The Blue Devils are now 2-0 in conference play after taking down the Florida State Seminoles over the weekend. However, with a 13-1 record and a top-25 team on the horizon (the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals), Duke needs to keep working on the most minimal aspects of the game to keep its undefeated streak alive against ACC opponents.
In a close game that truly came down to the last few minutes, there was one glaring issue that head coach Jon Scheyer must address before the Blue Devils take the court again.
Duke defeated the Seminoles by just four points, winning 91-87, and there were a few really good improvements in the Blue Devils’ game, with one player continuing to cement his place as a star on the team.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Duke’s single-digit win over Florida State:
Blue Devils needs to work on TOs
In the matchup, the Blue Devils forced just 13 turnovers by the Seminoles. On the other end of the court, Duke committed 15 turnovers of its own.
No, it isn’t a huge difference, but for the No. 6 team to commit more turnovers than an unranked, 7-7 team is unacceptable, especially in a game that is just a few points apart. Scheyer and his staff have to ensure this problem doesn’t continue as the Blue Devils get ready for the Cardinals.
Duke has fixed its FT problem
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Blue Devils had a completely disastrous showing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, resulting in Duke’s only loss on the season. Against the Raiders, the Blue Devils shot an abysmal 59 percent from the free-throw line, a completely unacceptable stat for one of the best teams in the country. Against Florida State, the team shot 92 percent from the charity stripe, showing Scheyer had clearly addressed the issue.
Dame Sarr should be a full-time starter
The Blue Devils are an extremely young squad, with true freshman Cameron Boozer leading the team in nearly every single stat column. As Scheyer has worked to lock down his starting lineup, a few players have undeniably earned their place in the group of five.
However, one freshman has taken a little longer to find his footing, but his performance against Florida State was more than noteworthy.
Dame Sarr came off the bench against the Seminoles and produced 13 points, outscoring both Patrick Ngongba II and Cayden Boozer, who started. His double-digit point total and three rebounds were exactly what he needed to work towards locking down his role as a starter.
No. 6 Duke (13-1 overall, 2-0 ACC) and No. 16 Louisville (11-3 overall, 1-1 ACC) are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and the top-25 game will be aired on ESPN.
