Duke basketball: 3 studs, 3 duds from home weekend sweep
Duke basketball studs in its weekend sweep over Army and Campbell:
Wendell Moore
The fifth player in Duke history to record a triple-double, and the third under Mike Krzyzewski, was none other than junior captain Wendell Moore on Friday night against Army.
Moore got his season off to a great start in a complementary role against Kentucky, and he took the lead against the Black Knights with 19 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.
The junior continues to prove he is ready for the next step in his career and has emerged as a go-to player on this year’s team, but he avoided a disaster on Saturday night against Campbell.
Less than a minute into the game against the Camels, Wendell Moore left with what looked like a knee injury and went back to the locker room. He then returned to the bench, and eventually the game, as he finished the victory with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Moore could be the X-factor for this Blue Devil squad in its pursuit of a National Championship, and he is proving he is up for the task.
Jeremy Roach
It took a little bit of time for Jeremy Roach to get acclimated to his role on this year’s team, but he seems much more confident as a shooter this season.
Roach, who has been on and off the ball this season, finished with 14 points, three rebounds, and four assists against Army on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
The Virginia native also posted 14 points against Campbell while chipping in three rebounds and four assists on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor.
After a below-average outing on opening night against Kentucky, Roach had a very good weekend, and perhaps that is what he needed to jumpstart his sophomore season.
Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero was a stud against Kentucky and deserved all of the headlines he received.
However, against two lesser opponents, the Seattle, Washington native was special yet again but did not gather the national headlines with one of his teammates registering a triple-double.
Banchero posted his first double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes on Friday night against Army and another 18 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes against Campbell.
Paolo Banchero is a National Player of the Year candidate. As long as he stays healthy, the Blue Devils will be in the mix for title consideration all season long.