Duke vs. Texas: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
The Duke Blue Devils and the Texas Longhorns each won their first round games in different styles. With a ticket to the finals of the PK80 Invitational’s Motion Bracket at stake, who will advance?
TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 24, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon
Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns (4-0) passed their first true test of the season with a 61-48 win versus Butler in the quarterfinals match-up of the Motion Bracket of the PK80 Invitational. Sophomore guard Andrew Jones led the way offensively with 16 points.
Like last season, the Longhorns struggled to shoot the ball, but a big part of that has to go to Butler, a team that has always been a solid defensive team. Scoring 61 points would’ve normally spelled doom for Smart and his team, but Texas looks set up to be a top-10 defense this season.
That’s because of the play of Mohamed Bamba, who may have only scored six points but pulled down 12 boards and affected countless number of Bulldog shots. The proverbial anchor down low in the paint was key in limited Butler to just 34% field goal shooting.
Duke (6-0) is much better on offense than Butler. However, their defense has been much worse as well. Especially in their first round game with Portland State, which was supposed to be a non-contest. However, it was the Vikings who led the top-ranked team at halftime, 49-45. Things did return to order late in the second half, with the Blue Devils pulling ahead 99-81.
Related Story: 10 Predictions for Duke this season
On one hand the number of freshmen in the rotation, regardless of talent, means that they’re going to have moments like this — even against sub-par competition. However, it’s games like this that should quell the “undefeated” talk for now. Particularly when they’re going to play a quality defensive unit like Texas.
There were some good things for Duke to take away from this game. Trevon Duval was more aggressive in finding his shot and led the team with 22 points. Although Grayson Allen struggled from the field (2/8 fg), he became the main distributor with nine assists.
The frontcourt players used their massive size advantage against Portland State with Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter combining for 34 points and 25 rebounds. Even Marques Bolden got into the fun with eight and ten off the bench.
Of course, the battle between Bagley and Bamba, two top-five recruits and likely top NBA draft picks, will be the headliner of the game.
It absolutely should be, as well. It’ll be one of the few times that either stud won’t have a massive physical disparity with their opponent.
However, the other battle down low between Duke’s Carter and Texas Dylan Osetkowski will be vital. The Tulane transfer shot just 4/13 from the field, something that won’t work with Duke. With Bamba still raw on the offensive end, it’ll be on him to score enough for the both of them.
Next: Preview of the PK80 Motion Bracket
This will be a battle of wills between a great offense and a great defense. I believe that the magic number for Duke will be 75. If they can get there in this game, it might be too much for the Longhorns to keep up with. But will the Blue Devils’ questionable defense help out in that department? This semi-final game will go a long way in determining the ceiling for Texas this season.
Prediction: Duke 80 – Texas 72