Men's Basketball Postseason Preview 2018

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ADJUSTING TO CHANGING TIMES

Switch to zone keys Blue Devils’ defensive surge

By Michael Model Assistant Blue Zone Editor

After a dismal defensive start to the season sparked a constant debate about whether the Blue Devils could contain the nation’s most electric offenses, it’s safe to say Duke is in the zone defensively entering the ACC tournament.

The Blue Devils have completed the turnaround from a confused unit to one of the nation’s best at shutting opponents down after fully adopting a 2-3 zone defense in mid-February.

In the first four games relying on the zone, Duke held each of its opponents to fewer than 60 points, a mark the Blue Devils achieved just three times in their first 25 games of the season.

Despite being known historically as a man-to-man coach, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski learned from Syracuse head coach and former Team USA assistant Jim Boeheim— perhaps the most famous champion of the zone scheme—and has created a masterpiece within his own program.

“We’ve played zone the whole year, but when we went kind of exclusively to it, it has really helped our guys communicate better,” Krzyzewski said after the Blue Devils’ 60-44 win against Syracuse Feb. 24. “Whatever we’re playing, we want to be the best, we don’t want to be second best.... I hope we’re better than Syracuse.”

Duke could not stop the ball throughout nonconference play, allowing each of its four Power-5 opponents to drop more than 75 points.

Rather, the Blue Devils relied on their high-octane offense averaging more than 85 points per contest and needed multiple double-digit second-half comebacks to remain undefeated.

Duke’s defensive struggles continued through the start of conference play. The Blue Devils got off to a dismal 1-2 start after allowing 89, 93 and 96 points, respectively, in their first three contests.

Duke allowed each of those opponents to convert better than 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc. Following the Blue Devils’ 96-85 loss at N.C. State Jan. 6, basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy had Duke ranked 104th in defensive efficiency.

The Blue Devils first committed to zone fulltime Feb. 14 against Georgia Tech. Since that contest, Duke has dramatically turned things around, holding four of its six opponents to less than a 40 percent conversion rate from the field.

In addition, the Blue Devils have especially locked down the perimeter, preventing opposing teams from shooting better than 30 percent on 3-pointers in each of their last five contests.

Duke’s recent stretch has helped it to rise 94 spots to the top 10 in KenPom defense.

“We’re doing a really good job of being active on defense,” senior Grayson Allen said after the Syracuse game. “Our talk has really picked up.

We’re doing a much better job with the scouting report and knowing teams’ shooters and knowing teams’ strengths offensively, and trying to key in on those guys and make it tough for them.”

The Blue Devils’ ability to communicate in the zone has been one of the keys for their recent success. After struggling against the pick-and-roll for much of the season, Duke has done a much better job of late largely due to leadership by Allen at the head of the zone.

During Marvin Bagley III’s four-game absence due to a mild knee sprain, Allen not only transitioned to become the team’s primary ball-

Juan Bermudez | Sports Photography Editor

Grayson Allen has become Duke’s leader on defense in the top row of its 2-3 zone as one of its chief communicators. handler, but has remained the leader defensively as well, directing the zone from the top row.

“On defense, every possession we’re attacking the rim. Every possession we’re active,” Allen said after Duke defeated Louisville Feb. 21. “Really all I’m saying on the court is getting us to focus on each possession and take it one at a time so that we put together a 40-minute game.”

Perhaps the final key for Duke’s defensive success has been the expansion of the bench and the increased role of sophomore Javin DeLaurier.

Despite averaging just 3.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest, DeLaurier has made his presence felt on defense with his length and aggression, diving for loose balls, and he started the last two games

of the regular season in place of freshman point guard Trevon Duval.

At 6-foot-10, DeLaurier provides additional size on the baseline next to freshmen Bagley and Wendell Carter Jr., who maintain a large size advantage over most opponents.

“The two things that are the toughest things that you can’t simulate when you’re playing really good people are length and quickness,” Krzyzewski said of starting DeLaurier against Syracuse. “Both teams are decent in terms of quickness, but both teams have extraordinary length when they’re out there, and what you think you see, even if you’re in the stands, if you were on the court I’m not quite sure you’d see it. It’s difficult.”

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NO HARM, NO FOULS

Carter stops fouling, starts excelling in ACC play

By Mitchell Gladstone Sports Managing Editor

With just about three minutes to play in Duke’s Jan. 13 matchup with Wake Forest, Wendell Carter Jr. trudged to the Blue Devil bench. Head down, he high-fived his coaches and then teammates before sitting down in his chair and leaning back as the final seconds ticked off in Duke’s 15th victory of the season.

Once again, foul trouble had overshadowed what was otherwise an excellent performance—a 15-point, 11-rebound outing that gave Carter his seventh double-double on the season and only continued to establish the Blue Devil frontcourt as one of the nation’s best.

For the freshman big man, that Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium was a turning point in what has

been a rapid defensive evolution.

