Fresh off of beating Georgetown in the 2k Empire Classic the Blue Devils are set to return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks of the Southland Conference. The Lumberjacks have won the conference 5 times in the regular season and the Southland Tournament 5 times.
The Opponent:
The Lumberjacks are 4 - 1 and coming off of their first loss of the season to Rutgers 69-57, where they shot 15.4% from 3 point range, which is roughly half of their season average. SFA was able to score 21 points off of Rutgers turnovers but they also gave up the exact same amount from their own turnovers with each team turning the ball over 19 times and yielding 21 points. All 5 starters for SFA are juniors with the tallest being 6'7. The tallest player on the Lumberjack roster is 6'9 forward Charlie Daniels.
The leading assist man for the Lumberjacks is John Comeaux at 3.6 per game, Comeaux also averages 10.6 points per game. The leading scoring is guard Kevon Harris, at 19.4 a game, he also adds 5.8 rebounds per contest. Leading in the rebound category is Gavin Kensmill at 7 rebounds per game, he also averages 12 points. The Lumberjacks are a top 40 team in steals coming in at 36th.
Players to Watch:
Junior guard Kevon Harris is shooting 40% from beyond the arc for the the Lumberjacks and over 80% from the free throw line.
Duke:
The Blue Devils are 6 - 0 on the season so far, having notable wins against Kansas and the Georgetown Hoyas most recently 81-73. Duke 3rd in the country in offensive rebounding, 20th in steals, 23rd in blocked shots. Duke is second currently to only Michigan State in Adjusted Efficiency Margin according to the 2020 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings to date.
Vernon Carey Jr. leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 18 per game, Carey Jr. also leads the team in rebounds at 9 per game. Tre Jones leads Duke in assists per game at 6.2 adding 14.8 points per game.
My Synopsis:
Duke should have little problem with the Lumberjacks if they play to their strengths and are also efficent on offense, the Devils are playing fast but still turning the ball over around 14 times per game - around 209th nationally. Duke could use this game as a get-right game for their better outside shooters who have struggled. Alex O'Connell and Matthew Hurt should be able to tee off in this game which would be a welcome development for the Blue Devils as the competition starts to toughen.
