Duke vs. Bellarmine: 5 biggest storylines for 2020-21 matchup

4. While this is Bellarmine’s youngest overall group in a while, their core group is comprised of veteran returners – and they will battle the Blue Devils’s young, talented lineup

Individually, Friday’s matchup is intriguing – Duke’s roster lacks the experience that Bellarmine’s frontline features, but their talent – at least, statistically – is better than that on the Knights’ roster.

I have already talked about Duke’s roster to a decent extent – they are led by sophomore Matthew Hurt, who is averaging a double-double of 16.5 points and 10 boards a game.  Joining him are freshmen Jalen Johnson and DJ Steward, both of whom are averaging 15 points a game – with Johnson adding 11.5 rebounds.

Wendell Moore Jr. rounds out those who contribute a good chunk of consistent points, averaging 8.5 a game – but Jordan Goldwire, Jaemyn Brakefield, and Jeremy Roach have all chipped in with decent scoring in Duke’s opening two games, tallying 12 points on the young season apiece.

The most obvious thing I can say is this: this is Duke basketball we are talking about.  They will be competitive – and quite good – no matter what, and this season is no exception.  Right now, there is not a talent that absolutely screams “one-and-done” like former Blue Devils such as Zion Williamson or Marvin Bagley III.

Instead, these are young players who will spend this season developing, and could – for the most part – be expected to return for another go next year.  Again, this is an incredibly young team that features just one junior and three seniors.

Bellarmine is in better shape when it comes to experience, but they have lost a lot of production from last season.  All-conference honorees Alex Cook (16.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg, both team-highs) and Ben Weyer (11.2 ppg) are both gone, as well as two-time All-Defensive Team recipient Parker Chitty.

CJ Fleming (9.6 ppg) and Ethan Clayborn (4.5 ppg) are the team’s lone seniors, but – in addition to Fleming – the Knights also return two more starters, including Pedro Bradshaw (9.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg) and the highest-returning leading scorer Dylan Penn (11.6 ppg and a team-high 75 assists).

Again, there is a lot that Davenport and his staff will need to replace.  Penn should, without a doubt, become the focal point of the team’s offense, but he will need others to step up to compete with Duke – and within the Atlantic Sun.