“Coach came up to me [on the bench that day] and said, ‘We need you in the game,’” Carter told reporters in a mid-February press conference. “He just talked to me about playing vertical. He showed me a lot of tapes of where defenders were going vertical and never got fouls called against them, so I just installed that to my game and now I’m foul-trouble free.”

In the final two games of November’s PK80 Invitational, the Atlanta native picked up four fouls in each contest and played only 21 minutes in the final against Florida. Three days later, Carter racked up 18 points at Indiana, but still struggled to stay on the floor, fouling out in 24 minutes of action.

Between then and Duke’s first matchup with the Demon Deacons, Carter played more than 30 minutes just once. It was clear a change had to be made.

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“A lot of times when I fouled out, it was silly fouls like 50, 60 feet away from the basket where if I just got back, I would’ve never had to foul,” Carter said. “Just eliminating those fouls alone, it completely takes the foul trouble out of the game.”

Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski needed his first-year standout on the floor. So he suggested that Carter go watch film of Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

“I watched Marcus Smart and [Coach K] was saying, ‘If a guard can do it, you can do it too,’” Carter said.

Statistically, it has been a major development for both the 6-foot-10 forward and Duke as a whole. In the Blue Devils’ first 17 games of the season, Carter averaged 24.5 minutes and 13.4 points with 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.0 fouls a game.

Since his adjustments, though, Carter is playing more than six minutes more per contest, and his point, rebound and assist numbers have all increased by at least 10 percent.

And while Marvin Bagley III was sidelined with a right knee sprain, Carter’s role in the paint—both offensively and defensively—only grew. As the Blue Devils continued to develop their 2-3 zone, Carter emerged as a defensive anchor, standing tall in the middle of the floor and swatting away multiple shots in every game Bagley missed.

The highlight came Feb. 18 at Clemson, when Carter spun for the and-one layup in the final minute that salted away a critical road victory for Duke.

“Wendell really learned a lot today because it was a man’s game inside that first half,” Krzyzewski said after that win. “It was really physical, and as a young player, you get more worn out and you can get knocked back.... I thought he responded.”

With Bagley back in the fold for the Blue Devils, Carter will need to adapt again.

Although he has remained the focal point of the Duke zone, Carter is not one of the team’s primary options on the offensive side of the ball. After a signature outing against Syracuse—which was Bagley’s return to action—when Carter scored 16 points and grabbed 10 boards with four steals and not a single foul, he struggled during the regular season’s final week, notching just 14 points and eight rebounds combined in two games.

With teammates that include an ACC Player of the Year, a former All-American and one of the ACC’s best 3-point shooters, it’s easy to lose sight of Carter, even with his 6-foot-10, 259-pound frame.

And with a glut of young bigs in college basketball right now— Bagley, DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba and Jaren Jackson Jr., to name a few—Carter’s name is a bit further down NBA mock draft boards than it might be in other years.

But it is hard to point to any Blue Devil who has been as steady and as consistent all season long as Carter.

“It’s incredible how much he’s developed. He does so many different things, especially watching on film, he impacts the game in so many ways,” Allen said during a late February media session.

“His improvement has been so steady, and he just keeps getting See CARTER on Page 15

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Wendell Carter Jr. has developed into a strong defender after struggling with foul trouble early in the season.

The Chronicle

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 | 5

LINGERING QUESTIONS

Blue Devils back to revolving around Bagley exceed that mark in a half in their 28 games up to that point. Bagley erased most of those concerns with a second half for the ages in the regular-season finale against North Carolina as Duke exploded for 49 points, but with the season already winding down, the Blue Devils’ stars still haven’t shown they can consistently play at their best together on offense.

When Bagley was out, senior captain Grayson Allen had his best two-week stretch of the season, averaging 23.8 points and 4.8 assists in four games. Since Bagley has been back,

By Hank Tucker Sports Editor

Duke’s offense was supposed to pick up where it left off when Marvin Bagley III returned to the floor after a four-game absence due to a mild knee sprain.

But for two and a half games, that was not the case.

The Blue Devils failed to score more than 33 points in five halves of basketball in a row, matching the number of times they did not

Charles York | Associate Photography Editor

The Blue Devils failed to score more than 33 points in a half for their first two and a half games after Marvin Bagley III returned from a mild knee sprain.

however, Allen has fallen back into a shooting slump, going 6-of-28 from 3-point range in three games and turning the ball over six times to match a career high in each of the Blue Devils’ last two contests of the season.

“Really my job is to get the ball into those guys a little bit more, and find Marvin and Wendell [Carter Jr.] on the high post or on the block and get them some shots,” Allen said after a win against Syracuse Feb. 24, Bagley’s first game back from the injury. “[Bagley’s] another guy that you just throw the ball to and he just goes to work, or throw the ball near the rim and he goes and gets it.”

