Duke got a long holiday break. Blue Devils are ready to finally play again, minus 1 star
They’ve had their break from campus and they’ve been through a return to campus protocols to stay healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Now the No. 20 Duke Blue Devils are ready to play a game for the first time in 13 days as Pittsburgh comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium for ACC basketball Tuesday night.
Duke (3-2, 1-0 ACC) played its first road game of the season on Dec. 16, beating Notre Dame, 75-65. With Duke having canceled its remaining nonconference games, including a Dec. 19 game with Gardner-Webb, the Blue Devils were allowed to disperse from campus for the holidays for the first time since arriving on Aug. 1.
Duke traditionally doesn’t schedule games around Christmas so players can visit family; that’s at least one part of the season that has turned out normal.
“It was good just for everyone to get a chance to get away,” Duke senior guard Jordan Goldwire said after practice Monday. “That’s something that we normally have every year. With COVID and everything being different, some time away was something that was needed even if it was short for everyone just to get to see their families and maybe some friends. When we came back, I feel like everyone was rejuvenated and ready to play.”
Everyone that’s healthy is back in action. That doesn’t include freshman forward Jalen Johnson, who missed the Notre Dame game with a foot injury that required him to wear a walking boot. Since the foot is supposed to be examined two-to-three weeks after the injury was diagnosed prior to the Notre Dame game, Johnson didn’t practice over the weekend and isn’t expected to play against Pittsburgh.
Despite not having a projected NBA lottery pick in Johnson, Duke played one of its best overall games of the season against the Irish, particularly on offense.
The Blue Devils shot 51.7%, including a season-best 53.3% on 3-pointers. For the season, Duke had made 45.6% of its shots overall and 35.4% on 3-pointers.
“Everybody was touching the ball,” Goldwire said. “Everyone was playing together, working to get good shots. It came with pace. I think we ran everything hard and screened and were able to get better looks.”
Johnson had averaged 8.9 shots per game and 11.5 points in Duke’s first four games. With him out of the lineup, fellow freshmen DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach and Jaemyn Brakefield had strong production against the Irish.
Steward hit 6 of 11 shots, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, to score 16 points. Roach made 5 of 6 shots, including two of three 3-pointers, to score 14 points. Brakefield, in a reserve role, made 4 of 8 shots, including both his 3-point attempts, to score 10 points.
Now the Blue Devils aim to build off that solid game as it faces nothing but ACC teams the rest of the regular season.
“We had this break and we came back and have to get back to the basics,” Goldwire said. “We have to screen to get guys open, working to get good shots. It’s just something we are working on: Everybody getting extra shots and hitting those shots and having the confidence to take them.”
After the Pitt game, Duke will travel to reigning ACC champion Florida State for a Saturday game.
The holiday break is over and the games are scheduled on a more regular basis now.
“I love it, actually,” Goldwire said. “There’s nothing like playing in the ACC. It’s a new experience for some guys but being able to play those (league) games early is going to give us a chance to grow defensively and offensively. I’m excited.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Duke got a long holiday break. Blue Devils are ready to finally play again, minus 1 star."