Duke Basketball: Takeaways from Blue Devils win over Northwest Missouri State
Vernon Carey struggles
Like any freshman, Carey is going to have off nights as he did on Saturday. So, it is not anything for the Blue Devils to be concerned about. Saying that it is surprising that the 6-10 big man struggled as much as he did. Heading into the game, Carey was the only one of the newcomers that had separated himself during the team’s practices and scrimmages, according to Krzyzewski.
Turnovers and foul trouble were the most concerning areas. Carey was whistled for three fouls and committed four turnovers in less than 10 minutes of court time which was the main reason the Blue Devils were outscored by 11 points while he was on the court. On the flip side, Carey grabbed three offensive, drew two fouls, and recorded a blocked shot.
Duke’s Rotation
As expected, Krzyzewski used a lot of players. In somewhat of a surprise, he used different combinations, so expect the same to occur in the upcoming game against Fort Valley State. Jones was the only player to see more than 30 minutes of playing time.
Moore, Hurt, White, Stanley and Goldwire each saw at least 20 minutes of action. DeLauier and O’Connell each saw over 10 minutes.
Besides Carey’s poor performance, Goldwire was perhaps the biggest surprise of the game. He also may have earned a bigger role for the Blue Devils with his performance. The 6-3 guard was not only good defensively, but he also helped Duke gain separation at the beginning of the second half. Goldwire scored four points and grabbed an offensive rebound to ignite a 13-7 run that saw the Blue Devils push their lead to a dozen with a tad less than 14 minutes to play.
Goldwire, who finished the exhibition game, has yet to carve out a niche in his first two years. He averaged less than nine minutes in a career-high 35 games last year.
Next. 75 best non-conference games for 2019-20. dark
Duke will host its second D-II opponent, Fort Valley State, on Oct. 30. Fort Valley State plays in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and went 7-22 overall and 6-11 in the conference a year ago. Seniors Shawn Foxbrennan (13.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and K’viontae Williams (11.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) lead the way for the Wildcats.