College Basketball Preview: 1. Duke Blue Devils

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 9 years ago

SteemSports Presenter:@oakley7227

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

It was a fantastic opening weekend in College Basketball and our number 1 ranked team is in action tonight. But before we get into that game, let’s first take a look at the upcoming season for the top ranked Duke Blue Devils! Duke was also the preseason number 1 team last year but their season did not live up to the hype. The level of talent was not the issue as Duke had 4 of the first 32 players drafted to the NBA this summer. They lost a ton of talent including Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Frank Jackson. Those will be some big shoes to fill but Coach K thinks he has it covered.

Leading this talented squad is senior guard Grayson Allen. It has been a roller coaster for Allen’s 3 seasons in his Duke uniform. He was a hero in the Final 4 during his freshman season then quickly turned villain the following year. He was involved in 3 separate tripping incidents and was even suspended last year. He has over taken the great Christian Laettner as the most hated Dukie and will face a constant barrage of boos this year. Allen is ready to explode offensively this year though. He is a dangerous shooter from the 3 point line and will also be extremely aggressive driving to the rim. He hits over 80% from the free throw line so look for him to put pressure on the defense early and often. If he can keep his cool and his head screwed on straight, Allen should average well over 20 points per game and be the player of the year in college basketball.

Joining Allen in the backcourt will be highly recruited point guard Trevon Duval. Allowing Allen to move off of the ball will be a major plus for the Blue Devils. Duval has superstar potential. Another freshman will be joining Allen and Duval at the guard position. Gary Trent Jr. was considered the best shooter in high school basketball last year. He will be spotted up on the wing and ready to let it rip. There is little depth though at the guard position and if foul trouble or injuries become an issue, the Blue Devils will be in trouble.

The frontcourt will boast plenty of height. 6’11 center Marques Bolden missed his freshman year with a foot injury and is ready to go now. He will make an immediate impact on the block and be the main threat in the post. Freshman Wendell Carter and his 6’10 frame will be more of a stretch 4. The pair of big men will need to play heavy minutes for the young Blue Devil team. They do have Javin DeLaurier and Antonio Vrankovic coming off of the bench but both players are more role players and don’t have the big time talent that Bolden and Carter have.

The Duke Blue Devils got their season started this past weekend with easy wins over Elon 97-68 and Utah Valley 99-69. But they will get an enormous test tonight when they play the Michigan State Spartans. Duke is a 2 point favorite but the Spartans may have the edge in this early season matchup. It will take Duke a little time to get the new faces to mesh with the veterans and for Coach K to get his rotation set. But by March Madness time, the Dukies faithful will have plenty to cheer for. It could be another magical year the Blue Devils.

That wraps up our top 10 team college basketball previews with the 1st ranked team in the country. Thank you for following @steemsports and you can follow me @oakley7227