Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from Blue Devils win over Princeton
By Zach De Jong
3. The role players were spectacular
Every team needs key role players to fit alongside their star players, and the Blue Devils have some excellent ones.
Junior guard Jack White who was a surprise by many outside the program has had a breakout year. He is known as being the ultimate glue guy for the 2018-19 Blue Devil team. He is not a flashy player, but instead does all the little things the best on the floor.
White finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was able to put together this stat line in twenty minutes and shooting three of four from the floor. White also did not miss a single shot from behind the arc. His unique ability to guard any position, as well as, stretch out the defense with his three-point shot makes him a valuable piece to the team.
Junior forward Marques Bolden might be coming off the bench now, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing with a lot of energy. Bolden has come off the bench the last two games because Javin DeLaurier has received the starting five-spot.
Bolden was able to come away with 7 points, five rebounds, and four blocks in his fifteen minutes of play. On the offensive end, Bolden did most of his damage from the free throw line, shooting five of six. Bolden could be used more versus bigger ACC opponents in the future.
Lastly, sophomore guard Alex O’Connell has earned himself more playing time. O’Connell is a sharpshooter from behind the arc that can have defenses closing out hard on him. He got the opportunity to play eighteen minutes versus the Tigers because of the Blue Devils lack of three-point shooting. O’Connell finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
After progressing to (10-1) on the season the Blue Devils look to take on the undefeated Texas Tech Red Raiders in Madison Square Garden on Thursday, December 20. The game can be viewed on ESPN 2 at 7:00 PM ET.