Abbreviated Game Preview
#18/18 Duke Blue Devils [14-4, 2-3] vs. #NR/NR Miami Hurricanes [12-5, 2-3]
January 21, 2017 • 8:15 PM ET • Cameron Indoor Stadium
Media: ESPN, Watch ESPN Link, Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
By Randy Dunson [Note: Please direct comments, suggestions, etc. to @RandyDunson]
ESPN College GameDay
The 13th season of ESPN College GameDay Covered by State Farm will start at Cameron Indoor Stadium tomorrow, January 21, when 18th-ranked Duke hosts the network’s signature pregame college basketball show prior to squaring off with Miami.
The crew of Rece Davis, Seth Greenberg and former Duke stars Jay Bilas and Jay Williams will broadcast from Coach K Court at 11 AM tomorrow morning. In addition to the morning show, there will be an evening edition of College GameDay at 8 PM.
ESPN College GameDay is open to both students and the public with doors to Cameron Indoor Stadium opening at 9 AM This event is FREE of charge.
The public entrance into the event will be from the South Hall of Honor, while both undergraduate and graduate students will enter from the north (Krzyzewskiville) lobby.
General public parking will be available in the Circuit Lots from 7-11 AM with a free courtesy shuttle running from 7 AM-1 PM General public ADA parking will be available in the Edens Lots from 7-11 AM. An ADA wheelchair-accessible shuttle will be available to transport guests from the Edens Lots to Cameron Indoor Stadium. The ADA shuttle will also run from 7 AM-1 PM.
General public parking in the Circuit and Edens lots will be FREE from 7-11 AM ET.
Throughout the pre-show lucky attendees will have the opportunity to win local sponsor gift cards, Duke basketball official team gear, an autographed team poster, an autographed team ball, a personalized Coach K item, and a $500 gift certificate for Delta Air Lines.
Summary
The Duke Blue Devils and the Miami Hurricanes face off on Saturday in ACC college basketball action.
The Duke Blue Devils are 14-4 this season and are coming off of back-to-back losses. Duke is averaging 83.6 points per game and they are shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while defensively they are allowing 66.6 points and their opponents are shooting 41.9 percent. Luke Kennard leads the Blue Devils averaging 20.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Jayson Tatum is averaging 16.8 points and 6.6 rebounds, Grayson Allen is averaging 15.7 points, and Amile Jefferson is averaging 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds. Duke is 9-0 at home and 2-3 in the ACC this season.
The Miami Hurricanes are 12-5 this season and they have lost 3 of their last 4 games. Miami is averaging 73.1 points per game and they are shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while defensively they are allowing 61.5 points and their opponents are shooting 39.1 percent. Davon Reed leads the Hurricanes averaging 15.2 points per game. Ja’Quan Newton is averaging 14.7 points a game for UM, Bruce Brown is averaging 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, and Anthony Lawrence is averaging 7.2 points. Miami is 2-2 on the road this season and 2-3 in ACC.
Endgame
Miami, much like Notre Dame, has been a proverbial thorn in the side of Coach K and Duke. Duke has gone 2-4 against Miami in the last 5 seasons and has never seemed to have the upper hand in the series since Coach Jim Larrañaga has been at the helm. This Duke team, rightfully so, is seen as vulnerable right now with an injured senior Amile Jefferson, a head coach sidelined from surgery and a team with a lot more talent than game time together on the court. Duke has had a week off to try to figure out what has gone wrong and how to fix it. Whether or not a week is enough time remains to be seen. Defensively
Duke has been a mess and despite what a lot of Duke fans are saying, it is not due to a lack of effort but a lack of experience and continuity. Those that think the team is not putting in full effort clearly know nothing about basketball. It is a team that has a lot to learn and is having to do so on a scale much more accelerated than other teams have dealt with. It will be an interesting game and one that if history is any kid of predictor could go either way.
Again, looking at the odds, neither of these teams has covered much but this just looks like a bad matchup for Miami this year and I see Duke winning easily and covering the point spread in the process, 80-65.
