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Duke vs. Gonzaga: Key storylines to watch for in Maui Invitational matchup

By Brian Rauf

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils throws down a dunk during the second half of the game against the Auburn Tigers at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils throws down a dunk during the second half of the game against the Auburn Tigers at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs gestures to his players during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs gestures to his players during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

Can Gonzaga slow Duke’s offense?

This is the big key whenever anyone plays Duke.

Barrett, Williamson, and Reddish are all capable of going off for 30 points at any given time – it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to all do so in the same game – and that star power and overwhelming talent has allowed them to have the nation’s most efficient offense.

However, Auburn did a number of things that kept Duke from having another offensive outburst. They got back on defense and limited transition opportunities, and they packed the paint, forcing Duke to shoot over them.

Now, the Blue Devils have a number of good shooters (especially Reddish) but got three-point happy in the second half against the Tigers and stopped attacking the basket. They only ended up shooting 28 percent from deep and that complacency allowed Auburn to creep back into the game.

That’s going to be the gameplan Gonzaga tries to copy. We saw Zags head coach Mark Few employ a 2-3 zone against Arizona in an effort to force the Wildcats (for whom shooting is not a strength) beat them from distance.

It’s virtually impossible for any defense to keep Duke’s stars out of the paint when playing them straight up man-to-man, so expect Gonzaga to pack the paint by playing that zone or by employing a sagging man defense.

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