Duke basketball weekly report card: ‘Here comes Duke’

Duke basketball’s combined defensive grade for Week 4 and 5 of ACC play: B

The Blue Devils made immense improvements from Week 4 to 5 on the defensive end as well.

Pitt and Louisville are two teams that both average less in scoring than Duke. However, the Blue Devils allowed the Cardinals to put up more points than usual.

Transitioning to Week 5, the Blue Devils held their opponents to put up under 70 points. This includes their most recent win, where they held Clemson, who was 10-4, to 53 points.

Along with improving their scoring defense, the Blue Devils have remained consistent in a few areas to create the perfect mixture for efficient defensive production.

Over Week 4 and 5, Duke continued to average multiple forced turnovers. Not only that, they are continuing to capitalize off turnovers for baskets, after averaging 17 points off their opponent’s mistakes.

The Blue Devils also remained among the top five in the ACC in multiple statistical categories like steals per game, turnover margin, and rebounding.