Takeaways: Duke vs. WSSU

Duke knocked off Winston-Salem State 106-38 in its lone exhibition on Saturday.

Photo Courtesy of Duke Athletics/Natalie Ledonne.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke hosted its first game in Cameron Indoor Stadium since March 7, 2020, when the Blue Devils faced off against archrival North Carolina. 

Yes, the Blue Devils welcomed fans to CIS on Oct. 15 for Countdown to Craziness, but today’s game marked the first against another program. And Mike Krzyzewski’s team provided the Cameron Crazies with a lot to cheer about in a 106-38 win over Winston-Salem State. 

While the exhibition victory is nothing to write home about, and one must consider the opponent when drawing conclusions, there are some things we can take from this game. 

Here are some of our takeaways from the Blue Devils’ dominating performance. 

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TAKEAWAYS 

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Paolo Banchero a wing?

Paolo Banchero is as good as advertised. We’ve seen plenty of Banchero at Bull City Hoops over the last few years throughout his recruitment, but if to be completely honest, what I saw today is reshaping my view of the 6-foot-10 freshman. 

Let me explain. We tabbed him as a skilled big. A guy that can face up his opponent or back him to the hoop. The latter two still holds true. The first, I’m not so sure anymore. 

A few weeks back, Krzyzewski said we might see a lineup that features Banchero, Mark Williams and Theo John on the floor at the same time. A lot of people scoffed at that idea to be honest. 

But I get it now. I GET IT. 

Banchero might be better described as a big wing opposed to a skilled big man. His handle has improved a lot, and he showed an ability to explode off the dribble. That’s something we didn’t really associate with him as much in the past. He ran the floor like a wing. He LED the break like a wing. He sees the court like a wing. 

I understand he probably doesn’t have the consistent outside shot one might need to be officially considered a wing, and we’ve yet to see how his mid-range has developed, but when it comes to his sheer ability to handle the ball and facilitate an offense - he’s got wing tendencies. 

That lineup of Banchero, Williams and John doesn’t seem like so much of a stretch anymore. 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that’s a lineup we will see often, but I fully understand why it can be a thing now. 

Banchero finished the game with 21 points, nine rebounds and two assists. 

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I’ll say it again … don’t sleep on Trevor Keels 

Trevor Keels is the real deal. He is no joke. In fact, he might be the biggest surprise for me so far. 

He impacts the game in so many different ways. He can shoot the ball — he went 2-of-5 from 3-point range. He can attack the basket, where he uses his strength to absorb contact and finish in the paint. He plays with such intelligence. He plays with his head up and his eyes moving at all times. 

Keels truly seems to be playing one step ahead of most. 

What I really, really like is how he plays defense. He’s always moving his feet. He has active hands (he finished with two steals and probably disrupted another three or so plays). 

Keels is really the complete package. As an avid baseball fan, the ultimate compliment a manager can give a player is if he refers to him as simply - a baseball player. Well, Keels is simply a basketball player.

His ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is impressive. We’ll be seeing/hearing a lot from Keels this season. 

Keels also had 12 points, four assists, and two rebounds. 

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Confidence appears to be king for Jeremy Roach 

We all know about the ups and downs that Jeremy Roach had as a freshman. He had some great moments last year. He also had some not-so-great moments. 

He’s acknowledged as much leading up to the season. Roach also made it clear he’s much more confident right now. Today, we saw that on full display. 

We never saw that timid, or unsure of himself approach today. We saw a decisive player, who seemed to have a great feel for his teammates and himself. 

This Duke team doesn’t appear to have just one, lone point guard. There are several guys that can bring the ball up the floor, and facilitate the offense. Roach is one. Wendell Moore Jr. is one. Keels is one. 

But Roach really played under control and sure of himself. We will see how all that translates against better competition, but it feels like the sophomore will be a very different and more consistent player in 2021-22. 

He finished the day with 10 points, seven assists, two rebounds and just one turnover.

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 Noteworthy

- Mark Williams finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and five blocks in 19 minutes of action. He was 6-of-7 from the floor. 

- Wendell Moore Jr. had eight points, six assists, two steals and no turnovers. 

- A.J. Griffin scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. 

- Bates Jones will be able to contribute in spot minutes if needed. He showed an ability to hit the 3-ball, connecting on 2-of-4 attempts. He finished with 11 points and four rebounds.