Three biggest takeaways from Duke basketball’s first victory

Takeaway No. 3: The Duke basketball chemistry needs time to get right

As I mentioned earlier in this article, the Duke basketball win over Coppin State was not exactly pretty. The Blue Devils turned the ball over 22 times. Nearly two dozen turnovers are just simply not going to cut it, especially when Duke gets into ACC play.

The Blue Devils are a fast and dynamic team but at times looked out of control on Saturday. Several of them were not being strong with the ball. There were lazy passes, over-dribbling, and forced shots both inside and outside the arc.

It was not hard to tell this was a team that hadn’t played much together. As the season moves forward, the Blue Devils will inevitably get more comfortable playing with each other. I am honestly not concerned with the high number of turnovers. Guys are still figuring themselves out, figuring the offense out, and learning how to play as a unit.

Duke has too many good ball-handlers and too much overall talent to struggle all year with turnovers.

In my article leading up to the game, I talked about how assistant coach Chris Carrawell was concerned about Duke’s turnover issues. That certainly reared its ugly head on Saturday. The only reason the Eagles were able to stay in the game was that the Blue Devils gave them so many easy points.

Coppin State was able to capitalize off Duke’s turnovers and 19 fouls. The Eagles attempted 21 free throws compared to 10 for the Blue Devils.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball news and views.