Handful of Duke basketball players see stocks plummet after loss

Duke basketball players who saw their stocks fall against Michigan State

Wendell Moore

There’s really no way to sugarcoat this or say this in a nice fashion, but Wendell Moore was awful on Tuesday night against Michigan State.

After a credible opening game on Saturday, Moore showed flashes of what he could be in Durham as a sophomore but then put forth his worst game as a member of the Blue Devils against the Spartans.

Moore played for 30 minutes and only scored four points, all coming on free throws early in the first half.

The North Carolina native was 0-of-9 from the floor, missing six 3-point attempts.

Given his shooting track record, Wendell Moore should never attempt six 3-pointers in a close game, especially when he doesn’t have a made basket from the field.

Moore was shooting iso jumpers from beyond the arc, ala Jayson Tatum, except he is nowhere close to the shooter the former Blue Devil is.

The most concerning part of Moore continuing to chuck up shots is that he is a veteran on this team, albeit a sophomore, but that’s still being a veteran in the college basketball world.

Moore has the ability to be a great player for Duke. He still needs to put it all together as he progresses in his second season.

Jeremy Roach

Jeremy Roach was rewarded for his afternoon against Coppin State, where he posted six points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals, with a spot in the starting five against Michigan State, and it did not go well at all.

Roach was overmatched by the veteran guards the Spartans possess and was constantly blown by on the defensive end.

The freshman guard fouled out after committing three turnovers in 26 minutes and went 2-of-4 from the field with six points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

In his first battle at the collegiate level, Roach failed, but he cannot dwell on it because All-American Ayo Dosunmu comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium next week.

DJ Steward

After leading the Blue Devils in scoring in the opener, DJ Steward was as cold on Tuesday as he was hot on Saturday.

Another player that was inserted in the starting lineup after his performance, like Moore, all Steward’s points came at the free throw line after going 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range.

Steward is a shooter who will have his days where he is hot and cold, but unfortunately, the five-star freshman was way off with his shot against Michigan State in his first true test at Duke.

Duke will have to shake off the defeat and get back on the court on Friday night (7:00 pm EST, ACC Network Extra) against Bellarmine (0-0) in Durham.