Miami Hurricanes’ style of play will provide challenge for No. 2 Duke Blue Devils
Facing a plodding Georgia Tech team Tuesday night allowed No. 2 Duke to stroll back into game play following its COVID-induced break.
From beating a Yellow Jackets team that plays a slower tempo, though, the Blue Devils must now ramp things up quicker for their next opponent.
Red-hot Miami, winner of eight games in a row and perfect through four ACC games, plays at a faster pace than Georgia Tech.
So the Hurricanes (12-3, 4-0 ACC) present a different challenge when they face Duke on Saturday night (8 p.m., ACC Network) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech, 76-65, on Dec. 22 at Cameron but didn’t play again until topping Georgia Tech, 69-57, on Tuesday night. In between, COVID-19 cases ran through the team and staff, causing two games to be postponed and not allowing the team to practice as so many were isolating and quarantining.
The Blue Devils (12-1, 2-0 ACC) held one full practice, on Monday, prior to beating Georgia Tech. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said getting the team back to full condition is a challenge because when practice was shut down players couldn’t do much to stay in shape.
“Obviously, they can do some things on their own cardio-wise, bike or treadmill,” Krzyzewski said. “I wish I could tell you our exact plan. I follow the advice of our sport scientists, our doctors and the trainers. We didn’t get anybody hurt (vs. Georgia Tech). It’s going to be a lot, but it’s a long season.“
Thus far this season, Georgia Tech plays at a tempo slower than most ACC teams. The Yellow Jackets aren’t as deliberate as Virginia, which is the slowest-paced team in the country according to KenPom.com. But Georgia Tech’s No. 236 adjusted tempo rating is far closer to the bottom (Virginia, 358) than Duke’s No. 79.
With a strong perimeter game, Miami, at No. 112 nationally, is more like Duke, which presents an issue for the still recovering Blue Devils.
“Yeah it could potentially be a different style than what we faced against Georgia Tech,” Duke senior forward and team co-captain Joey Baker said Thursday. “But I know our guys are competitors. And it doesn’t matter whether we’re winded, tired, whatever we’ll fight through, and we’ll dig deep and find a way. Give it all we have.”
Miami’s strength lies in its backcourt with 6-5 senior Kameron McGusty and 6-3 sophomore Isaiah Wong. The Hurricanes also added 5-11 guard Charlie Moore as a graduate transfer this season after he played at California, Kansas and DePaul earlier in his career.
With such experienced ball handlers, Miami plays fast but not loose. The Hurricanes’ average possession lasts 16.9 seconds, below the national average of 17.3. Duke is also faster than average at 16.3.
Like Duke, Miami takes care of the ball, only turning it over on 14.1% of its possessions – No. 12 nationally. The Blue Devils’ turnover rate (13.2%) is No. 6 nationally.
Of course, any Duke stats must be considered in a different light since, as Krzyzewski said Tuesday, the team is not playing at the same level as it was prior to the COVID break.
Defensively, Duke played very well while beating Georgia Tech. But Duke’s shooting (37.3%) marked its worst accuracy of any game this season. It was only the second time the Blue Devils shot worse than 40%.
When the team gathered Thursday for its first practice since the Georgia Tech game, fixing that offense was as much a focus on regaining conditioning.
“Two main areas in the Georgia Tech game,” Duke junior forward and team co-captain Wendell Moore said Thursday. “Our finishes. I know, me personally, I missed probably two or three easy ones around the rim that usually fall in. And another thing is kind of getting the lane driving and kicking, really the make an extra pass thing we’re doing a lot early in the year, going from good to great shots. I mean, we can still make those good shots. But the great shots we even have a higher percentage of making.”
Averaging 16.3 points per game this season, Moore had his worst scoring night of the season with eight points on 2 of 11 shooting against Georgia Tech. He was also one of four starters asked to play extended minutes despite the lack of practice.
Guards Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels both played 36 minutes, as did freshman forward Paolo Banchero. Moore played 35 minutes.
Again, Georgia Tech’s style of play allowed for that. Not all minutes are equal from game to game because minutes in a fast-paced game can be more tiring.
Against Miami, it’s very likely Duke might have to utilize its bench more. Baker, who only played seven minutes against Georgia Tech, could see more minutes, for example. Expect freshman AJ Griffin, who played 22 minutes against Georgia Tech, to keep getting playing time off the bench.
But no matter what is asked of them, the Blue Devils say they are determined to fight through this stretch and regain the form that has them in the national championship conversation.
“I think that’s something that we could spend a lot of time paying attention to,” Baker said. “But it’s something that you hope that you’ll be able to fight and push through in the game and find a way to win and just kind of grind it out.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Miami Hurricanes’ style of play will provide challenge for No. 2 Duke Blue Devils."