ACC Basketball: Conference tournament preview

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Mar 1, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Brandon Ingram (14) and guard Grayson Allen (3) head down the court after Allen scored against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Duke

Duke, the five-seed in the ACC Tournament, will face the winner of NC State and Wake Forest.

Entering the tournament on the heels of news that Amile Jefferson will not be returning this season, some Blue Devil fans may be upset. However, that may be a blessing in disguise. Jefferson being out allows them to play Brandon Ingram at the four, where he is a much better fit in Duke’s offense, which finished fourth in the country in offensive rating this year.

In the nine games before Jefferson’s injury, when Ingram was playing the three, he was averaging under 14 points per game, and had failed to score in double digits in three of those nine games. Since then, Ingram is averaging almost 18 points per game, and has failed to reach double digits in scoring in just one game.

Also leading Duke is the infamous Grayson Allen, who has been tripping opponents and becoming the ultimate Duke super-villain. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Allen, like almost everybody else on this Duke team, doesn’t play a lick of defense.

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And that’s the unfortunate sign for this team. Last year’s Duke team may have been one of Coach K’s best defensive teams, and it showed when they won it all.

The year before, they had similar peripherals to this year’s team, meaning that they have an elite offense, but almost no defense (in 2013-14 their defensive rating was 141st in thew country, this year it’s 194th. Yikes). That team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Two years prior in 2011-12, the same thing happened when their defense was ranked just 161st in the country.

I’m not saying they can’t pull off a run in the ACC Tournament/NCAA Tournament, but history is not on their side. Luckily for them, it’s easy to see one of the best duos in college basketball in Allen and Ingram putting the team on their back for long enough for Duke to make a solid run.

Next: Number three