It’s hard to dispute that Bagley is one of the most transcendent offensive players in the nation when he is on the floor. The 6-foot11 big man tallied at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in seven games, including three in a span of four days at the PK80 Invitational in November plus the regular-season finale against the Tar Heels Saturday night.

With some help from a few timely 3-pointers from Gary Trent Jr. and Allen, Bagley was the primary spark for Duke’s comeback from a 13-point second-half deficit on Senior Night.

“He’s just a dog. He’s going to do whatever he has to do for us to win, and that’s what a lot of people like about him. That’s what I like about him,” Carter said. “I feed off his energy. He feeds off my energy. We just fight together.”

It was one of the first times since November the Blue Devils looked cohesive together with Trevon Duval back at the point, and Bagley took the bait after the game when asked about a comment by ESPN analyst Dan Dakich that he was “all about himself” during the broadcast of last Monday’s loss at Virginia Tech.

“It’s obviously not true. I love being a part of a team, and I honestly think it was a silly

statement to even say, to go on for that long about me,” Bagley said. “I just think it was dumb, to be honest with you. It was not true at all, and people around me know me as a player and as a person.”

But it remains to be seen whether Duke can string that type of play together for an entire tournament, or even a full 40 minutes.

Bagley is not the only Blue Devil capable of carrying the team in a big win. Allen scored 37 points to lead the team past then-No. 2 Michigan State Nov. 14, and he reassumed that starring role to fuel four straight wins with Bagley out.

But when the ACC Player of the Year is on the floor, there is no question about who the focal point of the offense is.

“When he’s in there, we’re obviously going to play off of him because of the talent that he has,” Allen said following Duke’s win against Georgia Tech Feb. 11, its first game without Bagley. “In a game like this, you get a little bit more down screen actions, more drive and kicks, more opportunities to catch and shoot and just really more opportunities on offense to score.”

That opinion is shared by the frontcourt’s other freshman phenom, with Carter averaging close to a double-double in his own right.

“I’m not forcing any action. If he’s making his shots, I’m going to continue to give him the ball,” Carter said.

The Blue Devil defense has remained wildly successful in a 2-3 zone since Bagley has returned, but his supporting cast has not maintained the offensive numbers they were putting up during his absence. Duke has all its eggs in one basket with a heavy reliance on their leading scorer and rebounder entering the postseason, and the rest of the Blue Devils seem perfectly fine with that.

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OFF THE PINE

Band of misfits develops into productive bench

By Ben Leonard Blue Zone Editor

Trevon Duval seems out of place in a band of misfits.

After slicing up high schoolers and making college players look like high schoolers in his first few college games, it seemed like business as usual for the nation’s top point guard recruit. All he had ever known was dominance.

But now, he finds himself coming off the bench—albeit in a crucial sixth-man role—for a team with national championship aspirations.

He’s part of a band of misfits on Duke’s bench.

That includes Marques Bolden, a former fivestar recruit who has taken his time to live up to expectations, and scrawny Alex O’Connell, always underestimated for his size. And even Jack White, who in late January had the crowd chanting his name because he scored five points.

How did Duval wind up there? His affinity for the 3-pointer is like that for the one ex that you keep going back to, no matter how much you know you shouldn’t. His vices of coughing up the ball and whiffing on steal attempts didn’t help, either.

But for all their perceived flaws, the Blue Devil bench has become a vital part of a team chock full of blue-chip recruits. Duval helped key Duke’s comeback win against North Carolina Saturday, Bolden has become a force on the boards and O’Connell has been a human energy drink at times. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been known to be hesitant to dip more than one or two players into his bench over the years, but not of late.

With senior Grayson Allen manning the ship at point guard in place of Duval, Duke has won six of its last seven games while relying more

heavily on its reserves. Before a Feb. 11 win at Georgia Tech, Krzyzewski had used the same starting five all season long.

In the Blue Devils’ last two games, Krzyzewski has kept Duval on the bench, with three bigs starting alongside Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen—Javin DeLaurier, Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. While Duval has come off the bench, he hasn’t failed to make a splash when he got a chance to play.

Despite struggling from long range all season, Duval’s 3-pointer and assist to Bagley for a dunk in the second half against North Carolina Saturday helped Duke climb out of a deep hole. Before the game was decided, Duval had a hand in all of Duke’s last six buckets to help seal the deal.

“I’m just focusing on what I can do to help the team win no matter what position I’m put in, no matter what’s going on,” Duval said after the game. “My mindset was to come in and try to affect the game in whatever way I needed to affect it, whether that’s getting offensive rebounds, hooking guys up, finding open shooters, things like that.”

In the past seven games with Duval in and out of the lineup, the Blue Devils’ offense certainly hasn’t been the well-oiled machine it once was. It was dead in the water in the first half against the Tar Heels and disappeared late against Virginia Tech Feb. 26, and Duval was a part of that against the Hokies.

