Rasheed Sulaimon had a career day last time out against Maryland. Tonight, he'll attempt to outshine Wake Forest's freshmen as well. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY
Duke vs. Wake Forest
When: 8:05 p.m.
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem
TV/Radio: WRAL-ACC Network/WKIX-102.9 FM
Storyline: Mike Krzyzewski said the Maryland win was step one in finding the team's new identity. Playing at Wake Forest is step two.
Last time: Duke rolled to an 80-62 win in Durham
Projected starting lineups:
No. 5 Duke (17-2, 4-2 in the ACC)
G Quinn Cook, So., 11.1 ppg, 6.2 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 15.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
G Rasheed Sulaimon, Fr., 12.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Amile Jefferson, Fr., 4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 17.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg
Wake Forest (10-8, 3-3)
G Codi Miller-McIntyre, Fr., 8.3 ppg, 2.8 apg
G C.J. Harris, Sr., 14.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Arnaud William Adala Moto, Fr., 5.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg
F Devin Thomas, Fr., 7.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg
F Travis McKie, Jr., 15.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Player to watch
Devin Thomas, Wake Forest
After looking a step too slow in the first Duke game, Thomas exploded for 25 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and three steals in Wake Forest’s stunning 86-84 upset win over N.C. State. Thomas went 10-of-13 from the field and grabbed nine offensive rebounds, tied for the third-highest single-game total in school history. Amile Jefferson will likely spend time trying to prevent a similar breakout against Duke.
Observations:
***Last time against the Demon Deacons, Duke didn’t make a two-point bucket until the 9:03 mark of the first half, when Mason Plumlee threw down a dunk to make it 2-19. The Blue Devils’ first seven field goals were all from 3-point range.
On the year, Duke leads the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage (.411) and 3-point field goals per game (7.8).
***Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik said Monday that Ryan Kelly’s absence doesn’t really affect the Demon Deacons’ game plan.
“Obviously Ryan Kelly's presence allows them to space the court better, but they're going to do what they do,” he said. “They're going to defend and they're going to move the ball, and they're going to be aggressive with their mentality.”
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