Preview:  #8 Duke Blue Devils (4-1) vs. Oregon State Beavers (3-1)

 #8 Duke Blue Devils (4-1) vs. Oregon State Beavers (3-1) 

 Game #6 • Neutral Game #2 • Thursday, Nov. 24 • 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) 

Phil Knight Legacy • Veterans Memorial Coliseum (12,888) • Portland, Ore. 

TV: ESPN 

Radio: Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD

No. 8 Duke opens the Phil Knight Legacy on Thursday afternoon, battling Oregon State at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR. The Blue Devils are five years removed from winning the inaugural Phil Knight event in Portland — the PK80 — beating Portland State, Texas and Florida to claim the title.

As of Nov. 22, Duke is 10th nationally in scoring defense (53.2), third in rebound margin (+17.8), ninth in rebounding (45.2) and fifth nationally in offensive rebounds (16.8). Duke has opened the season with a double-digit advantage in rebound margin in each of its first five games –- matching the program record for longest such stretch (at any point in season). It happened previously in 2017-18, 1998-98, in 1962-63 and 1960-61. Through the first five games, Duke has an 84-38 advantage in offensive rebounds and is +69 (97-28) in second-chance point scoring.

The ACC Rookie of the Week in each of the season’s first two weeks, Kyle Filipowski (right) is Duke’s leading scorer (15.6) and rebounder (10.4). After becoming the first Duke freshman all-time with three consecutive double-doubles to open a career, he enters the Phil Knight Legacy with consecutive games of 18 points and eight rebounds. Filipowski is third nationally in double-doubles (three) and 11th in total rebounds (52). In total, Duke has 11 newcomers on the roster — seven freshmen — all recruited and signed by Scheyer which comprise the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, and four graduate transfers. Two of the newcomers — Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead — have returned from preseason injuries that held them out for significant time. Lively (calf) returned four games ago and is 7-of-10 from the field, while Whitehead (foot fracture) made his debut vs. Delaware.

Following Thursday’s game, Duke will face either Florida or Xavier on Friday, with a match-up on Sunday against Gonzaga, Portland State, Purdue or West Virginia.

About the Opponent

The Beavers have opened the season 3-1 for the first time since 2019-20. Oregon State has shot 70 percent or better from the stripe in nine-straight games and are out-scoring their opponents 158-126 in the second half through four games. Oregon State last played in Portland at the 2019 Phil Knight Invitational.

The Beavers are 0-2 all-time against Duke, but the two sides have not met since the 1962-63 season. Oregon state and Duke last met in the 1963 Final Four Third-Place Game. The only other meeting between the two sides came in the 1953-54 season. The Beavers faced one ACC opponent last season, falling to Wake Forest in double-overtime at the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, FL.

Oregon State returns four players from last year’s squad – Taylor, Dexter Akanno, Rodrigue Andela and Chol Marial. Of that group, Marial did not see action last season due to NCAA eligibility rules and Andela missed the bulk of the season due to injury. Like Duke, Oregon State’s squad features a total of 11 newcomers, eight of which are true freshmen.

Sophomore forward Glenn Taylor Jr leads the Beavers in scoring at 16.3 points per game. The 6’6 forward also averages 2.5 assists per game.
Taylor is second among Pac-12 sophomores in points per game, trailing only Colorado’s KJ Simpson and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team last season. He’s has matched or surpassed his previous career-high for scoring three times already this season. Guard Jordan Pope leads Oregon State in assists at 3.8 per game, he’s also the second leading scorer coming in at 15.5 per game. Pope is tied for ninth in the nation in points per game among true freshmen. 6’8 forward Rodrigue Andela is the teams leading rebounder with 7 per game.

Thoughts

Andela is big and strong and could give Duke some fits with how strong he plays in the paint, at 248lbs and a lot of muscle it will be interesting to see how Duke guards him – Duke really has no one that can match his girth. Glen Taylor is a guy that create his own shot off the dribble and can be a mismatch in favor of the Beavers, he’s a good finisher and can get going downhill pretty fast, he loves the Euro-Step as a finisher off of his drives. Pope is an excellent setup man, averaging just under 4 assists per game his speed and court vision make him a hard guard and he gets his guys passes in the spots they need it.

I’m not one that believes that Oregon State is a pushover. Duke should win this game but this is a physical team with a lot to prove and they are very capable of getting hot.