He didn’t make an impact in crunch time and missed a late free throw that would have given Duke a two-point lead. The freshman also had three turnovers.

“We slowed the ball up, so that’s why we’re not scoring as much. We felt like we had mismatches inside, but we had too many turnovers trying to do that,” Allen said that night. “The perimeter

EXCITING

guys have to make better passes, myself included.

Too many turnovers, that was really it.”

If the Blue Devils want their offense to get on track, Duval will likely have to be part of that resurgence, whether off the bench or in the starting lineup.

flowing locks got in his eyes when he was shooting—a major distraction, he says. A buzzcut has helped things—he doesn’t have to brush back his hair like Luke Kennard did last year.

“It was too long and it was in my face.

When I shot it, it was bothering me,” O’Connell said. “I didn’t want the whole Luke The “Slim Reaper” quietly deadly thing. It was distracting.”

Duke quietly has one of its most deadly Listed at 6-foot-6 and 171 pounds— offensive weapons coming off the bench. He which might be a stretch—the lanky guard, might not seem the most imposing, but he affectionately dubbed the “Slim Reaper” can bring it. Especially now that he can see by Duke fans, has gotten used to being when he plays.

See BENCH on Page 15 At the beginning of the year, O’Connell’s

Jim Liu | News Photography Editor

After being relegated to the bench, Trevon Duval has made the most of his new role and dished out six assists in the second half of Duke’s comeback win Saturday.

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Design by Ian Jaffe | Photography Editor

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YOUNG SHARPSHOOTER

Trent thriving after midseason shot adjustment

By Sameer Pandhare Associate Sports Editor

Playing their ninth game in 20 days, the Blue Devils had their hands full in their first true road test of the season against a feisty Indiana team.

And for much of that night in Assembly Hall, freshman Gary Trent Jr. was having a nightmare of an evening as he struggled to find the bottom of the net with his perimeter jumper.

But with a little more than two minutes remaining in the contest, Trent flashed into the middle of the paint and knocked in a short jumper through contact for a 3-point play that allowed Duke to pull out a win.

Despite the concerns the Blue Devils had— and still have—about youth and inexperience, Trent’s ability to push through his struggles that night was indicative of the mental toughness that has defined the guard as he has developed throughout this season.

“Gary Trent, he could not hit a shot, but then he got that steal and he got fouled and hit two free throws,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said following the team’s November win. “I’m proud of him because freshmen, if they’re not hitting, they can go, ‘That’s it. It’s not a good day.’

But that’s not him.”

In many ways, Trent’s game against Indiana was a turning point in his freshman season. After going 0-of-6 that night from long distance, the guard’s 3-point shooting percentage dropped to a measly 29.4 percent through nine games. But since his slow start, the Columbus, Ohio, native has shot 46.9 percent from deep and provided the floor spacing needed around the low-post duo of Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III. A big reason for that has been finding his place on a team with many more scoring threats than a

high school team. With Bagley and senior Grayson Allen garnering much of the media’s attention and running much of the offense, Trent has often been overlooked, even if his teammates know what his perimeter shooting does for the offense.

“I simply had to find places in the offense where I would be able to get my game off, get a shot off in that sense, help somebody or assist somebody in that position,” Trent said after his breakout performance in a come-from-behind win against Miami. “Positioning was the big thing for me— finding my spot within the offense.”

Trent’s father—Gary Trent Sr., who played nine seasons in the NBA and garnered the nickname “The Shaq of the MAC” during his time at Ohio—has been a big influence for his son as the freshman has adjusted from being the primary ball-handler in high school to playing off the ball for the Blue Devils. Along the way, Trent has relied on his coaching staff to adapt to his role and understand how to keep the defense honest even on nights when his jumper is not falling.

“He’s a worker, and that’s something his dad taught him,” Krzyzewski said ahead of Duke’s regular-season finale against North Carolina.

“He’s been coached hard since he was 3. He loves the process of becoming good and he’s embraced that his entire time here at Duke. Just adjusting to length and speed at this level of play took a little bit, but he still hit big shots and made big plays for us. He’s really had a heck of a year.”

Perhaps the biggest plays Trent has made came as the Blue Devils fell behind by doubledigits in the second half of their win against Miami. With Duke teetering against an opponent that has given them a good deal of trouble over the years, Trent caught fire from beyond the arc and sparked an 18-0 run to help the Blue Devils to a key road victory.

As Jenna studied deep into the night, she began to Lose hope...

Jim Liu | News Photography Editor

After shooting worse than 30 percent from deep in the month of November, Gary Trent Jr. has grown into Duke’s most consistent 3-point threat.

For both Krzyzewski and Trent, the performance served as confirmation of the value of Trent’s work behind the scenes and propelled him to a strong finish to ACC play. The freshman had big games in home wins against Notre Dame and Virginia Tech and delivered dagger triples late against Syracuse and North Carolina.

