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

Reserves: Duke’s Javin DeLaurier, Marques Bolden, Alex O’Connell and Jordan Goldwire vs. Florida’s Kevarrius Hayes, Mike Okauru, Gorjok Gak and Deaundrae Ballard

In high-profile games like this, there’s always an x-factor that wasn’t thought about beforehand. While Duke’s bench players are the better known, it’s been Florida’s who have been more consistent.

The Blue Devils have employed an 8-9 man rotation, with two frontcourt players and two guards coming in to give the starters a spell. Sophomore Javin DeLaurier has gone from an afterthought in his freshman year to an impact role player and sixth man for the Blue Devils.

He along with Marques Bolden gives a bench that most teams would love to have as starters. Alex O’ Connell is the marksman off the bench, shooting 50% from deep. The reserves for Duke total 12.9 ppg, but having possibly the best starting five will limit scoring opportunities for any bench player.

Florida’s players are also split between the post and perimeter but have much more a defined role. Gorjok Gak and Kevarrius Hayes are great defenders and combined have 10 fouls to give (they’ll need it for Duke). But it’s been the freshmen that have been the surprise so far, with Mike Okauru and Deaundrae Ballard more than capable of making plays off the bench.

The four Gator bench players together average 25.8 ppg, although it’s inflated because of early season blowouts. Still, expect Florida’s bench to play more of a role in the game, partly because they’ll get more opportunities to do so.

Edge: Florida

Next: Preview of the PK80 Motion Bracket

Of course, Mike Krzyzewski has the coaching edge over Mike White, but it’s not as big a gap as expected, as the Florida coach has built a tough, elite defensive program that’s received an infusion of offense. Tune in for the preview and TV time tomorrow of what looks to be an evenly matched battle between a couple of top-five caliber teams.