Rasheed Sulaimon's fast start has taken a few people by surprise this season. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY
Duke vs. Temple
When: 3:17 p.m.
Where: Izod Center, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV/Radio: ESPN/WKIX-102.9 FM
Projected starting lineups:
No. 2 Duke (8-0)
G Quinn Cook, So., 10.5 ppg, 5.9 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 15.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
G Rasheed Sulaimon, Fr., 12.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
F Ryan Kelly, Sr., 13.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 19.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg
Temple (6-0)
G Will Cummings, So., 5.2 ppg, 2.0 apg
G Khalif Wyatt, Sr., 15.2 ppg, 4.8 apg
G/F Scootie Randall, Sr., 16.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
F Anthony Lee, So., 11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg
F Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, Sr., 8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Player to watch
Seth Curry, Duke
After averaging 30.6 minutes and 15.1 points per game through Duke’s first seven games, the senior guard did not play against Delaware due to a left ankle injury. Curry rolled his ankle coming off a baseline screen in the second half of Duke’s win over Ohio State. That aliment is unrelated to the right shin injury that he will continue to monitor all season. So, Curry will return to the court against Temple with 10 days rest behind him. After an off-night shooting against the Buckeyes (four points, 1-of-6 from the field), it will be interesting to see if he’s back in scoring form.
Observations
***Redshirt freshman Marshall Plumlee, who has yet to make is Duke debut, has participated in 5-on-5 drills in practice. Plumlee has been sidelined with a stress fracture in his left foot this season. His return date is sometime in the near future.
***Before the season began, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that he’d like to be able to pencil in 20 points for Mason Plumlee and 15 points each for Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly before each game. After a slow start on the offensive end, Kelly is now showing the aggressiveness necessary to score that often. Against Delaware, Kelly scored 15 first-half points (18 total) and took a team-high 13 shots from the field. “I need to be aggressive like that every game,” he said.
***Rasheed Sulaimon has been Duke’s biggest surprise on the offensive end. The freshman was inserted into the starting lineup when Curry was too hurt to play in the preseason, but solid play kept him in the lineup when Curry returned. Sulaimon has scored in double figures in every game expect Duke’s opener against Georgia State. Krzyzewski has said several times in the past few weeks that Sulaimon is playing as well as any freshman in the country.
