Cassius Stanley
Cassius Stanley made his introduction to the college basketball world an impactful one on Tuesday night as the freshman notched 13 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals in Duke’s 68-66 victory.
Stanley threw down two vicious dunks that resulted in Duke erasing a nine point deficit and tying the game at 47.
The Los Angeles native also made a three-pointer to give Duke a 52-51 lead and followed that up with an “and-one” which gave the Blue Devils a 62-61 lead that they would not relinquish.
His energy was infectious in Duke’s win and hopefully Cassius Stanley will be able to maintain that level of play throughout the season.
Jack White
Jack White’s stat line won’t jump out at anyone, but the senior forward consistently made winning plays down the stretch with his defense and rebounding.
White logged 19 minutes off the bench and scored three points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block.
The 3-pointer came after a Vernon Carey Jr. 3-pointer that cut the Kansas lead from nine to three in just under a minute but the biggest rebound came in the final seconds as Alex O’Connell missed a 3-pointer, but White crashed the offensive boards and secured the loose ball.
White found Tre Jones who got a friendly roll off the rim to give Duke a 64-61 lead with under a minute to go, all but sealing the victory for the Blue Devils.
Despite the questions of scoring on this Duke team, Jack While might not impact the game that much with his offense, but the Australian will have his fingerprints all over the defensive end and backboards as the Blue Devils look to make a push to the National Championship this season.
Tre Jones
It’s tough for Tre Jones’ stock to go up any more with this Duke Blue Devil team, but he somehow did it on Tuesday night against Kansas.
Does Duke have a go-to scorer? That remains to be seen, but when leading by one needing a bucket in the worst way in the final minute, who was it that had the ball in his hands?
Tre Jones.
And who was it that sunk the shot?
Tre Jones.
The sophomore ended his night with 15 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in addition to two steals and his tenacious defense.
The youngest Jones brother that has walked through Cameron Indoor Stadium will have to be the leaded on and off the court for the Blue Devils this season if Duke envisions a National Championship in April.