Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from Blue Devils big win over Kentucky

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 09: Wendell Moore Jr. #0 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates near the end of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 9, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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Jeremy Roach Duke Basketball (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

No more point guard concerns?

Jeremy Roach might not have the offensive capabilities of a Jay Williams, Bobby Hurley, or Tyus Jones, but his development over the summer was evident on Tuesday night.

Duke finished last season splitting minutes at point guard between Roach and Jordan Goldwire, who transferred to Oklahoma this offseason. Both struggled to run the team offensively. Coach K never really found a point guard that he fully trusted.

Coming into this season, Roach’s two main goals were simple: Play defense and don’t turn the ball over. This team is loaded with talent. Roach doesn’t need to be a 15 ppg scorer, he just needs to take care of the ball and focus on his matchup defensively.

Against Kentucky, Roach played 37 minutes, the most on the team. He also posted the fourth-highest usage rating, signaling that his involvement in the offense was much more than his 6 points might suggest. The key stat? He had only two turnovers in those 37 minutes played.

Defensively, Roach had the third-best defensive rating and stop percentage on the team behind Banchero and C Mark Williams. He also had seven rebounds, tied for the most on the team as a 6-1 point guard.

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