No. 5 Duke takes on unranked Florida in the Jimmy V. Classic from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Gators have won two straight after suffering their only loss of the season to Gonzaga on November 25 (77-72). Duke has won six straight games and they are starting to get healthier. Freshman Jayson Tatum made his season debut in their 94-55 win over Maine, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Freshman Marques Bolden (7 points, 5 rebounds) also played his first game coming off an injury.
Florida does not do anything special to win games. They are shooting just 44 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. Therefore, defense and rebounding are extremely important. That defense was on display last Thursday, when they beat up on North Florida on the road. Junior guard Chris Chiozza led Florida with a season-high 16 points and nine assists off the bench. Sophomore Justin Leon (6-8 206) added 13 points in just 17 minutes of action. The Gators shot 58.5 percent from the floor and 9-19 (47.4%) from beyond the arc. They held the Osprey to just 37.7 percent shooting from the floor and forced them to commit 20 turnovers.
The Gators have not exactly played a tough schedule, but they have taken care of business against the better squads. In the AdvoCare Invitational, they beat Seton Hall (81-76) and lost to Miami-Fla. (65-56), but fell to Gonzaga in between on November 25. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen leads the team with 12.4 points per game, while shooting 41.4 percent from the field. Grad transfer Canyon Barry (from Charleston) adds 12.1 points and shoots 41.9 percent from the field.
Even though Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was probably thrilled to get Tatum and Bolden back from injuries, he had to be happy with the way Duke played in their domination of Maine on Saturday. Wing Luke Kennard led the way with 35 points and eight rebounds on 11-of-16 from the field. Duke shot an incredible 60 percent from the field and only attempted 6-of-14 from 3-point range. That is because they had a huge size advantage and took advantage of by outrebound the Black Bears, 46-19. The additions of 6-11, 245-pound Bolden, Tatum (6-8, 205) along with Amile Jefferson (6-9, 230) and Chase Jeter (6-10, 230), gives the Blue Devils some much-needed size.
Jefferson had a strong game with 20 points and nine boards on 9-11 shooting. They also won without guards Grayson Allen (toe) and freshman Frank Jackson (foot), but they did not really need them. Allen is shooting just 37.1 percent on the season and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. He appeared to be finding his range in their last two games against Appalachian State (21 points) and Michigan State (24 points). Duke is averaging 85.7 points per game and shooting 49 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. They allow just 63.2 points per game and teams shoot just 39.6 percent from the field against them (26.6% 3 PT).
Notables:
- INJURY REPORT
- There are a few notes on status in the Duke Last Time section.
- At the time of writing this preview, status has remained unchanged.
Endgame
Duke will obviously do that they need to in order to win the game but more importantly for Duke, in my opinion, is the further integration of Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden into the lineup effectively. Making sure they are able to manufacture some report with fellow teammates. With Grayson Allen and Frank Jackson back in the lineup it will be interesting to see how Duke comes out especially on offense. Florida is a formidable opponent and now has cracked the top 25 and rolling. Duke will have the advantage but Duke is also in a transition period.
Florida is facing a Duke team that is close to being 100 percent healthy. Tatum and Bolden add more size and depth to a team that was playing with six and seven players. Florida does not have the offensive firepower to keep up with a team that is loaded with talent and experience. Therefore, I see Duke pulling away for a 78-65 victory.
This is an excerpt, read the full preview here
