Drama delivers Blue Devils to league opener
For Duke senior guard Matt Jones, a veteran of both national championships and controversies, life as a Blue Devils basketball player has been anything but boring.
“It’s always been a soap opera,” he said.
Never a dull moment this season especially, Duke, the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite and preseason No. 1 nationally, has been besieged by injuries to its trio of prized freshmen and now the Grayson Allen tripping uproar, his third such offense in 11 months, resulting in an indefinite suspension.
“It’s been a weird year all around with the injuries and guys missing games,” Jones said. “It’s just been weird. … It’s been really confusing and it can drain you at times.”
And it’s only New Year’s Eve. There’s still the 18-game ACC gauntlet to play before the postseason arrives.
“We’re writing our own story,” sophomore guard Luke Kennard said. “It’s very, very interesting.”
The next chapter takes shape with today’s league opener at Virginia Tech, the first game for Duke since its Dec. 21 struggle to defeat Elon at the Greensboro Coliseum, a night when the Blue Devils trailed at halftime and Allen imploded into tears after his first-half trip of Elon guard Steven Santa Ana.
“It’s been interesting,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a joking manner. “I thought it was going to be a Red Auerbach year, where you break out a cigar with about 10 minutes to go.”
Duke’s starting lineup and player rotations bear watching without Allen, the junior averaging 16 points per game.
Frank Jackson could plug into Allen’s spot in the backcourt alongside Kennard and Jones, but that would leave the Blue Devils lacking a guard to bring off the bench. In the last two games, big men Chase Jeter, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden, all standing at least 6-foot-10, are the only other subs Krzyzewski has used.
Minus Allen, there figures to be plenty of shots available for the likes of Kennard and freshman forward Jayson Tatum. After beating Elon, Kennard, whose 20.4 points per game rank fourth among ACC players, complained that the Blue Devils weren’t performing selflessly enough or with the proper commitment.
“We’re going to figure it out,” Kennard said. “We will. We want to be a great team. We want to be one of those that’s always remembered. I think we have the opportunity to do that. It’s going to start with how consumed we are in each other and how we are consumed in winning.”
Tip-off
Who: No. 5 Duke (12-1) at Virginia Tech (11-1)
When: Noon today (ESPN2)
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
Series: Duke leads 45-8 and has won the last nine meetings
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