passes. Outside of the Wake Forest game Okafor has shown poise when he catches the ball and is doubled. Jekiri is big. He is 7 feet tall and weighs 244 pounds. Jekiri will look to make Okafor work and fight for every rebound and every basket while also making Okafor play defense. Should be a fun battle to watch in the paint. Okafor is the better player but Jekiri is a big body which may mean Miami won’t have to double team Okafor.

Prediction: Duke will bounce back from their loss on Sunday at NC State and overpower Miami. The Blue Devils will have a better defensive effort but will also shoot much better than 36.9 percent. Ultimately Duke and the Cameron Crazies will be too much for Miami. Duke wins the game 80-68.

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