Early in the season, Duke continues to uncover new avenues of offensive productivity. The No. 9 Blue Devils have had a different top scorer every night for the past four games. Duke (4-1) will play Southern Indiana on Friday night in Durham, North Carolina, on a three-game winning run. Jeremy Roach, a guard for Duke, stated, “We have so many guys.” “On any given night, it could be my night, Tyrese Proctor’s night, or Caleb Foster’s night. Having this luxury is an excellent idea.
Division II Tiffin was defeated by the Screaming Eagles (1-5) in their lone win. There’s little doubt that this will be a unique experience. Stan Gouard, the coach of Southern Indiana, stated, “I know a lot of guys are excited about it when we go to Duke.” After losing to then-No. 4 Michigan State earlier in the month, this will be Southern Indiana’s second game of the season against a team ranked in the top 10.
Gouard stated, “It exposes us to a national audience.” “We have a demanding itinerary. There will be a variety of team styles visible.” The Blue Devils Challenge is a multi-team competition that saw the participation of Bucknell and La Salle in addition to this game. All three of Duke’s scheduled games were at home. Southern Indiana’s road losses came against Bucknell (67–56) and La Salle (79–78). After Duke’s victory against Michigan State in Chicago last week, the Blue Devils and Screaming Eagles will face three opponents in common this season.
The sophomore guard Proctor scored a game-high 22 points to help his team defeat La Salle 95-66 on Tuesday night. Whether he was setting up shots or setting them up, he had a good offensive feel. “I think when I get in the paint, I can make the right reads and find my teammates for the kick or get myself a bucket,” Proctor stated. Duke picked up 21 assists with five turnovers in the La Salle game. The Blue Devils’ ability to score from beyond the 3-point arc is an advantage. Jon Scheyer, the coach of Duke, stated, “I want all of our guys to shoot open 3s.” “When you’re left open and it’s in rhythm, take it.” Scheyer stated that he’s hoping for ongoing defensive improvements, something that has been in the works.
“We had a better awareness for protecting our paint,” he said. “So, again, there’s still a lot to clean up, a long way to go. But the collective effort was really good, especially that initial group that was in there.” There have been widespread contributions from the Blue Devils. Freshman reserve Sean Stewart had 16 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night. “It’s always hard but you’ve got to help the team win and sometimes that means sacrificing,” Stewart said. “That’s why you come to Duke — to win a national championship. When I get in there, I just want to help my team as much as possible.”
Duke’s last home game in more than two weeks is on Friday night. For the Screaming Eagles, AJ Smith and Jeremiah Hernandez each score 12.3 points per contest on average.
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