Duke drops Kentucky 79-71

Duke defeated Kentucky in it season opener. Here are our instant reactions to the Blue Devils victory.

Trevor Keels led all scorers with 25 points (Photo Courtesy of Duke Athletics).

Duke opened the 2020-21 season with a strong showing in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, knocking off Kentucky, 79-71.

As expected, the game was a battle from nearly start to finish. It was also full of the unexpected. 

Here are our instant reactions to the Blue Devils’ victory over the Wildcats. 

COMPETITIVE FIRE 

One thing is clear from Tuesday night’s game: Duke’s competitive fire is real. 

The game opened at a frantic pace for both teams - thanks undoubtedly to a combination of nerves and anticipation for the game. Once things slowed down and became more under control, the fight in both teams was shining through. Immediately it felt like what a Duke and Kentucky game should feel like. 

For Duke, junior co-captain Wendell Moore Jr. set the tone right away. Moore has said over and over again that he’s in a great place mentally and physically for this season, and he’s been more than ready to lead this team. His actions certainly did for the Blue Devils. Though his second half play was not as on point as his first 20 minutes of action - his presence made a difference. 

And his teammates fed off it, and that competitive spirit ran through each and every one of the Blue Devils. In the end, it was that mindset that helped them stave off a furious 11-0 run from Kentucky  late in the second half after falling behind the Blue Devils by 15 points. 

Duke could have folded — just as the Wildcats could have — but they didn’t. If we learned anything concrete from this team, it’s that they will fight and claw. 

TREVOR KEELS AND PAOLO BANCHERO 

Freshmen Trevor Keels and Paolo Banchero lived up to the hype. Keels probably exceeded the hype. The duo combined for 47 points on 17-of-29 shooting. They were virtually unstoppable on offense. 

Keels carried Duke to start the second half, scoring 11 points from 18:04 in the half to the 11:52 mark. During that stretch, the Blue Devils went from a one point lead, and for a moment a one point deficit, to an 11 point lead. While Kentucky eventually climbed back into the game, that stretch from Keels changed the look of the night. 

He singlehandedly shutoff Kentucky’s momentum. He ultimately scored 16 of his game high 25 points in the second half. He also finished the game with three steals, two assists and one rebound. 

Banchero also put on a show. The 6-foot-10 freshman scored 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field, while also grabbing seven rebounds and tallying two steals. 

He did everything for the Blue Devils. He initiated the offense on several occasions, brought the ball up the floor, helped fend off the fullcourt press late in the game, and flashed a mid-range jump shot that will strike fear in opponents going forward. 

We all expected Banchero to be a star. Most of us likely thought Keels would be very, very good, but he went well beyond that. 

MARK WILLIAMS 

If there was one glaring issue in Duke’s win, it was Mark Williams ineffectiveness. Yes, Oscar Tshiebwe had a lot to do with how Williams played, however, the sophomore did not look nearly as confident as most expected he would. Tshiebwe seemingly broke his will early, and the result was the big man sitting the bench for long stretches. 

Williams finished the night with five points and seven rebounds. Not exactly the Mark Williams we anticipated. He looked more like the guy that took the floor in December of last year than he did the one that dominated the ACC Tournament. 

Reason for concern? Probably not. He’ll be fine, but he will have to learn from this experience and take a better mental approach to the game. 

FOUR CONCERNS 

1.) Duke was dominated on the boards - mainly by Tshiebwe. Kentucky pulled down 44 rebounds to Duke’s 36. Tshiebwe had 19 of the Wildcats rebounds, with 12 of them coming off the offensive glass. 

He was a beast. But, as good and active as he was on the boards, Duke could have minimized it had they been better at blocking out, been in better position and matched his will for the ball. The Blue Devils did an awful job at blocking out. The result was 19 offensive rebounds that resulted in 19 second chance points for the Wildcats. 

Paolo Banchero finished with 22 points and seven rebounds (Photo Courtesy of Duke Athletics).

Duke’s positioning was costly, and in Williams’ case - he allowed Tshiebwe to push him around quite a bit. Rebounding should be a strength for this team. We believed the Blue Devils frontcourt would be too much for Kentucky, but instead it was Duke that didn’t have the answers in the paint. 

Theo John, who gave Duke 22 strong minutes of play, and Banchero held up their end of the bargain, but they need Williams to be the guy that owned the paint in the ACC Tournament if they want to reach the heights many expect of them. 

2.) Ball movement was nonexistent for the Blue Devils. Duke had just seven assists on 31 made baskets. It worked out for them tonight, but that cannot be a trend going forward. Jeremy Roach had just one assist, while Keels had two and Moore three. Those numbers really need to improve going forward. 

3.) Bench play has to be better. Only John was a consistent presence throughout the game. That doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as he has a ton of experience under his belt. No matter the case, he cannot be the only one to give Duke production as a reserve. 

A.J. Griffin got off to a slow start, which isn’t entirely unexpected. After all, he hasn’t played in nearly two years and he’s coming off a minor injury suffered in the preseason. He looked out of sorts in the few minutes he played in the first half. He did, however, look a lot more comfortable in the second half and gave Duke a productive nine minutes of action. 

Joey Baker had a short spurt in the first half where he put together a strong sequence. Other than that, he didn’t provide much for the Blue Devils. He attempted one 3-pointer, which missed. He needs to give Duke a presence shooting the basketball. 

4.) That leads us to the last point: Duke made just 1-of-13 shots from 3-point range. The lone 3-pointer came off the hands of Keels. No one else even came close to making a bucket from deep. 

Unfortunately, it’s not clear where the consistent shooting is going to come from outside of Keels, who made just 1-of-4 from deep - his only misstep of the night. 

Roach is not a guy that can put pressure on defenses with his shot, nor is Moore. Banchero can hit shots occasionally, but Krzyzewski likely doesn’t want him pulling the trigger from deep too often. That really just leaves Baker, who attempted just one shot from beyond the arc in the game, and Griffin, who also shot only once from long range.

This could prove to be an obstacle Duke faces all season long. As opponents learn more about what the Blue Devils can and want to do offensively, they’ll have to become a more consistent team from long range. 

Final thoughts: Ultimately, I think concerns Nos. 1 & 2 will work themselves out. I don’t expect either to be longterm issues. Nos. 3 & 4 are another story and do concern me a little. Griffin should figure things out and improve as he grows more comfortable playing. So Duke should at least have two off the bench they can count on. Baker needs to be a third guy they can depend on. His presence will also be crucial to our fourth point being less of a problem. 

Overall, this Duke team has the tools to be really, really good. The team chemistry was present. The fierce competitiveness is a strength and the star power is definitely a thing.