Stock Up, Stock Down: Duke steamrolls Notre Dame for easy victory
Vernon Carey Jr.
There isn’t much Vernon Carey Jr. can’t do on the basketball court. While he didn’t pick up another double-double on Saturday night he went for 21 points in 24 minutes against Notre Dame.
Carey was matched up against John Mooney, a top competitor for the ACC Player of the Year, and the Duke freshman dominated to notch four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks in addition to his 21 points.
The Florida native was 8-of-10 from the floor, making his lone attempt from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
Vernon Carey Jr. is one of the most dominant players in the country and still doesn’t get the respect he deserves on a national stage, but that’s fine for Duke as its big man will continue to show out.
Jordan Goldwire
Jordan Goldwire‘s development has been one of the more impressive jobs Mike Krzyzewski has done in recent memory.
Once a player who could barely get on the floor, and when he did it was for defensive purposes, has turned into a viable offensive threat.
On Saturday Goldwire’s defense was outstanding as usual, but also contributed nine points, two rebounds, one assist, and three steals on 4-of-5 shooting and making his only 3-point attempt.
It appears that Jordan Goldwire has carved out a starting role on this Duke team and his ability has allowed Coach K to give Tre Jones a rest at certain points during games.
Tre Jones
Speaking of Tre Jones, he was good on Saturday but when you look at the stat sheet you can see just how good it was.
It’s not often where a player has a quiet game in which he puts up 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 33 minutes but that is what Jones did against the Irish.
The sophomore was 9-of-13 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range as his outstanding season continues.
As the regular season winds down, it would be nice to see Mike Krzyzewski find some breaks for Jones as he will surely ride him all the way in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments to try and keep his leader fresh for the most important games of the season.
Alex O’Connell
Since the second half against North Carolina, Alex O’Connell has been a completely different player.
While the offensive potential was always there for O’Connell, he was always a liability on the floor defensively.
That has changed over the last two and a half games and the junior has received more minutes for his performance.
Against Notre Dame, O’Connell saw 22 minutes off the bench and was 5-of-12 from the field with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals, and a block.
The guard was also 2-of-5 from 3-point range and if Alex O’Connell can provide that type of production each and every night, Duke will be in very good shape going forward.