Duke Blue Devils
ACC (25-6, 15-5)
This has been an odd season for Duke. They beat teams like Kansas and Michigan State, proving that this young team can be very, very good. But there have been some tough losses too. Duke fell to Stephen F. Austin early in the year and had some bad losses at Clemson, North Carolina State and Wake Forest too.
Big Wins: 11/5 vs Kansas (68-66), 12/3 at Michigan State (87-75), 2/10 Florida State (70-65)
Bad Losses: 11/26 Stephen F. Austin (83-85), 1/14 at Clemson (72-79), 2/25 at Wake Forest (101-113)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Why They Can Surprise:
Duke has a very talented and explosive offense. Vernon Carey has lived up to his hype as a freshman, averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. The 6-10 forward is loaded with talent and he certainly has shown that on many occasions this season. Point guard Tre Jones has turned into a great leader of this team. The sophomore was always going to play tough defense and set up his teammates, but he has turned into a prolific scoring threat as well, averaging 16.2 points on top his 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals. With Cassius Stanley and Matthew Hurt able to score in a variety of ways, Duke certainly does not lack in talented scoring options.
Why They Can Disappoint:
By the numbers, Duke only has a couple weak spots. Turnovers are the biggest one that can cause them problems during the NCAA Tournament. Jones does not deserve all of the blame by any means, but he does need to keep the Blue Devils under control. The outside shooting is also not that great. Jones, Stanley and Hurt will make some and they do relatively consistently, but this is not a prolific three-point shooting team. Normally Duke does not need to make up a bunch of points in a hurry though so it has not been much of an issue so far. The far bigger potential issue is foul trouble. If Carey or Hurt must spend a significant amount of time on the bench, Duke will need Wendell Moore and Justin Robinson to step up and be more dangerous on the offensive end of the floor.
Probable Starters:
Tre Jones, Sophomore, Guard, 16.2 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 spg
Jordan Goldwire, Junior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 2.3 apg
Cassius Stanley, Freshman, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Wendell Moore, Freshman, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Vernon Carey, Freshman, Center, 17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Role Players:
Justin Robinson, Senior, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Matthew Hurt, Freshman, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Alex O’Connell, Junior, Guard, 5.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 82.5 (2nd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.0 (138, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.0 (27, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.7 (103, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (200, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.2 (79, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (132, 7)
Rebound Margin: 5.7 (29, 3)
Assists Per Game: 15.5 (24, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (185, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over North Dakota State |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over UCF |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Semi-final win over Virginia Tech |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Michigan State |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Iona |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Rhode Island |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Syracuse |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Kansas |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Troy |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to South Carolina |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over North Carolina-Wilmington |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Yale |
| 2016 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Oregon |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Robert Morris |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over San Diego State |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Utah |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Gonzaga |
| 2015 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Michigan State |
| 2015 | NCAA | National Final win over Wisconsin |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Mercer |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Albany |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Creighton |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Michigan State |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Louisville |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Lehigh |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Hampton |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Michigan |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over California |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Purdue |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Baylor |
| 2010 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over West Virginia |
| 2010 | NCAA | National Final win over Butler |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Binghamton |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Texas |
| 2009 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Belmont |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to West Virginia |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to VCU |
*all team stats through 3/8
