Duke Basketball: Why Blue Devils could go unbeaten in 2019-20 ACC play

Duke Basketball: Why Blue Devils could go undefeated in 2019-20 ACC play

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 03: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates a first half basket with teammates while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on December 03, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 22: James Akinjo #3 of the Georgetown Hoyas drives past Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Starting Lineup

Duke has arguably the best starting lineup in the nation and it is thanks to three main players, Vernon Carey jr., Cassius Stanley and Tre Jones. This trio averages a combined 43.6 points, 17.1 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.

In addition to this, these three have combined for a total of 10 games with at least 20 points scored and 11 double-doubles.

All that being said, that is only three players from Duke’s starting lineup. Duke is typically known for their guard play and shooting threes, or at least they have been in the past, but that is not really the case this season.

Duke’s MVP so far this season and actually the ACC’s MVP so far this season has been Vernon Carey jr., Duke’s big man who is currently averaging 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists with a 62.8% field goal percentage.

The least amount of points Carey has scored in a game so far this season was nine, every other game he has scored at least 11, which just goes to show you how good he has been. He has scored 20+ points seven times and has eight double-doubles through only 14 games.

Carey, Jones and Stanley have started together in all but three games this season, those three games were due to injuries of both Stanley and Jones.

The three of them have been Duke’s big-three this season and the fact that any of them can go off on any night makes this lineup so dangerous.

Not only that, but I haven’t even mentioned Matthew Hurt who has gone for double-digits in eight of Duke’s 14 games this season. Hurt is a fantastic shooter who provides something that not many other players on Duke’s roster can provide, the three-point shot.

Having him alongside Jones, Carey and Stanley makes Duke’s starting lineup even more dangerous because the addition of Hurt makes Duke deadly from any spot on the floor.

All this plus a fifth player of either Jack White, Alex O’Connell, Wendell Moore, Jordan Goldwire or Joey Baker and you’ve got a starting five that would give anyone in the country problems.

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