Stock Up, Stock Down: Examining a second straight Duke basketball loss
Tre Jones
Tre Jones did not have his best game on Saturday night, offensively or defensively.
Jones went scoreless in the first half but was able to score 12 points in the second half as the sophomore went just 5-of-16 from the floor.
The sophomore was unable to stop Dave Johnson, the Louisville backup guard who was averaging 3.7 points per game, who scored 19 points against the Blue Devils despite not playing the closing minutes due to a shoulder injury.
A rare off game in mid-January for Tre Jones is completely fine and normal as compared to an off game in mid-March that could cost the Blue Devils its season.
Tre Jones will bring Duke to its full potential this season and the point guard should be continuously be relied upon for the Blue Devils.
Alex O’Connell
Once Wendell Moore went down with his hand injury, Alex O’Connell was a player that needed to step up in his absence.
O’Connell played well in Duke’s first game without Moore against Georgia Tech, but since then it has been painful to watch him on the floor and on Saturday he was only able to log two minutes in the loss.
Defense has been a weak point for the junior all season long, but entering the season O’Connell had shown the potential to be a threat from 3-point range but that has not come to the forefront this season.
Alex O’Connell’s confidence could be shrinking and the once promising outlook for the guard should be shifting to a lesser role as a bench player.
Vernon Carey Jr.
It hasn’t been often this season where Vernon Carey Jr. found himself on the ‘Stock Down’ list but Saturday night wasn’t one of the big man’s best.
Carey Jr. couldn’t stay on the floor due to foul trouble and the lack of shooting around the freshman has forced into double teams in which he has not been able to figure out.
Against Louisville, Carey Jr. played just 23 minutes but was still able to net 12 points and six rebounds but his four turnovers and four fouls casted a dark shadow over his performance.
Vernon Carey Jr. has developed into one of the best players in the country this season and for Duke to maintain that success, the big man will have to avoid foul trouble and work getting out of double-teams for the Blue Devils to regain its old momentum.