Duke vs. Florida: Who wins position battles in PK80 showdown?

In the finals of the Motion Bracket of the PK80 Invitational, the Florida Gators will play the Duke Blue Devils. Who has the edge in each position on the court?

Point Guard: Trevon Duval vs. Chris Chiozza

One of the reasons why both Duke and Florida are undefeated to start off the season has been because of steady guard play. Duke hasn’t had a traditional point guard in a couple of years which has been detrimental at times for Coach K.

That’s why getting top-10 2017 recruit Trevon Duval was so big, as he can get 20 points just as often as he gets double-digit assists. Of course, at 6’3, his 7.2 rpg number is also impressive. He currently averages 13.4 ppg and 6.5 apg and has been in double-digits in five of seven games.

His counterpart, Chris Chiozza, started half of his games in his first two seasons before being relegated to a sixth man role all of his junior year. This year, the senior has the keys to the team and has driven them to a 5-0 start.

So far he’s averaging 13.2 ppg and 6.8 apg in his first five games, mostly due to his breakout performance against Gonzaga in the semis. He had career-best 26 points, eight boards, and ten assists in 46 minutes. It’s the second game in a row he’s reached double-figures in dimes. His most impressive stat to date is his whopping 60% shooting from deep — an issue Duval has so far.

This will be the classic battle of size against speed. Duval will be tempted to go down low and put pressure on the 6’0 senior to deal with him in the paint. Chiozza will use his blazing speed to blow past the freshman who hasn’t dealt with a point guard like him.

It may ultimately be wise to force Duval to shoot his way to victory, as Chiozza is the most valuable player for the Gators. If a freshman is forced to do something he prefers not to do, it may get to his head. Will Duke try to speed up the quick Chiozza, or will they go the pressure route? We’ll see who truly gets rattled in this one.

Edge: Chiozza