Blue Devils get Whitehead back: How to watch Duke vs. Delaware ACC college basketball game
For the first time this season, No. 7 Duke has its full roster of players for a game.
Freshman forward Dariq Whitehead, sidelined since fracturing his foot on Aug. 29, will be in uniform and available to play when the Blue Devils face Delaware Friday at 7 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the team announced Friday.
The 6-6 Whitehead, projected to be a first-round pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, missed Duke’s first three games due to the injury. He was in uniform for the first time, but didn’t play, when the reigning NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks beat the Blue Devils, 69-64, on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
Duke (2-1) beat Jacksonville, 71-44, in its season opener on Nov. 7 without Whitehead and fellow freshman Dereck Lively, who was out with a strained right calf muscle. The 7-1 Lively returned in a reserve role for Duke’s 84-38 win over South Carolina-Upstate on Nov. 11 and for the Kansas game.
Whitehead gives Duke another option for ball handling and perimeter scoring.
Following the loss to Kansas, Duke coach Jon Scheyer mentioned the “championship DNA” the Jayhawks possessed but his young team lacked. Duke faces another such team Friday night.
Delaware won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship to qualify for the NCAA tournament last March. Though the Blue Hens saw their 22-13 season end with an 80-60 first-round loss to Villanova, they bring several experienced players back this season.
The Blue Hens (1-1) start three seniors plus junior guard Jameer Nelson, who is their leading scorer (18 points per game). Nelson, 6-7 sophomore forward Jyare Davis and 6-4 senior guard Ebby Asamoah are back after starting the NCAA tournament game last spring.
It’s the kind of test Scheyer knows his team, which has only one returning starter from last season’s Final Four team, needs as it finds its footing under a first-year head coach.
On Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Kansas jumped to a 17-6 lead before Duke settled in. The Blue Devils chipped away at the deficit and eventually led by five points in the second half. But Kansas closed on a 15-5 run to win.
“They’ve been there before,” Scheyer said of the Jayhawks. “I thought we came out a little tentative in the beginning. I thought we showed great heart, great resiliency in that second half the game to get the lead.”
The Kansas and Delaware games are part of a challenging stretch where Duke plays either teams from fellow Power Five leagues, good mid-major teams returning experienced players, or both over a two-week stretch.
On Monday, Duke welcomes Bellarmine, which won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament last March, to Cameron Indoor. Transitioning from Division II to Division I, Bellarmine isn’t eligible to play in the NCAA tournament. But the Knights, with four seniors seeing heavy minutes in their playing rotation, still beat Louisville, 67-66, on Nov. 7.
Next week, Duke travels to Portland, Oregon, for the Phil Knight Legacy tournament, opening with Oregon State on Thanksgiving before playing either Florida or Xavier in following day. Gonzaga, Purdue, West Virginia and Portland State await Duke for its third game in the event.
After returning home, Duke plays Ohio State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge on Nov. 30.
Scheyer’s Blue Devils (2-1) need to have learned from the Kansas loss to move forward and play better.
“Game three for our group was, I think, it’s gonna be a big time learning experience,” Scheyer said. “It hurts. That’s how it should feel. But no time to waste. We come right back play again on Friday, the following Monday. And we have a lot of games going forward.”
Tipoff time + TV channel for Friday’s game
The game will start at 7 p.m. on Friday and will air on the ACC’s regional sports network (Bally Sports South in N.C.).
How to stream Duke vs. Delaware game online
Are you a cord-cutter?
If your preferred method of watching games involves streaming, there are options for that, too.
Bally Sports South is not available on Sling, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and YouTubeTV streaming services but it is available on DirectTV Stream and with a subscription to the new Bally Sports+ streaming service. Bally Sports+ is $19.99 a month and a free seven-day trial is available.
Game day details: Duke vs Delaware
Teams: Duke Blue Devils vs. Delaware Blue Hens
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
Date: Friday, Nov. 18
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: Bally Sports South
Betting line: The Blue Devils are 23.5-point favorites with the over-under total at 143.5 points.
Series history: Duke leads the overall series 2-0, having won games over Delaware in 1995 and 2012.
Pregame reading
Duke basketball team’s plane diverted after loss to Kansas. Where it went, and why
What we’ve learned about Duke basketball following its loss to Kansas Tuesday night
Duke falls to Kansas, 69-64, in a back-and-forth heavyweight college basketball battle
With deep breath and cold shower, new era begins at Duke with Jon Scheyer’s first win
Jon Scheyer gets 1st win as Duke coach. Blue Devils beat Jacksonville 71-44 in opener
UNC and Duke lead way as ACC looks for stronger start following March resurrection
Jon Scheyer wants Duke’s defense to be great as new era begins for Blue Devils
Duke coach Jon Scheyer on former Blue Devils guard Kyrie Irving and antisemitism
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 5:10 AM.