Duke Basketball: 5 questions for Blue Devils against NC State

Duke basketball will be traveling to Raleigh to take on NC State in a revenge game from last season’s two-point shocker in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Who is the “Dennis Smith Jr.” for NC State?

That name may still haunt Duke fans to this day. Nearly one year ago, the future one-and-done lottery pick was on a struggling Wolfpack team that couldn’t stop anything or anyone. Although the team wasn’t good, Smith put up impressive numbers himself in his one season at NC State. He averaged 18.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 6.2 apg while shooting 45% from the field and 36% from three-point range.

But his best performance of the season came against Duke on the road, where he finished with a career-high 32 points and six assists, shooting 10/18 while finishing with some thunderous dunks for the highlight reels.

The Blue Devils didn’t have an answer for him last year, but who’s the top player for the Wolfpack in 2018?

The answer isn’t as easy as a year ago when Smith was the obvious answer. First-year head coach Kevin Keatts has revamped the roster, bringing in some transfers and impact freshmen. The leading scorer of the team is Baylor transfer Al Freeman with 15.3 ppg, but he’s been struggling in his first ACC games.

Torin Dorn is the second leading scorer at 13.2 ppg, but is the player most likely to drop 30 on any given night. He is a 6’5″ wing who grabs seven boards a game and is the kind of player that can give the Blue Devils fits. It’ll be in Duke’s best interest to shut him down early.