Duke basketball: Studs and duds leave many clamoring for more

Duke basketball forward Paolo Banchero (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke basketball forward Paolo Banchero (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
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Duke basketball
Duke basketball forward Wendell Moore (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)

Aspects of the Duke basketball team were duds against Georgia Tech

Wendell Moore

Wendell Moore finally had a bad game this season.

It happens, but it’s remarkable how good the junior captain forward has been this year for the Blue Devils.

Moore was just 2-of-11 from the field in 35 minutes for just eight points, two rebounds, and two assists with three turnovers and two fouls on the night.

There is nothing much more to read into with Wendell Moore’s game on Tuesday than just an ‘off night’. Expect Moore to be his spectacular self when Duke returns to the court on Saturday against Miami.

Jeremy Roach

Jeremy Roach also had a tough night against the Yellow Jackets with nine points, three rebounds, and three assists on 1-of-5 shooting as seven of his points came at the free throw line.

The poor offensive nights for a number of players could be attributed to the time away from the gym and losing chemistry with the rest of the team.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes Duke to recoup the chemistry it had before the pause.

Free Throw Shooting

One thing that has nothing to do with time away from the gym or team chemistry is free throw shooting, and it was bad on Tuesday night.

Duke was 65.0-percent from the charity stripe (26-of-40). In a closer contest, this could have easily cost the Blue Devils a chance at winning the basketball game.

The one good thing is that Duke was able to shoot 40 free throws, but it has to capitalize once it gets to the free throw line in bigger and more important games down the stretch of the season.