Previewing the ACC/B1G Challenge Matchup Against Indiana
As part of the annual ACC/B1G challenge, the Duke Blue Devils will travel to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana where they will have a date with the Indiana Hoosiers. Let’s take a look at this match-up and I will give my prediction on the outcome of the game.
Tonight the Blue Devils will take on the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. Duke comes into the game 8-0 following a big win against number seven Florida, while Indiana comes into it 4-2 with losses against Seton Hall and Indiana State. So what does this game look like?
Blue Devils by the Numbers:
Leading Scorers: Marvin Bagley III 22.3 PPG, Grayson Allen 16.5 PPG
Assist Leaders: Trevon Duval 6.5 APG, Grayson Allen 4.6 APG
Rebound Leaders: Marvin Bagley III 11.3 RPG, Wendell Carter Jr. 9.1 RPG
Points Per Game: 90.625
Rebounds Per Game: 46.125
Assists Per Game: 20.0
Steals Per Game: 7.75
Turnovers Per Game: 12
Hoosiers by the Numbers:
Leading Scorers: Robert Johnson 13.7 PPG, Juwan Morgan 11.8 PPG
Rebound Leaders: Juwan Morgan 5.5 RPG, Robert Johnson/De’Ron Davis 4.2 RPG
Assist Leaders: Josh Newkirk 3.3 APG, Aljami Durham 3.0 APG
Points Per Game: 77.83
Rebounds Per Game: 35.16
Assists Per Game: 15.66
Steals Per Game: 5.66
Turnovers Per Game: 12.83
Must Read: Duke Freshman Marvin Bagley III Is Dominating College Basketball
Keys to the Game:
If Duke wants to win this game they are going to have to win the first half. In four of their last five games Duke has been down heading into the second half but they have overcome the deficit in order to win the game. This game however is much different than each and every one of those games.
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This will be the Blue Devils first true road game of the season and it will be interesting to see how they react to such a hostile crowd. If Duke goes down like they did in the second half against both Texas and Florida it will be far tougher for them to come back.
Key number two is foul trouble. If Duke is going to win this game they cannot get into foul trouble early. If they get into foul trouble early and put the Hoosiers in the bonus it will be tough for Duke to keep up. As a team Indiana is shooting 65.9% from the free throw line. Not great but if the Blue Devils put them in the bonus early like they did against Texas then it will be tough for Duke to compete.
Key number three is defense. Coach K has been playing a zone defense for a good part of the season which has seemed to work and as soon as they switched to man in the PK80, Duke started to go under. Indiana is shooting 50.3% from the field with a 35.1% three point percentage, which is better than Duke’s percentages which are at 49.2% and 34.1% respectively.
If Duke is going to win this game they need to Robert Johnson, Juwan Morgan, and De’Ron Davis from having big games on the offensive.
The final key for Duke to improve to 9-0 and leave Bloomington with a win (something the Tar Heels couldn’t do last year) Marvin Bagley III and Grayson Allen need to continue what they’re doing. After a huge showing in the PK80 Marvin Bagley III won the ACC Freshman of the Week and ACC Player of the Week honors.
If the Blue Devils want to win Marvin Bagley III needs to be a big presence. When Grayson Allen had three fouls and no points in the first half against Texas the Blue Devils were struggling. Without their senior captain the Blue Devils entered the second half down 12 which just goes to show you how important he is to this team.
Next: Takeaways From the Nike PK80 Invitational Tournament
Prediction:
I think Duke will start out slow but finish strong. The first five minutes of this game are going to be key in order to leave for a victory and Duke will do just enough in those five minutes to do exactly that. If the Blue Devils go down in the first five minutes those crazy Hoosier fans will be electric and it will be tough to communicate on the court.
In order to stop that from happening Duke needs to play tough defense and not commit any turnovers.
Behind Marvin Bagley III’s third straight game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds the Blue Devils will leave with a dominant victory over Indiana after an impressive second half.