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Duke Basketball Won’t Win Without An Improved Defense

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Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

The common cliché for sports fans is that offense wins games and defense wins championships. While the statement can be interpreted as a simple theory, the saying might fit well for the Duke Blue Devils for this season. What is true at a program like Duke, stockpiling regular season wins is not nearly good enough if a national championship is not raised at the end of the season.

If Duke is going to see that confetti falling down from the rafters and the program’s fifth national title, head coach Mike Krzyzewski must get his team to play better on the defensive end of the floor. That was evident after the Blue Devils’ first loss of the season, a 87-75 defeat to the NC State Wolfpack at PNC arena in Raleigh. No disrespect to the Wolfpack,who pulled off a great win that could be a huge confidence and resume builder for the NCAA selection committee come March, but the Blue Devils will be facing much more talented teams on offense in ACC play and in their pursuit of a national championship.

The Wolfpack shot 55 percent from the floor and hit 10 3-pointers on the Blue Devils. Guard Trevor Lacey hit half of those by himself from long range and finished with 21 points. If Duke wants to be an elite team, the team needs to fix its lackadaisical play on the defensive side of the ball.

On the year, the Blue Devils are 109th in points allowed, giving up 62.7 points per game. This is all comes despite the interior presence of freshman sensation Jahlil Okafor, who is averaging 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 rejections per game. In the Wolfpack loss, Okafor held his own with 12 rebounds and three blocks, adding 23 points on offense in the effort.

Giving up a 62.5 percent mark from downtown falls mostly on the guard play of freshman Tyus Jones and senior Quinn Cook. Giving up a double-digit number from behind the arc is not going to win you very many games against anyone. In Cook’s defense, the senior did score 18 points and knock down four 3-pointers of his own, helping the team’s dismal overall mark on the night of 25.9 percent. Jones, on the other hand, scored just four points, giving him three ACC games with a total of just 15 points.

If you look at some of the top teams in the ACC, the Virginia Cavaliers are No. 1 in scoring defense, averaging 51.1 points per game. The Louisville Cardinals are a respectable 15th, giving up 56.5 points per contest. It might be unrealistic to expect a young Blue Devils team compiled mostly of freshman to improve 100 spots on defense points allowed, but the team needs to improve enough in order for the Blue Devils to be successful. It might not seem much, but a slight improvement could be a few less possessions of a team scoring and the difference in a win or a loss.

The Blue Devils are going to face four current ranked teams in the month of January. The coming weeks should be a critical barometer of how good this season’s Blue Devils can be. If the team does not lock down, it could be a quick out in the postseason tournaments yet again for Blue Devil fans.

Michael Costeines is the ACC basketball Blogger for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MCosteines, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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