Duke basketball’s defense is the best in the country. Why that matters against Kansas
Duke’s goal of playing elite defense, born during roster construction last spring, implemented in summer practices and honed in preseason drills, has already become a reality.
Five games into the college basketball season, the No. 11 Blue Devils are playing the best defense of any men’s team in the country.
KenPom’s defensive efficiency rating is but one metric that shows it as Duke is No. 1 by allowing 87.9 points per 100 possessions. That’s better than the rest of the top five: Tennessee (89.3), Houston (89.4), Iowa State (91.1) and Auburn (92.1).
As the Blue Devils (4-1) prepare to take on No. 1-ranked Kansas (5-0) at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night, Duke coach Jon Scheyer is seeing his vision play out in the season’s earliest weeks.
“Our team, it’s a roster of guys that can guard the ball,” Scheyer said.
Now, it’s fair to point out that five games are a small sample size, and early-season results can skew stats. But two of Duke’s games have been against ranked teams, a 77-72 loss to No. 8 Kentucky and a 69-55 win at No. 24 Arizona. Duke’s strong defensive statistics aren’t because it’s played a series of overmatched teams from smaller conferences.
Last Friday night’s win over Arizona at McKale Center in Tucson is a prime example.
Duke limited the Wildcats to 39.6% shooting, including 6 of 23 (26.1%) on 3-pointers. Arizona turned the ball over 15 times.
Duke’s length and height are the beginning of the reasons for its defensive prowess. The Blue Devils also play strong physically. Plus, the athleticism allows them to switch defenders all over the court while playing man-to-man defense, which thwarts the offense’s screens and limits space to find scoring opportunities.
“We wanted to try to get the ball inside,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “They did a good job keeping it out. And then when we kind of got it in there, I think their size and length impacted that a little bit.”
Scheyer knew he had 6-9 freshman Cooper Flagg arriving along with 7-2 freshman Khaman Maluach, both elite shot blockers. Flagg’s ability to guard on the perimeter is why NBA scouts can’t wait for their teams to draft him.
But Duke also has 6-5 junior guard Tyrese Proctor, who has grown into a strong perimeter on-ball defender. He had the primary assignment on Arizona’s Caleb Love, who scored just eight points on 3 of 13 shooting Friday night.
But Duke added 6-9 forward Maliq Brown in the transfer portal from Syracuse after he led the ACC in steals last season. Scheyer often subs Brown for Maluach, giving opposing offenses a different look. No one on Duke’s roster has deflected as many passes as Brown.
“He’s a menace on the ball,” Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas said. “It’s something that big men — and really, we can switch him and put him on guards — but especially the bigs, they just aren’t accustomed to seeing that.”
In addition, it’s Flagg that leads Duke with 10 blocked shots, averaging two per game.
All offenses want to get the ball inside for paint touches, but doing so against Duke comes with possible peril.
On the perimeter, in addition to Proctor and 6-5 sophomore guard Caleb Foster, Duke brought in 6-6 forward Sion James from Tulane. James has proven to be a versatile defender who matches up well with point guards and small forwards.
“We just have a group that gives us the ability to do a lot of different things,” said Lucas, who is charged with coordinating Duke’s defense. “That’s really what gives you the ability to be a good defensive team.”
That defense will be tested once again against Kansas, which already owns wins over North Carolina and Michigan State this season. The 92-89 win against the Tar Heels, on Nov. 8 in Lawrence, Kansas, was all about offense.
The Jayhawks average 83.6 points per game and have made 51.6% of their shots from the field. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas’ 7-2 center, averages 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
That’s a serious threat to Duke and its defensive reputation.
But the Blue Devils have already shown they are adept on that end and they enjoy the process that allows them to have so much success.
“We have a bunch of guys that are very intentional in listening and watching and following what’s being told to them,” Lucas said. “So that’s the biggest thing, it’s that they’ve been able to do that. Also, just the energy and effort and their competitiveness when it comes to defense is also a big part of it as well.”