Duke basketball’s biggest areas for improvement following second loss

Three improvements are critical for Duke basketball to defeat quality foes.

The start of the 2020-21 Duke basketball season hasn’t exactly gone the way the Blue Devils would have liked it too. They have already been crushed on their home floor twice by both Michigan State and Illinois. Duke, now 2-2, also hasn’t looked overly impressive in home wins against inferior opponents Coppin State and Bellarmine.

However, the season is still young, and there is a ton of room for improvement. This Duke basketball team has struggled early this season and has yet to find an identity. But every game presents an opportunity to learn and grow.

Following Tuesday’s 83-68 loss to the Fighting Illini, here are the biggest areas for improvement…

The first area for Duke basketball to improve: TRANSITION DEFENSE

The Blue Devils never really gave themselves a chance against the Illini due to their poor start. Duke trailed, 14-2, before the first media timeout.

The main reason for that was the lackluster transition defense. Illinois is a fast team with a slew of guards who like to push the tempo and get out in the open floor. Duke was simply not ready to match the speed of its counterpart. The Illini were able to capitalize off of Blue Devil turnovers early, and their fast pace allowed them to get open shots in transition.

Taking better care of the basketball should certainly help Duke with transition defense. When the game slowed down a little bit in the second half, the Blue Devils did a solid job of defending the Illini in the halfcourt. Illinois shot an ungodly 58.0 percent from the field. The bulk of that came from the easy dunks and layup due to Duke’s inability to get back on defense.