Duke basketball has found its shooting touch, with major accomplishments in its sights
One week after the lone hiccup of their ACC season, the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils played offense at a championship level.
Shooting better than it had all season, deftly passing the ball to set up the best shots while avoiding turnovers, getting big games from its best scorers and an emerging new weapon, Duke looked like a team ready to claim titles when it walloped Stanford, 106-70, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils (22-3, 14-1 ACC) are in the regular season’s closing stretch with just five ACC games remaining, plus an intriguing late February nonconference game with Illinois on Saturday night in New York City. If Duke wins the rest of its ACC games, it will win the league’s regular season title.
If the Blue Devils play offense like they did against Stanford, it’s unlikely any league team will topple the Blue Devils.
Duke shot a season-high 62.5% from the field, hitting 14 of 29 3-pointers while hammering the Cardinal (16-10, 8-7 ACC). The Blue Devils finished with 23 assists, just two off their season high, while committing just five turnovers.
They scored 1.61 points per possession, their season best in terms of offensive efficiency.
“We’re just playing free,” said Duke guard Tyrese Proctor, who scored 23 points to match his season high for the second time in three games as preseason all-American Cooper Flagg scored 19 points. “We’ve got so many shooters on the court. If you help on Coop, or help on Kon (Knueppel) on drives, everyone’s loaded up ready for the ball. I think we’re just starting to feel, I mean, I think we have been, but I think right now we’ve got a good rhythm. We’re starting to feel how to play with each other a lot better.”
That’s music to a coach’s ears and eyes, especially with the NCAA Tournament bracket announcement just four weeks away.
“I think the sharing and connecting is what stands out to me,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
That goes for more than just perimeter scoring. Khaman Maluach scored 17 points against Stanford and has reached double figures in consecutive games for the first time since mid-January.
The 7-2 Maluach feasted on lob plays from teammates, including from Flagg and Sion James, for dunks that helped him rack up those points against Stanford.
“I’ve never really played with somebody like Khaman,” Flagg said. “So I’ve been trying to learn, get better and grow into having that connection and being able to find him all the time. It’s been a work in progress. I think we’re starting to kind of find a good groove and good click together.”
The Blue Devils had a stretch of seven consecutive games shooting 50% or better back from late December to late January. Then they hit 50% in only two of the next six games. That included a 43.6% shooting night Clemson beat the Blue Devils, 77-71, on Feb. 8.
In a season of ebbs and flows, Duke had to respond after that lone ACC loss. It certainly did, first while beating California, 78-57, on Wednesday night and was even better in manhandling Stanford.
“Our team has always responded, which they have at a high level,” Scheyer said. “I think that’s allowed us to get better and make a jump. So I think we’re better than we were last week. We have to be better Monday night, and then build from there. I just think I could talk about the character of the guys all day. I think that’s what’s allowed this to happen with the growth and our guys and our team’s development.”
Duke plays again Monday night at Virginia, beginning a stretch of three consecutive games away from home. The Cavaliers (13-12, 6-8 ACC) aren’t faring as well as usual this season, their first since Tony Bennett stepped aside as their head coach.
If the Blue Devils are truly firmly in their groove offensively, they can solidify that with another strong game in Charlottesville.
After stepping out of league play to face Illinois, Duke plays at last-place Miami (6-19, 2-12 ACC) before home games with Florida State (15-10, 6-8 ACC) and Wake Forest (19-7, 11-4 ACC). The regular season ends at Chapel Hill against North Carolina (15-11, 8-6 ACC) on March 8.
That’s the path between where Duke is now and the championships it wants to win in March, starting with the ACC regular season and leading into the ACC Tournament in Charlotte beginning March 11.
Currently No. 4 nationally in offensive efficiency, scoring 126.7 points per 100 possessions, Duke has grown into the type of scoring machine to reach those heights.
“I think it’s just about keeping energy high,” Flagg said. “I think it’s something that we talked about a lot this week, is just keeping the joy. We’re just trying to play with a lot of joy, a lot of energy, and keep everybody high spirits.”