Game Preview: Duke Blue Devils vs South Dakota Coyotes - SCACCHoops.com

Game Preview: Duke Blue Devils vs South Dakota Coyotes

by DukeBlogger.com

Posted: 12/2/2017 1:35:43 PM


Duke takes on South Dakota fresh off of a battle with the Indiana Hoosiers in the ACC - Big10 Challenge.

The Coyotes come into the game at 7-2 and on a 2 game winning streak having last beaten UMKC by 19 behind Matt Mooneys's 30 point game. South Dakota will look to take advantage of what very well could be a mentally and physically tired Duke team. Duke has expended a lot of energy in a short time. Between the PK-80 and the ACC - Bi10 Challenge Duke has been tested in every conceivable way and with a team made up of primarily freshmen at some point you wonder if the fatigue will cause this team to have a let down that they cant recover from. The crowd in Cameron will have to urge and exhort this team when their legs may fail them.

South Dakota as a team shoots fewer 3 pointers than Duke so Duke's perimeter defenders will still need to move their feet effectively and even though they may not expect a barrage of 3 pointers we all know what happens when teams take a shot at Duke. Even if this game isn't a blowout I definitely see Coach K giving his bench players extended minutes in this game as it should provide a good opportunity to not only lessen the load for the starters but get some good reps for other players before ACC season begins.

Scoring wise the Coyotes are paces by junior guard Matt Mooney who averages 18.3 ppg and 3.4 assists. Mooney hits 40% of his 3 point shots. Mooney takes about 6 shots a game from beyond the arc so he is one that Duke will have to pay close attention to on the perimeter. Junior forward Tyler Hagedorn comes in at 13.2 ppg and 5 rebounds per game. Hagedorn is a sneaky good shooter from the forward spot, and while he doesn't shoot a lot of 3 pointers he is efficient at nearly 40%.

Duke should have a decided edge in every conceivably category and the only way Duke has issues in this game is if its by fatigue and a perfect storm of outside factors.

This article was originally published at http://www.DukeBlogger.com. If you are interested in sharing your website's content with SCACCHoops.com, Contact Us.

 


Categories: Basketball, Duke, Preview

Recent Articles from DukeBlogger.com


Recommended Articles



SCACC Hoops has no affiliation to the NCAA or the ACC
Team logos are trademarks of their respective organizations (more/credits)

Privacy Policy