Making adjustments to a knockdown shooter’s form has become common for the Blue Devils and is a role that assistant coach Jon Scheyer has thrived in since arriving on the Duke bench. Before working with Trent this season, Scheyer spent time with Luke Kennard working on shooting off of

screens and quickening the guard’s release. The result was a jump from 32.0 percent from 3-point range in his freshman year to nearly 44 percent in his sophomore year.

Although it remains to be seen whether Trent will stay in Durham past this season, the freshman has developed with the help of Scheyer and the rest of the coaching staff. The first step for the guard was speeding up his shooting motion, and the next may be taking the ball more aggressively to the basket at the professional level.

See TRENT on Page 15

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January 25, 2017

Location

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The apartments at Solis are a fantastic new addition to the already vibrant 9th Street community. The community at 810 Ninth itself is also growing as more and more people arrive. creating a fantastic mix of people and cultures. The Leasing Office has been an absolute pleasure to deal with, and every person will go out of their way to help with anything you need. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my decision to take a chance with a new development in Solis. and would happily recommend it to anyone who asked.

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December 04. 2016

Review by Fuqua School of Business, MBA Student "What sets 818 Ninth apart is that the management is great here. Every request has been completed within 24 hours and the staff is very helpful. It's located right on 9th street, so it's perfect to be close to everyone else, but at the same time far enough to get your own space if you need it. I am very glad I chose to stay here instead of any other building. My one bedroom is big enough to host people as well, which I love to do. The pool and the gym are pretty good as well."

INCLUDING CABLE/INTERNET, VALET TRASH PICK-UP & PEST CONTROL

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This place is in a incredible location with many places to eat and drink within walking distance. The building is brand new with plenty of good high quality amenities. Most importantly though. the staff is incredible. Given my experience living in quite a few apartment complexes, this is extremely rare.

810 Ninth Street Apartments 810 Ninth Street, Durham, NC 27705 January 25, 2017

Phone: 984.888.0557 810ninthstreet@greystar.com 810ninth.com b.t!t

The Chronicle

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12 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

PREVIEWING THE TOP FOUR SEEDS 2. DUKE

1. VIRGINIA Virginia’s meteoric rise has been perhaps the biggest surprise in an eventful college basketball season. Head coach Tony Bennett’s team began the season unranked and did not make an appearance in the AP poll until the last week of November. After suffering their first loss in early December to then-No. 18 West Virginia, the Cavaliers went on a 15game winning streak which saw them climb all the way to No. 2 in the AP Poll.

During this run, they defeated both North Carolina and Clemson and handed Duke its only home loss of the season. Despite the streak being snapped in an overtime loss to rival Virginia Tech, Virginia rose to No. 1 shortly afterward, where it has remained ever since.

The Cavaliers’ greatest strength is their fearsome defense, which leads the nation in virtually all metrics. Virginia is first in opponent points per game, allowing an average of just 52.8—Cincinnati, in second place, allows 57.3. In a February victory at Pittsburgh, the Cavaliers held the hapless

Panthers to seven points and just one made field goal in the entire first half.

Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year, senior forward Isaiah Wilkins won ACC Defensive Player of the Year and freshman guard De’Andre Hunter took home ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors. In addition, three players were named to an All-ACC team.

Virginia will enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, finishing four games ahead of the second-seeded Blue Devils.

—Sanjay Ravindra

Despite the departure of nearly 10 players from last year’s team, the Blue Devils entered this season yet again as the No. 1 team in the country—the first time Duke has ever been the preseason No. 1 in back-to-back years.

The many holes left by All-ACC freshman Jayson Tatum, fifth-year senior Amile Jefferson and 3-point sharpshooter Luke Kennard were quickly plugged by a starting five that featured four freshmen and a senior captain that rolled through nonconference play, amassing 11 consecutive wins, including two against top-10 opponents.

More impressive than the winning streak, however, was the resilience the team demonstrated in the face of adversity.

Against then-No. 2 Michigan State, a firsthalf collision forced Marvin Bagley III to exit early. The Blue Devils rallied around Grayson Allen’s career-high 37 points, and Duke triumphed 88-81. Three times the team faced a second-half deficit in the PK80 Invitational in November, and on each occasion, those

4. CLEMSON

3. MIAMI With the loss of graduate student Davon Reed—the team’s top scorer last year with 14.9 points per game—Miami had to put its faith in its younger players, as the team became predominantly underclassmen. Newcomer Lonnie Walker IV and returning sophomore starter Bruce Brown Jr. took charge, along with returner Dewan Huell.

The three played important roles in early wins against then-No. 12 Minnesota and then-No. 24 Florida State, with Brown scoring a season high of 23 points against the Seminoles.

Miami really hit its stride at the end of the season, going 7-3 in its last 10 games despite being without Brown, who has been out with a foot injury, including a four-game win streak to close the regular season. In a 79-78 win against Boston College, Walker hit a triple with 2.3 seconds left to lift his team past the Eagles and complete a 14-point comeback.

