Duke Basketball: 3 reasons why Blue Devils will miss 2021 NCAA Tournament

1. No true center has hurt Duke both offensively and defensively

The Blue Devils have always had a star center to work with in the last several years. Vernon Carey, who won ACC Rookie of the Year after averaging nearly 20 ppg and 10 rpg, was the team’s starting center and a load to deal with in the post. This time around, the center position is viewed as a key weakness on the roster.

Even after landing five-star 7’0 center prospect Mark Williams and top-30 forward prospect, Henry Coleman, Duke still was looking for another frontcourt player. They landed Columbia grad transfer Patrick Tape (twice) to add depth and shore up that position.

But to this point, none of them have played a large role in the team’s rotation. Tape has played just six games total, while both Williams and Coleman have averaged a combined 11 mpg on the season. To be fair, Williams has played much more as of late, averaging around 15 mpg. Still, he’s a clear project that’ll have a future impact but isn’t ready to contribute at a high level as a freshman.

This has forced Matthew Hurt to play a ton at the center position. And while he has created his own matchups at times, he also has been taken advantage of by bigger and more athletic opposing frontcourts in the ACC, as well as when he played against Kofi Cockburn of Illinois.

It may have been a mistake for the Blue Devils to not make a bigger move to land a center, such as Marcus Santos-Silva, Olivier Sarr, or Matt Haarms from last offseason. Not having a true big man to be given minutes to have caused the rotations to be messed up a bit. And while Hurt has become a star in his own right, a lack of a true five-man has “hurt” him as well.