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Alex O’Connell and Cassius Stanley need to be spark-plugs of Blue Devils

By Kevin Connelly

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 02: Alex O'Connell #15 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 02: Alex O'Connell #15 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Basketball team has two spark-plugs on its roster this year and it’s Alex O’Connell and Cassius Stanley.

In the first exhibition game on Saturday night against Northwest Missouri State, Duke lacked an offensive punch but throughout the regular season, two players must step up to be the offensive spark-plugs in Cassius Stanley and Alex O’Connell.

O’Connell may be able to crack the starting lineup and Stanley is most likely to come off the bench in his first season as a Blue Devil but both have similar skill sets.

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The two can jump with just about anyone in the gym, as Stanley broke Zion Williamson‘s vertical jump record during the Duke annual preseason combine and O’Connell has shown his bounce throughout his career as a Blue Devil.

While Alex O’Connell is the more proven 3-point shooter between the two, only because Stanley has yet to play in a collegiate game that counts, both players need to bring energy to the floor.

A big dunk, a deep 3-pointer, a hustle play on defense, that is what Duke is going to need from these two players that can send shockwaves through any gym they step into, especially Cameron Indoor Stadium, which will translate to the Blue Devils that are on the floor.

It’s likely that Duke will lean on Tre Jones, Vernon Carey Jr., and Matthew Hurt for the heavy lifting on the offensive side of the ball, but an extra punch from O’Connell and/or Stanley would go a big way to taking the pressure off the two freshmen and sophomore.

Alex O’Connell, Cassius Stanley, and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils will have one exhibition game left on Wednesday night against Fort Valley State before opening night from Madison Square Garden when No. 4 Duke takes on the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks in the State Farm Champions Classic on November 5.

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