The No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils face the San Diego State Aztecs in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). The game will be shown on ESPN2.
Duke (3-0) and San Diego State (2-0) are playing for the third time ever on Monday evening. This time the game will be held in the Lahaina Civic Center on Maui Island, Hawaii, as part of the annual Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 2-0 with the last meeting taking place in the second round of 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Duke is partaking in its sixth Maui invitational ever while San Diego State is making its fourth appearance in the tournament. The Blue Devils are a perfect 16-0 in the event, winning the title in each of their previous five appearances. The Aztecs are 5-4 in the tournament with their best finish being runners-up in 2014, falling to Arizona in the championship game (61-58).
The winner of the game will meet the winner of the Auburn-Xavier matchup at 8 p.m. on Nov. 20, while the losers of the two contests will face off in a consolation game at 2:30 on Nov. 20.
About Duke
The Blue Devils began the season ranked second in the country, but their dominating victory over Kentucky in the season opener was impressive enough for voters to boost them above Kanas. With the recent bump in the rankings, Duke is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the 135th week, breaking a tie with UCLA for most weeks ranked as the top team in basketball. The Blue Devils enter the Invitational situated in the top spot in the country for a third time ever.
Duke has won each of its first three games by at least 20 points. The Blue Devils have been brilliant on the offensive end averaging 98.7 points on 50.0% shooting overall, including 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Duke has been good on the defensive end as well. The Blue Devils are giving up 67.3 points a game as they are holding opponents to 36.6% from the field and 29.9% from beyond the arc.
Freshmen RJ Barrett (25.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and Zion Williamson (25.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists) lead the way for a Blue Devils team that starts four freshmen. Barrett and Williamson are first and second on the school’s freshmen scoring list through the first three games.6-foot-7 freshman Cam Redish (16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 steals) has struggled with his shooting overall, but he leads the team with 3.7 triples a game at 44.0 percent clip. Meanwhile, 6-foot-2 classmate Tre Jones (5.3 points, .3.7 rebounds,7.3 assists) leads the ACC in assists.
Overall, the Blue Devils go nine players deep. 6-foot-7 junior forward Jack White and 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Alex O’Connell are making the biggest contributions off the bench.
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About San Diego State
The Aztecs have been one of the best Mountain West programs over the past nine years. SDSU has at least a shared the conference’s regular-season title on five occasions and made seven NCAA appearances, including last season when they went 22-11 in coach Brian Dutcher’s first year.
San Diego State is off to a 2-0 start for the first time in four years. SDSU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (76-60) in the season opener and then topped the 100-point plateau for the 42nd time in school history in a blowout (103-64) win over Texas Southern on Nov. 16.
The Aztecs, who typically go nine deep, has a nice mix of veterans and youngsters. All five of their starters are scoring in double-digits, led by Devin Watson. The 6-foot-1 senior guard (17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.5 steals) can really score and he is shooting the ball well this year. Watson, who has tallied 1,307 career points, has scored in double-figures 67 times including 19 of last 25. He is shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
6-foot-6 forward Matt Mitchell (15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists) is a talented all-around player. Mitchell has scored 10 or more points in 21 of 35 games, which includes the 21 points he poured in against Texas Southern.
6-foot-9 forward Jalen McDaniels (14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists), 6-foot-4 guard Jeremy Hemsley (12.0 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals) and 6-6 guard Jordan Schackel (12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds). Hemsley, who has scored in double-figures 59 times, is tied for 22nd in school history in scoring and 11th in three-point shooting.
Biggest Weaknesses:
Duke: Free throw shooting and Defensive Rebounding. The Blue Devils are shooting just 62.1% from the charity stripe, which ranks 292th in the country. Barrett (58.8%) and Williamson (61.1%) are a combined 21-for-35 on free throws. Duke is allowing 13.3 offensive rebounds a game as they are just securing 70.9% of all available defensive rebounds.
San Diego State: Defensive Rebounding. The Aztecs are only collecting 69.0% of all rebounds available on the defensive end. Hemsley is really the only Aztec that does not shoot free throws well.
Prediction: Blue Devils 88 – Aztecs 74
Duke just has too much firepower for a really good SDSU squad. The Blue Devils have more talented players, but the Aztec starters are experienced, long and talented as well. The difference may end up being the bench with Duke having the advantage with White, O’Connell as well as Javier DeLaurier.