And after blowing a 16-point lead, Newton

hit a buzzer-beating shot from a few steps past halfcourt to beat No. 9 North Carolina 91-88 in Chapel Hill.

The Hurricanes developed a rhythm and utilized a deep bench, as seen in the game against the Tar Heels in which six of the eight players who played scored in double ditis. The passion and effort with which they played in the end of the season to secure wins and make comebacks could very likely be crucial in the coming weeks.

—Liz Finny

After entering the season unranked, Clemson made waves, climbing all the way up to No. 11 as recently as Feb. 12 behind a stifling defense.

The Tigers got off to a scorching 20-4 start, notching wins against then-No. 22 Florida, then-No. 18 Miami, and thenNo. 19 North Carolina. But Clemson has fallen off a bit as of late, having to shoulder the loss of forward Donte Grantham for the season and guard Shelton Mitchell for two games—one of which was a 66-57 loss to Duke. The Tigers dropped four of their final six contests to close the regular season.

On the offensive end, Clemson is by no means scary, but has some solid outside shooters in Gabe DeVoe and Marcquise Reed. Elijah Thomas also has provided a lift in the post. But the Tigers really shine on defense, ranking among the best in the nation in blocking shots and limiting opponents inside the

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freshmen and Allen roared back.

Conference play brought its challenges, but the Blue Devils weathered the storm without the ACC’s leading scorer, significantly upping their defensive intensity and winning six of their final seven games— four of which were without Bagley—to secure the conference’s No. 2 seed. On the regular season’s final night, Duke rallied from yet another double-digit deficit to topple the Tar Heels 74-64.

—Alex Sanfilippo

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arc en route to the fifth-best defensive efficiency mark in the country. They have, however, been very vulnerable defending the 3-point line.

If DeVoe and Reed get hot from deep to make the Tigers a force on both sides of the ball, they could make a push in the tournament—especially with a double bye that helps them sneak through to the semifinals and a potential matchup with Virginia.

—Ben Leonard

The Chronicle

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THE BEST OF THE REST 5. N.C. STATE

After one of the worst seasons in the program’s recent history, N.C. State had no choice but to replace Mark Gottfried as head coach. And on his first day at the helm of the Wolfpack, Kevin Keatts proclaimed himself a winner.

Through 31 games, Keatts has proven that and a whole lot more, guiding N.C. State to a finish in the top half of the ACC and essentially locking up a spot in the NCAA tournament.

It didn’t take long for the Wolfpack to earn a signature win—they knocked off then-No. 2 Arizona in their opening game at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving weekend. Despite a shocking home defeat to UNC Greensboro a few weeks later before two road losses to start conference play, N.C. State showed it would be a threat when it topped a second-ranked team yet again, taking down Duke in Raleigh.

From there, the run only continued. The Wolfpack have lost consecutive games just twice in conference play, and just 21 days after taking out one Triangle foe on its home floor,

7. VIRGINIA TECH

N.C. State showed it could do the same on the road, knocking off North Carolina in a highscoring thriller at the Dean Dome.

With the return of Markell Johnson following a mid-season suspension, the Wolfpack have a talented and deep backcourt that also includes redshirt junior Torin Dorn and graduate transfer Allerik Freeman in addition to Omer Yurtseven, who has been an anchor down low ever since a breakout performance against the Blue Devils.

—Mitchell Gladstone Although Virginia Tech sits seven games back of its in-state rival and ACC leader Virginia, the Hokies have made more of a splash this season in conference play than their record might suggest. Virginia Tech is 4-3 against ranked teams in head coach Buzz Williams’s fourth season at the helm, including upsets of then-No. 2 Virginia on the road and then-No. 5 Duke in the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum late in the season.

The Hokies are led by a pair of upperclassman guards who are threats to score at any time from the perimeter. Junior Justin Robinson and senior Justin Bibbs each shoot

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 | 13

6. NORTH CAROLINA After the Tar Heels returned only one of their top five scorers (Joel Berry II) from their 2016-17 national championship team, it was clear that former role players like Luke Maye would need to step up. The junior forward has done just that—Maye has become a Wooden Award Finalist and leads the ACC in both total rebounds and 3-point percentage.

North Carolina leads the ACC in virtually every offensive category thanks to its fast pace of play: points per game, field goals made and attempted, total rebounds and offensive rebounds, and it is still the best team on the boards in the conference despite not starting anybody taller than 6-foot-8.

At first glance, North Carolina’s 22-9 record does not seem strong enough to warrant a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Tar Heels rank first in strength of schedule and third in the RPI rankings. North Carolina has managed to topple eight teams in the RPI top 50, and

has only fallen to two teams outside of that group in N.C. State and Wofford.

