Here are a few last minute points of interest to complement the preview for today’s game.
Backcourt
Duke starts four guards, with Grayson Allen a national Player of the Year candidate entering the seasonyield. But now Allen, who averages 15.9 points, hasn’t even been the best player on his team. That would be Luke Kennard, who averages 20.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists and has made 41 percent of his 3-pointers.
Edge: Duke
Frontcourt
Amile Jefferson (15.6 points, 10.3 rebounds) averages a double-double for the Blue Devils. Jayson Tatum missed the first eight Duke games because of a foot injury, but has shown in his first two games why he was the Gatorade national Player of the Year last season, averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Duke is outrebounding opponents by an average of 39.9-32.2.
Edge: Duke
Bench
UNLV coach Marvin Menzies isn’t afraid to go deep into his bench, especially early in games. And the Rebels do have some talent there, but the Blue Devils are on another level. And now that they’re getting healthier, coach Mike Krzyzewski has even more options at his disposal.
Edge: Duke
Intangibles
All the pressure is on Duke, but this is a program used to playing on the big stage. The Blue Devils were in New York just on Tuesday playing Florida in Madison Square Garden. They will not be fazed by the atmosphere, and the Blue Devils simply know how to win.
Edge: Duke
