Big Red Louie
Fansided

Stats don’t lie: Louisville basketball one of five teams capable of winning it all

By Presley Meyer

David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 11: Olivier Sarr #30 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons defends Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 11: Olivier Sarr #30 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons defends Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Duke

Adjusted offensive efficiency: 3

Adjusted defensive efficiency: 15

Duke may be young (once again) but they very well could have their best all-around team in quite some time. They primarily focus on dumping the ball off into the post for freshman-phenom Vernon Carey, who is trending up in the ACC Player of the Year race, and it’s led to Duke shooting a very high offensive percentage. In fact, they currently lead the ACC in field goal percentage at 48.4 percent and also lead the conference in adjusted field goal percentage at 54 percent.

Offensively they have a ton of weapons with Carey and sophomore Tre Jones (who may just be the best point guard in America) as well as Cassius Stanley, Matthew Hurt, and solid rotation of role players.

On the defensive side of the ball, they are just as effective holding their opponents to just 65.2 points per game, while holding them collectively to just 41.3 percent shooting from the field. Led by their lock-down backcourt of Tre Jones and Jordan Goldwire, Duke has made a killing at shutting down opposing guards while using their size to dominate in the paint.

Sitting in a tie for second place in the ACC, Duke is very much a team capable of winning it all. They have experience at the right positions, scoring both inside and outside, as well as a defense capable of not only taking away a team’s best player but completely suffocating them inside and out.

They will have to face questions about how their freshmen handle the big moments down the stretch of the season, but even without a Zion Williamson-like star, Duke is still a team to watch out for.

Home/Louisville Basketball