Duke Men’s Basketball 2019 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 10, 2019 · CSM Staff
 

Duke Blue Devils

ACC (29-5, 14-4)

 
As expected, Duke’s impressive freshmen class led to another great season. The Blue Devils started off with a huge 118-84 victory over Kentucky and they never really looked back. And the scary thing is that this young team is still getting better.
 
Big Wins: 11/6 vs Kentucky (118-84), 12/20 vs Texas Tech (69-58), 2/9 at Virginia (81-71)
Bad Losses: 1/14 Syracuse (91-95), 2/20 North Carolina (72-88), 2/26 at Virginia Tech (72-77)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson have all had superb freshmen campaigns. Jones, a 6-2 point guard, averages 9.3 points and 5.3 assists. He does not get the headlines, but Jones does a fine job of facilitating the offense. Reddish is a versatile 6-8 wing who can do a bit of everything. He is averaging 13.7 points per game and has stepped up his game when Williamson went down with an injury. Barrett is the team’s top scorer, averaging 22.9 points per contest and adding 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Like Reddish, Barrett is a big, versatile player who can knock down three-pointers, but he will also attack the basket much more effectively.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
Since Williamson went down with an injury in the opening minute of the February 20th home game against North Carolina, Duke has struggled a bit. They lost that game and lost a week later at Virginia Tech. Perhaps the most shocking result was the 71-70 win over lowly Wake Forest at home. This is a much, much different team with Williamson and his 22.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Williamson returned for the ACC Tournament and is back to his old ways. However, the Blue Devils were without center Marques Bolden and Duke hopes to get back his size and shot blocking abilities for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Probable Starters:
Tre Jones, Freshman, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 5.3 apg, 2.0 spg
Cam Reddish, Freshman, Forward, 13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
RJ Barrett, Freshman, Forward, 22.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.1 apg
Zion Williamson, Freshman, Forward, 22.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.8 bpg
Marques Bolden, Junior, Center, 5.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Alex O’Connell, Sophomore, Guard, 4.5 ppg
Jack White, Junior, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Javin DeLaurier, Junior, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 84.1 (7th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.4 (65, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.5 (37, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.5 (16, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (200, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.6 (333, 13)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.9 (239, 14)
Rebound Margin: 6.3 (21, 2)
Assists Per Game: 16.1 (22, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (180, 9)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iona
2018 NCAA Round of 32 win over Rhode Island
2018 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Syracuse
2018 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kansas
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Troy
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to South Carolina
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina-Wilmington
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Yale
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oregon
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Robert Morris
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over San Diego State
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Utah
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Gonzaga
2015 NCAA National Semifinal win over Michigan State
2015 NCAA National Final win over Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mercer
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Albany
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Creighton
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Michigan State
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Lehigh
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over West Virginia
2010 NCAA National Final win over Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Binghamton
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Belmont
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to West Virginia
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to VCU
 
*all team stats through 3/10