The Duke basketball team has not encountered many problems this season. Outside of its loss to Kentucky, the biggest issue has been cramping and its opponents have not been able to matchup with the athleticism and physicality of the Blue Devils, creating its three lopsided victories.
However, that will change this week when No. 12 Duke takes on No. 17 Arizona and No. 1 Kansas on Friday and Tuesday, respectively, and its rotation should increase in those games too.
Prized freshmen Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris have not been worked into the main rotation for Jon Scheyer’s team yet, playing limited minutes against Maine, Army, and Wofford while not getting off the bench against the Wildcats.
The absence of the two rookies was very noticeable in the second half of Duke’s lone loss after multiple players looked tired given the heavy minutes and frantic pace. It felt like the perfect scenario for Scheyer to see if either player could hold his own in a big early season game, but with neither player receiving any minutes it leaves a major question mark heading into the matchup against Arizona.
Jon Scheyer needs to put either one of his freshman on the court early in the first half against the Wildcats, specifically Evans, who could provide a jolt of energy to the rest of the team. While his body frame is slim and slender, there is no doubt that Isaiah Evans is a gifted offensive player that could surely help the Blue Devils.
He is averaging 6.7 points in his limited playing time while shooting 46.2-percent from the field and 45.3-percent from 3-point range and being opposed by a Wildcat defense that just surrendered 103 points on the road against Wisconsin. The Badgers shot 48.1-percent from the field, 44.4-percent from 3-point range, and took 47 free throws.
It’s a matchup that Duke should look to exploit to try and neutralize the disadvantage of playing on the road.
The key players of the Blue Devils will determine whether the team wins or loses its next two matchups, but it’s also time to see if players like Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris, or Patrick Ngongba II can make an impact this season.