Overall, the Tar Heels are a bit of a wild card for the postseason. The offensive duo of Maye and Berry is among the strongest inside-outside pairs in the country and is certainly able to carry North Carolina deep into the conference tournament and the NCAA tournament, but if the Tar Heels go cold from the perimeter, they could also lose to anybody.

—Derek Saul

roughly 40 percent from beyond the arc for a team that has averaged nearly the same mark from the perimeter. The ability to shoot from outside is a crucial part of Virginia Tech’s potent offense, which has averaged 80.2 points per game thanks largely to its conference-best 3-point shooting percentage.

While the potential to get hot from downtown is always a boon in March, the Hokies will likely need their shooting to help overcome a chronic rebounding problem that has plagued them all season. Virginia Tech averages the third-fewest rebounds per game in the ACC, ahead of only the slow-paced Cavaliers and lowly Pittsburgh.

The seventh-seeded Hokies earned a first-round bye and will meet Notre Dame Wednesday. Virginia Tech defeated the Fighting Irish on the road in the regular season, but will likely have a tougher time against Notre Dame with the return of star senior Bonzie Colson.

If the 3-point threat becomes reality, the Hokies could ride strong shooting and tough defense to their second upset of Duke this season in the quarterfinals and wind up in Friday night’s semifinals at the Barclays Center.

—Riley Pfaff

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14 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

THE REMAINING TEAMS 9. LOUISVILLE

8. FLORIDA STATE With stars Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Issac leaving the program for the NBA, the Seminoles took a step back from their 24-7 season that saw the team finish second in the ACC. After starting off the season strong with nine straight victories, including a road win over then-No.5 Florida, Florida State struggled to find any consistency in ACC play, failing to win more than three games in a row.

The conference’s schedule makers did the Seminoles no favors—their opening stretch included Duke, North Carolina and Miami, all top-15 teams at the time.

Although the 1-2 ACC start was nothing to be ashamed of, losses to Louisville and Boston College hampered Florida State early in ACC play.

However, three straight wins temporarily righted the ship before three losses in four games—including a road defeat to lowly Wake Forest—put an NCAA bid in question. Nonetheless, the Seminoles closed the season winning the games they

10. NOTRE DAME

The Chronicle

Little has gone right for the Cardinals in a year that started with the dismissal of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and included the removal of the program’s 2013 championship banner. Although Louisville has remained an elite defensive team, the Cardinals have struggled to score late in games. Six of the team’s 12 losses came by five points or fewer, highlighted by an excruciating 67-66 loss to No. 1 Virginia.

Point guard Quentin Snider runs the show for Louisville and gives the team a heady ball-handler with the ability to control the pace of the game. The duo of Deng Adel and Ray Spalding on the wings also provides the team with versatility on both ends of the floor. Despite struggling from beyond the arc, Adel was the team’s leading scorer in the regular season and serves as one of the Cardinals’ go-to options late in games. 7-footer Anas Mahmoud serves as an intimidating presence down

were expected to win and added a home victory against then-No. 11 Clemson, while losing on the road to NC State and Clemson which pushed them out of a bye in the ACC tournament.

Florida State should make the NCAA tournament as a low double-digit seed, and even a loss to Louisville shouldn’t impact their position. However, a string of wins would go miles in pushing the Seminoles up to a higher seed line.

—Dilan Trivedi One of the early favorites to contend in the ACC, the Fighting Irish made a brief appearance at No. 5 in the nation after winning the Maui Invitational in November and were rolling along until preseason ACC Player of the Year and firstteam All-American Bonzie Colson went down with a broken foot at the start of January.

The loss of the 6-foot-6 senior forward was too much to withstand, as Notre Dame lost seven straight games in ACC play while starting point guard Matt Farrell and freshman forward D.J. Harvey also missed time due to injury. But Colson returned to the floor after missing 15 games for Senior Night last week in a victory against

Pittsburgh, and the Fighting Irish gave No. 1 Virginia all it could handle on the road in a 6257 loss to wrap up the regular season, led by Colson’s 24 points and 15 rebounds.

With Notre Dame finally at full strength for the first time since the very beginning of conference play, it will likely be the most dangerous No. 10 seed the ACC tournament has ever seen, and a couple of wins in Brooklyn would make the team’s body of work very difficult for the NCAA tournament selection committee to evaluate come Selection Sunday.

—Hank Tucker

low on defense, but struggled to make the strides many Louisville fans hoped for on the other end of the floor.

After starting conference play 6-2, the Cardinals enter the ACC tournament on a sour note with losses in four of their last five games. Louisville will be the No. 8 seed and take on Florida State Wednesday with a chance to likely clinch an NCAA tournament bid if they can knock off the Seminoles.

—Sameer Pandhare Our breakdowns of No. 11 seed Syracuse and No. 12 seed Boston College can be viewed online at dukechronicle.com.

Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh were all eliminated in the first round of the tournament Tuesday.

