5 compelling observations as Duke bounces back with blowout win over SIU-Edwardsville

No, there was no magic fix for the issues that plagued Duke during Tuesday night's loss to Michigan State in Chicago, but the Blue Devils did what they needed to do on Friday in Cameron Indoor to earn a 90-47 blowout win over an overmatched SIU-Edwardsville.

It was a balanced offensive effort for Duke with six players finishing in double-figure scoring and no one player scoring more than 13 points.

Here are the biggest observations from Duke's dominant win:

1. Duke may have a John Blackwell problem

Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell was one of the biggest prizes on the portal market this past offseason. Duke landed him, and he was supposed to step in and be the elite guard the Blue Devils have been missing.

He still might get there, but early returns have not been good. He failed to build off his hot shooting down the stretch against Michigan State, and he had his second single-digit scoring night in four games so far this year.

Blackwell managed just 3 points on 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-6 from three. For the season, Blackwell is now just 8-of-27 (29.6%) from three-point range this season. He was a 38% three-point shooter last season at Wisconsin.

It's still early. There's time for Blackwell to get it going, and chances are that he will. But it has been a rough start for the transfer guard through four games.

2. The three-point shooting might be a real concern

After shooting just 9-of-29 from three against SIUE on Friday night, Duke is now at 30.4% for the season, which ranks 230th among Division I teams. That's not going to get it done.

Caleb Foster stepped up off the bench and hit 3-of-5 from distance, and Duke even got two makes from freshman Cameron Williams. It was a big struggle otherwise.

Blackwell is off to a rough start from three, as mentioned above. Dame Sarr has looked mostly disinterested in even letting them fly, and he's missed the majority of the ones he's taken.

It's an early weakness that will make it a lot more difficult for Duke to do work in the paint if teams don't believe they are a threat from long range.

3. Sebastian Wilkins keeps earning more minutes

In 15 minutes off the bench, Sebastian Wilkins put up 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. He just stuffs the stat sheet when he's out there and does all the little things that don't always show up in the box score.

He did the majority of his damage against SIUE at the free-throw line, knocking down 9-of-10 attempts thanks to his aggressiveness near the rim.

Wilkins is a winning player, and Scheyer is going to have a challenging time keeping him on the bench if he continues playing the way he has in the early season.

4. Patrick Ngongba and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje were mismatches

We talked about it in the pregame that Duke would have a significant advantage on the interior against the Cougars. That proved true, with both Ngongba and Boutmje Boumtje having their way in the paint and keying Duke's +18 advantage on the glass.

Ngongba had 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and blocked 5 shots.

Boumtje Boumtje added 11 points, 9 rebounds, and a steal.

They are a formidable frontcourt duo that will cause a lot of issues for teams throughout the season.

5. Cameron Williams gave Duke really good minutes

Cameron Williams not being a bigger part of the rotation has been surprising for fans who expected the 5-star freshman to be a major contributor as a freshman.

But everyone runs their own race, and Williams is a bit behind the pace after dealing with an illness in the preseason. After not seeing any action in the loss to Michigan State, Williams got in the game for 14 minutes against SIUE, and he made the most of them.

The freshman scored 9 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots in his minutes. Perhaps more importantly, with Duke's struggles from three, he knocked down 2-of-4 attempts from downtown. That could be a key to more minutes for Williams going forward.

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