Duke vs. Hartford: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Zach De Jong
The Blue Devil’s freshman look to put on another show versus non-conference opponent Hartford on Wednesday, December 5 in Durham.
TV schedule: Wednesday, December 5, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN 2
Location: Cameron Indoor, Durham, North Carolina
The (7-1) Duke Blue Devil’s host the (3-6) Hartford Hawks in Durham on Wednesday night.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 113-49, blowout win over Stetson last Saturday. It was a close game for the first few minutes, before the Blue Devil’s went off on a 44-8 run.
After the win on Saturday the Blue Devil’s retained their rank as #3 in the AP Polls for another week. They do not play another top 50 kenpom team until Thursday, December 20 versus Texas Tech.
No surprise, but the three heralded freshman are the top scorers for the Blue Devils.
R.J. Barrett is coming off an “ACC Rookie of the week” award after his performances versus Indiana and Stetson last week. Barrett has also became the leading scorer for the team averaging 23.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Look for Barrett to continue his efficient performance on Wednesday night.
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Zion Williamson is the team’s second leading scorer averaging 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. Williamson has a non-stop motor on both sides of the ball and catches the eyes of everyone with his jaw-dropping highlight plays. As in every game, look for Williamson to have at least one slam-dunk contest like dunk.
Cam Reddish was able to break out of his shooting slump versus Stetson scoring 23 points. Reddish is a great three-point shooter who can space the floor, but he can also drive and finish at the rim as well. He is averaging 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in his freshman year.
The Blue Devil’s have these high-octane freshman, but they have many other contributors on the team. They currently rank 3rd in adjusted offensive efficiency and rank 5th in adjusted defensive efficiency according to kenpom.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have struggled to get wins in their first nine games.
The Hawks are the oldest team in college basketball according to kenpom. They rely heavily on their six seniors on the roster. Four Hawks players are averaging double-digits this season. These players are John Carroll (18.1 points), Jason Dunne (14.6 points), J.R. Lynch (13.7 points), and George Blagojevic (11.9 points).
They also like to put up a high volume of three-point shots, which if they are making can spur any kind of comeback or upset. If the Hawks come in draining their three-point shots and utilize their experience, the Blue Devils could be on upset alert.
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However, I believe the Blue Devil’s will be able to take care of business no matter what the Hawks throw at them. Look for the Blue Devils to have another blowout win versus the Hawks.
Prediction: Duke 98 – Hartford 62