Duke was able to leave Cameron on a happy note by snapping their two game losing streak in a win over Florida State. Duke defeated the Seminoles by a score of 75-70 and notched off yet another resume-building win. Here are the main storylines from the game:
Frank Jackson Lifts Duke
There’s no way around it, Duke would not have won this game without the lift they got from freshman Frank Jackson. Frank dropped a team-high 22 points shooting 8-15 from the field. Jackson is gaining more and more confidence attacking the rim offensively and continues to impress with his ability to stay in front of guards on the defensive end. His acceleration is jaw-dropping and I’ve been saying all year that he has the potential to be one of the best guards in the nation next year. It’s really big for this Duke team that Frank continues to attack the rim because too often, guys like Tatum and Allen are settling for contested jump shots. The pure grit that Frank brings to the table is something this Duke team has been looking for for a long time.
A Great Way to Go Out
It was an emotional day for Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones as they played their final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium but boy did they go out on a positive note. Amile was tremendous all night and is beginning to look more and more like the stout double-double machine we saw before his injury this year. Jefferson shot 6-6 from the field scoring 14 points along with 11 rebounds and four blocks. This win makes Amile the most winningest player in Duke Basketball history at Cameron Indoor. Fellow captain, Matt Jones, also played a sound game of basketball. It was a typical stats-don’t-tell type of game for Matty where he had yet another tremendous game of lockdown defense. Matt makes such a difference for this Duke team and if you don’t believe me just look at who he covers. Game-in and game-out Coach K has Matt guard the best player on the floor because of his textbook defense. He is a pest on the defensive end that Duke will miss in years to come.
All Weight on the Starters
Duke’s starting five scored 73 points. The bench scored two… This is an ongoing concern for the Blue Devils who can’t seem to find any offensive production from their bench. A large part of this, in my opinion, falls on Coach K for not giving Marques Bolden a chance to make a splash. Harry and Marques combined for seven minutes, zero points, and one rebound. This short bench may not work in the big dance when the Devils are forced to play on short rest. The part that doesn’t fall on K is in regards to Grayson Allen. Grayson just can’t seem to find his role on this team. Allen scored two points in fifteen minutes off the bench and every time it seemed like the Blue Devils were running, Grayson was watching from the bench. Duke needs this kid back. I don’t know whether it’s health, psychological or both but Allen must find a way to contribute to this team.
