JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Conor O'Neill, publisher of DevilsIllustrated.com, to get his thoughts on tonight's game between No. 1 Kansas and No. 11 Duke. One of the most highly anticipated showdowns of the college basketball season will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
1) Duke is 4-1 on the season and ranked No. 11 in the updated AP Poll. What has been the biggest key to the Blue Devils’ success this season?
It’s basically a mashup of the two best things about Jon Scheyer’s first two teams at Duke.
Two seasons ago, with Dereck Lively II in the middle, Duke’s strength was what it could do defensively. It didn’t force turnovers as much as it just suffocated teams on that end of the court. This year’s team, with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach on the interior, can rely on some of the same principles.
And last year, Duke was an elite shooting team (with defense lacking in big moments too often). That had a lot to do with Jared McCain, but also with Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor scoring efficiently. This year’s team plays a five-out offense and only one player in the eight-man rotation (Maliq Brown) hasn’t made a 3-pointer.
2) Cooper Flagg arrived on campus with the highest of expectations and appears to be playing up to those expectations. How good has Flagg been and how important will he be against Kansas?
He has, pretty simply, met or exceeded expectations so far — depending on how good you thought he’d be.
Honestly, he’s more of a scorer than I thought he’d be. My hot take entering the season was he wouldn’t score 15 points per game because he’s just not wired to be a go-to scorer; his game is much more balanced, with emphasis on all-around impact on both ends.
He still might not average 15 … but he’s scored 26 and 24 against Kentucky and Arizona, respectively.
So, given that’s what Flagg has done in Duke’s other two big games, he’s paramount to Duke’s success in this game. Duke runs a lot of its offense through him, whether he’s playing point forward or initiating from the top of the key.
3) For Duke, what are some of the biggest strengths when it comes to the team and what might be a few big keys for the Blue Devils against Kansas?
Duke is a tougher team than it’s been in years past. Maybe it’s a little too early to say that, maybe that shouldn’t be said until Duke has played a few ACC games.
But adding the transfer trio — Brown, Sion James, and Mason Gillis — introduced a different level of maturity and toughness to a team that starts three freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior.
So, that should help in this one. The last time Duke played Kansas (Champions Classic two years ago), it was pretty clear the younger team was overmatched to start that game.
Otherwise, it’s the shooting. Duke was 4-for-24 from 3-point range in the loss to Kentucky; Duke is 53-for-130 (40.1%) in its other four games.
4) Lastly, how do you see this game playing out in Las Vegas?
The first thing I want to see is how this game is going to be called and whether Hunter Dickinson will put Duke’s centers in foul trouble. Maluach and Brown have been a little susceptible to picking cheap ones and if one or both of them are on the bench, Kansas’ star can take this game over.
If things are equal in there, I think Duke has the edge here. Hopefully, that doesn’t make me a homer — but I think the Kentucky loss was a good learning point for Duke, and that experience paid off with a win at Arizona.
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