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ACC Basketball: Duke, UNC and Florida State figuring out rotations

By Daniel Benjamin

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during the first half of the game against Texas Tech Red Raiders during the Ameritas Insurance Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during the first half of the game against Texas Tech Red Raiders during the Ameritas Insurance Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The first edition of the 2019-20 ACC Basketball notebook will look at Duke’s lineup in their two exhibition games along with other ACC Exhibition games on tap and the potential role of UNC’s Brandon Robinson.

Duke will play two exhibition games this week.

ACC Basketball powerhouse Duke will tipoff their exhibition schedule with home contests against Division II NW Missouri State (Saturday) and Ft. Valley St. (Wednesday). NW Missouri St. is coming off a perfect 38-0 season that concluded with the Bears’ second national title. This is the second time the programs have met with the first time being following NW Missouri’s first national title in 2017. Duke won the Oct. 27, 2017, contest 93-60.

The Blue Devils are expected to give at least 10 players significant playing time during these two exhibitions. This is news because coach Mike Krzyzewski generally uses just an eight-man rotation. In each of the last two seasons, only eight players saw an average of 10 minutes of court time. Nine different Blue Devils did start a game a season ago.

But this year is a little different because none of the players from the Blue Devils’ No. 3 ranked recruiting class have separated themselves from the team’s returning players, according to Krzyzewski.

“We don’t have the separation on this team that we’ve had in the past few years,” Krzyzewski said after the team’s Countdown to Craziness scrimmage on Oct. 19. “So that’s not bad if there’s enough guys who can play, and we have enough guys who can play, and they don’t have to play tired. And so, we feel that will help us on the defensive end.”

Sophomore Tre Jones will start at point guard and probably play 30 minutes a game — maybe not in these exhibitions but during the season. Freshmen Vernon Carey and Matthew Hurt are also locked into the starting lineup at center and small forward, respectively. Fellow newcomers Cassius Stanley and Wendell Moore, along with seniors Javin DeLaurier and Jack White are the most likely players to be listed in the starting lineup. Although junior wing Alex O’Connell could start and will see significant minutes as will sophomore forward Joey Baker. Senior forward Justin Robinson and junior guard Jordan Goldwire also may have roles. Duke has 14 players on its 2019-20 roster.

Ft. Valley State (GA) has already played one exhibition game, falling 86-56 to Kansas on Thursday. The Tigers went 7-22 last season.