For the first time under Tommy Lloyd, Arizona has suffered a loss in November. And it may not be the last, as the remainder of the schedule this month is tough, starting with a big showdown Friday at McKale Center against Duke.
The 12th-ranked Blue Devils are 3-1 this season, their loss coming to Kentucky last week in the Champions Classic. There’s not many players left from the Duke team that Arizona beat in Cameron Indoor Stadium last November, as the roster is loaded with members of the top-ranked recruiting class in the country.
To better understand this current Blue Devils team, we reached out to Dom Fenoglio, a sports managing editor at the Duke Chronicle student newspaper. Here are his insightful answers to our unimaginative questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: Like Arizona, Duke has lost its only game against real competition. What went wrong in that game, and what stood out positively?
Dom Fenoglio: “What went wrong for Duke against Kentucky was simple: the Blue Devils missed too many shots. You can’t win many games shooting under 40 percent from the field and 4 of 24 from behind the arc, especially against a team as talented as Kentucky. I think part of that was early-season jitters and just bad luck, but I have to give a ton of credit to the Wildcats. For most of the first half and the beginning of the second, it seemed like Duke was one run away from pulling away, but Kentucky hung around and ultimately pulled off the upset.
“The silver lining for the Blue Devils is that they can expect to shoot better moving forward, and they still came down to the wire against a top-end team. Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel combined for 39 shots, and I think that experience will only help Duke as it moves forward.”
Cooper Flagg has gotten a ton of preseason hype and rightfully so, but it looks like several freshmen have made immediate impacts. Which of the other newcomers should Arizona be most worried about?
“I mentioned Knueppel above, and he may very well finish as the Blue Devils’ leading scorer this season, but I want to talk about the third freshman in the starting lineup: Khaman Maluach. Standing at 7-foot-2, Maluach brings elite rim protection, and I have been blown away by his game-to-game growth on offense. For the most part, he has been sure handed in the post and made his open shots. That may sound like a low bar, but Maluach’s ability to provide a lob threat completely opens up the paint for Duke’s guards. Moreover, the Blue Devils’ recent win against Wofford showcased just how immense Maluach’s impact is defensively. While certainly a step below in talent, the Terriers simply could not get into the paint when Maluach was on the court. After a few minutes, they stopped even trying.
“My point is, Maluach can impact the game even when he’s not directly touching the ball. Arizona will need to find an answer for Maluach in order to have any success around the rim.”
As for Flagg, where in his game do you see him having the most room to improve?
“The largest area of growth for Flagg is likely his ball handling and individual shot creation in the halfcourt. He is a freight train in transition, and his defensive instincts are top-notch. However, he gets stuck at times when he can’t simply run by his defender. Look at the final few possessions of the Kentucky game; Flagg tried to drive straight, got stopped and turned the ball over. He isn’t sloppy with the ball to the point of concern, but he certainly has room to grow in beating his man without using his athleticism.
“Keep an eye on any possessions where Flagg gets the ball in isolation. If he can turn those plays into easy points, Arizona may be in for a long night. But, if the Wildcats can force Flagg into bad decisions, they can knock Duke off its rhythm.”
Arizona has a ridiculous 50 percent offensive rebound rate through three games and is in the top 5 nationally in preventing offensive boards. How will Duke keep the Wildcats off the glass?
“Rebounding starts with Flagg and Maluach, but I think it will be the backcourt that dictates the rebound battle Friday. The Blue Devils don’t have a player on their roster shorter than 6-foot-5, but that doesn’t mean much if players like Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster don’t crash the glass. So far, they have both done a good job getting their hands dirty, but I worry about this against a team like Arizona that is so talented on the boards. Duke may need to slow down a beat in its transition offense in order to make sure the Wildcats don’t get too many extra shots.”
Not including conference challenges, where it didn’t have a say, this will be the first time Duke plays a nonconference road game at another school’s campus in a long time. Hearing there’s a home and home coming up with Michigan State, too. Why does it seem like Jon Scheyer is more willing to play such games than Coach K?
“I think it’s more of a reflection of the state of college basketball. For the longest time under Coach K, Duke didn’t need to schedule tough nonconference opponents to ensure itself a top seed come March Madness. The slow decay of the ACC, coupled with the growth of talent across the nation has created a world in which the Blue Devils need more marquee matchups before conference play starts. I am personally a huge fan of these types of games, and hope they continue to grow moving forward.”
Prediction time. Does Duke repay the favor and hand Arizona its first nonconference home loss under Tommy Lloyd or do the Wildcats sweep the home and home but buck the trend and not rush the court after beating the Blue Devils? Give us a score prediction.
“Despite its loss last week, I’m still too high on Duke to pick Arizona. The talent on the roster is simply ridiculous, and barring another abysmal shooting night, I think the Blue Devils pull away in a close one. What makes Duke especially dangerous is its defensive prowess. Unlike last year without a true center, Maluach gives the Blue Devils an anchor, and the other four players’ versatility makes most offensive schemes difficult to run. For a score, I’ll go with 81-75 Duke over Arizona.”