#7 Duke Blue Devils (0-0) vs. Fayetteville State Broncos (0-0) Exhibition Game #1
Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 7 p.m. ET
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, NC
Radio: Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
The seventh-ranked Duke men’s basketball team plays its lone exhibition game on Wednesday by welcoming Fayetteville State to Cameron Indoor Stadium. In preparation for the 2022-23 season, the Blue Devils also played a closed scrimmage at preseason-No. 3 Houston on Oct. 29.
This season marks the first for head coach Jon Scheyer, the 2010 Duke graduate and four-year letterwinner for the Blue Devils who spent the previous nine years on the staff under Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. The 35-year-old Scheyer is among the youngest head coaches in D-I men’s basketball, and the youngest at a power conference institution. He was named to The Athletic’s 40 Under 40 in college sports in 2022, and was previously touted as one of the best assistant coaches in college basketball. Junior guard Jeremy Roach (right), a preseason first-team All-ACC pick and a member of the watch list for the Cousy Award, returns after helping lead Duke to the Final Four, a ACC regular-season title and a 32-7 mark last season. Roach averaged 8.6 points last season, but upped that to 11.8 points and 3.0 assists in Duke’s five-game run to the Final Four as he was named to the West Region All-Tournament Team. Roach is the Blue Devils’ lone captain for 2022-23. In total, Duke has 11 newcomers on the roster in 2022-23 — seven freshmen — all recruited and signed by Scheyer which comprise the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, and four graduate transfers.
Fayetteville State returns eight players from a team that went 21-9 overall last season and won the CIAA Tournament. Preseason All-CIAA selection Cress Worthy was FSU’s second leading scorer last season (14.5) and hit 54 three-pointers. Hailing from Gastonia, Worthy scored in double-figures in all but 3 games last season. The Broncos were picked to repeat as CIAA champions this season as well and are coached by Luke D’Alessio who is in his third season at FSU. He was an assistant coach for the three seasons prior at NC Central in Durham.
Jon Scheyer continues the Coach K tradition of playing winners in the exhibition and pre-season. The Blue Devils will be most likely without freshmen Dariq Whitehead as well as Dereck Lively but should have talent enough on both the floor and the bench. This could be a more competitive game than most realize considering both Duke’s turnover from last years team and the Broncos returnees. The Broncos boast 4 seniors (1 GR), 4 juniors (1 being a RS), 4 sophomores and just 3 freshman. 8 of those 14 players were members of their championship squad from last year and won’t be scared to play the young Blue Devils. Tyrese Proctor should be the x-factor for this game, his ability to find the open man and hit big shots will be on full display.
The Blue Devils will need to shoot much better than the 36% they shot against Houston in their scrimmage over the weekend. If shots aren’t falling I would look for Duke to try to get Jeremy Roach going downhill and utilize the size advantage feeding Ryan Young and Kyle Filipowski.
Last season the Broncos averaged 65.5 points per game while allowing jut 61. They shot 41% overall, 33.5% from 3-point range and 71.6% from the free throw line.
Projected Starters
Duke Blue Devils
G JeremyRoach 6’2, 180lbs Jr.
G TyreseProctor 6’5 175lbs Fr.
F MarkMitchell 6’8, 220lbs Fr.
F Ryan Young 6’10, 235lbs Gr.
C KyleFilipowski 7’0, 230lbs Fr.
Fayetteville State Broncos
G Isaiah Ray 6’5, 185lbs So.
G Cress Worthy 6’2, 175lbs Jr.
SF Darryl Myers 6’6, 205lbs Sr.
PF Nakwan James 6’7, 215lbs Gr.
C D’Marco Baucum 6’7, 228lbs Sr.
Duke opens the regular season on Monday, Nov. 7 vs. Jacksonville at Cameron Indoor.
