Duke continues to find offensive production from new sources early in the season.
In the last four games, the No. 9 Blue Devils have had a different leading scorer each night.
Duke (4-1) carries a three-game winning streak into Friday night’s game against Southern Indiana in Durham, N.C.
“We have so many guys,” Duke guard Jeremy Roach said. “One night it can be my night, one night it can be (Tyrese Proctor’s) night, one night it can be Caleb (Foster’s) night. It’s a good luxury to have.”
The Screaming Eagles (1-5) defeated Division II Tiffin for their only victory. This is bound to be a different type of experience.
“When we go to Duke, I know a lot of guys are excited about it,” Southern Indiana coach Stan Gouard said.
This will be Southern Indiana’s second game this season against a team holding a Top 10 ranking after falling to then-No. 4 Michigan State earlier in the month.
“It gets us exposure on a national level,” Gouard said. “We have a tough schedule. We’ll be seeing different styles of teams.”
This game is the final matchup of the Blue Devils Challenge, a multi-team event that also included Bucknell and La Salle. Duke was slated for all three games at home. In road games, Southern Indiana fell to Bucknell (67-56) and lost to La Salle (79-78).
Duke defeated Michigan State last week in Chicago, so the Blue Devils and Screaming Eagles have three common opponents this season.
Proctor, a sophomore guard, completed a career-high 22 points in Tuesday night’s 95-66 victory against La Salle. He had a good feel at the offensive end whether it was as a scorer or a facilitator.
“I think when I get in the paint, I can make the right reads and find my teammates for the kick or get myself a bucket,” Proctor said.
Duke racked up 21 assists with five turnovers in the La Salle game.
The Blue Devils’ ability to score from beyond the 3-point arc is a bonus.
“I want all of our guys to shoot open 3s,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “When you’re left open and it’s in rhythm, take it.”
Scheyer said he’s looking for continued upgrades defensively, something that has been in the works.
“We had a better awareness for protecting our paint,” he said. “So, again, there’s still a lot to clean up, a long way to go. But the collective effort was really good, especially that initial group that was in there.”
There have been widespread contributions from the Blue Devils. Freshman reserve Sean Stewart had 16 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night.
“It’s always hard but you’ve got to help the team win and sometimes that means sacrificing,” Stewart said. “That’s why you come to Duke — to win a national championship. When I get in there, I just want to help my team as much as possible.”
Friday night will be Duke’s final home game in more than two weeks.
AJ Smith and Jeremiah Hernandez both average 12.3 points per game for the Screaming Eagles.
–Field Level Media