Follow our all coverage of this week’s ACC tournament online, as we update the bracket after every game and will be on site for all of Duke’s games as the Blue Devils look to secure their second straight ACC championship. Duke will open play Thursday night against either Virginia Tech or Notre Dame.

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BENCH FROM PAGE 7 underestimated due to his lack of size.

But it hasn’t brought him down—he has the highest offensive rating among rotation players.

“Now that I’ve shown that I can make an impact despite not being as strong as other guys is a good thing,” O’Connell said.

A lights-out 3-point shooter, the freshman has seen his minutes fluctuate a lot as of late. But when he’s in the game, he has been the team’s best perimeter shooter.

O’Connell has been lightning in a bottle for the Blue Devils when they needed a boost at times this year. With Allen fouled out against Texas in November, he played 29 minutes on a big stage at the PK80 Invitational.

“Just for me to be able to be on the court and experience that, whether I was scoring or not, that was a really big part of my development to help me get a feel for what big-time college games are going to be like,” O’Connell said. “When it comes tournament time, that was a really good learning experience for me.”

In a recruiting class stacked with fivestar recruits, it was easy for many to overlook O’Connell, which he said has left a chip on his shoulder. But he felt that he would eventually be able to make an impact.

“I did know that I was probably going to get overlooked, but I figured if I came here and was myself and brought the energy that I knew I could bring, I figured I would stand out eventually,” O’Connell said. “They can only play five guys and you have to settle eventually. They have to find somebody who can do that stuff...I knew I was going to have to be able to make an impact, but I didn’t think that I was going to be able to make such an impact right away. ” O’Connell’s time on the floor has been sporadic as of late, but he played 14 minutes against North Carolina Saturday and knocked down a triple—he also added 11 points in 18 minutes in Duke’s Feb. 8 loss to the Tar Heels.

Early on in conference play, O’Connell

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struggled to get ready to play against Boston College and N.C. State, he said, relegating him to the bench for nearly the entire game.

“I wasn’t 100 percent ready to play. That isn’t a good look on any player, so [Krzyzewski] pulled me,” O’Connell said. “He probably just didn’t think I was ready to come back in, and I completely understand that. Now I know that if I don’t come in ready, I probably won’t go back in.”

Bolden making a resurgence Added late in the recruiting process, Bolden was supposed to be the final piece of a championship contender when he came to Durham. But sullied by injuries, he flopped in his freshman season.

He wasn’t able to play until December, and even once he got on the court, he was slowfooted and hardly played in big games down the stretch.

But Bolden has logged double-digit minutes in every game after missing nearly all of January with a knee injury this season. The towering center has played an important role in spelling DeLaurier and even Carter or Bagley if needed, becoming one of the team’s best rebounders. He even received one ACC Sixth Man of the Year vote at the end of the regular season.

The former blue-chip recruit showed grit in a Feb. 21 win against Louisville, playing 16 minutes with a fractured nose—and no mask.

He scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and swatted a shot, now a typical game off the bench for Bolden.

The 6-foot-11 big man understands that he is a crucial part of the 2-3 zone under the basket—and is confident that Duke’s surging defense can stop anyone.

“We’re the eyes of the zone and we see everything, so talking out screens and people moving, and that’s really it,” Bolden said after the win against the Cardinals.

“With us talking, it helps also with the movement of all the other four guys on the court, too, so with communicating, we feel like we defend anybody.”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 | 15

TRENT

CARTER

FROM PAGE 11 For a player that always looks at ease on the court, Trent will be entering a high-pressure environment as the Blue Devils enter the postseason. Duke—and Trent in particular— has seemed to perk up when the pressure builds, as evidenced by the Blue Devils’ mastery of the double-digit comeback this season.

“When we’re down, I never think we can lose. I just continue to play. We’ve been in that position before,” Trent said. “It’s simply having that will to win. It’s helped us having that in our toolbox.”

From the start of the year to now, Trent has added much more to his toolbox than he had that mid-November night in Bloomington.

But what remains to be seen is whether the Blue Devils can get each of their contributors to showcase their best tools in March.

FROM PAGE 4 better and better.... He’s protecting our rim and he’s doing an amazing job of helping us when we make [defensive] mistakes.”

Offensively, there’s little question that Duke’s frontcourt is one of the nation’s most potent and dangerous come tournament time, especially with the added depth of sophomore big men Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden.

Now that the Blue Devils have developed into a top-10 defense, however, it becomes all the more important for Carter to maintain his defensive presence and continue to lead a unit that could help bring a sixth national title back to Durham.

“I’m just a player who wants to win,” Carter said. “I don’t care if I’m having two points, three points a game. As long as we’re winning, that’s what I care about.”

Jeremy Chen | Associate Photography Editor

Alex O’Connell (left) has grown into a surprisingly important role as a freshman, and Marques Bolden (right) is a reliable big man off the bench.

16 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

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