By: Ben McCormick
January 21, 2023
Duke announced that Jeremy Roach will be available to play on Saturday after missing the last three games as he continues to battle a toe injury.
Duke is coming off a loss to Clemson that knocked them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in two seasons. The Blue Devils have had a poor start to conference play, standing at just 4-3. A win today isn't "necessary" for Duke, but it sure would mean a lot to these Blue Devils to get a ranked win and avoid starting 4-4 in conference (with a very tough schedule ahead).
Even with Roach back, it is unclear what his role will be—whether it be on the bench, on the wing, or running the point. Freshman Tyrese Proctor has shown a lot of promise at point guard lately. He has looked poised as a distributor, aggressive as a driver, and decisive with the ball. He is averaging 15.5 PPG through his last two games as well.
Miami is led in scoring by returning All-ACC performer Isaiah Wong, who averages 16.7 PPG for the Hurricanes. He is joined in the backcourt by Jordan Miller and Nijel Pack who average 14.8 and 11.6 PPG respectively. In the frontcourt, 6'7' forward Norchad Omier averages a double-double with 14 PPG and 10.2 RPG—as well as 1.5 BPG.
While Miami isn't very tall, they can still play tough inside with Duke. The biggest challenge for Duke, however, will be keeping the Miami guards from filling up the stat sheet. The Hurricanes have the 10th best offense in the nation according to KenPom, including the 15th best 2PT percentage. The Canes are reliable defensively as shot blockers, ranking 20th nationally in block percentage.
Still, defense is not Miami's strongest attribute. Duke will need to make shots and match Miami's scoring if it wants to stay above .500 in conference play.
@Duke_Wisdom
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