Meet Duke – The Auburn Plainsman

As part of the SEC/ACC Challenge, No. 2 Auburn will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night to take on the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils – becoming just the second non-conference opponent ranked in the top two of the season stands Nation, who has attended Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1965.

The Blue Devils, led by third-year head coach Jon Scheyer, are currently bolstering their 5-2 overall record with a notable win at No. 17 Arizona. The two Duke losses came at the hands of No. 19 Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic and on the road against No. 1 Kansas.

“I think they are the number one defensive team in the country, partly because they are so long. They are the biggest team in the country and have great length at every position,” Pearl said of his upcoming opponent. “You have active hands. And they get a lot of balls in their arms and hands. And when we get the ball to our bigs, they’ll tuck it away and reach inside, and they’re really skilled and active, and they do a really good job.”

Wednesday night will feature Duke’s No. 1 defense and Auburn’s No. 1 offense, according to KenPom’s nationally adjusted defensive/offensive efficiency ratings. The Blue Devils rank fourth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.352) and ninth in scoring defense (58.6).

“I just like their practice situations. “You know, all summer, fall, I imagine when they were practicing,” Pearl said Monday, alluding to Duke’s depth. “You know, that’s why I’m impressed with how good they are so early, because as young as they are, and that’s because of their strength, you know, they beat Arizona in Arizona and lost the last possession games against them.” Kentucky and Kansas .”

Duke returns two starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad, junior Tyrese Proctor and sophomore Caleb Foster, while also signing the top-ranked recruiting class in the country

Additionally, four additions were made through the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils’ six-player freshman class includes five top-25 players ranked by 247Sports and is comprised of five-star prospects; Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, Patrick Ngongba II and Khaman Maluach. The trio of freshmen in Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach, along with Proctor and Foster, make up Duke’s starting lineup.

“He is effective offensively, defensively, inside and out. He has a high basketball IQ. I have a great love for the game,” Peal said of Flagg, the absolute freshman sensation.

The 6-foot-1 guard/forward and Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year became the first Duke player in the last 40 years to collect more than 50 points, more than 25 rebounds and more than 10 assists in his first three games

Career games – including a matchup No. 19 Kenutcky.

Against No. 19 Kentucky, No. 17 Arizona and No. 1 Kansas, Flagg played an average of 36.0 minutes – 38 minutes each in the last two meetings. The freshman scored in double figures in all three contests, scoring more than 20 points against both Wildcats.

“I study coaches, I study systems and what they run is difficult to protect. It suits their staff. They have great counters. He is very creative. They do new moves at the start of the game, things you’ve never seen before, and everything falls into place, and they hang their hat on the defense,” Pearl said.

The top-10 matchup between the Tigers and Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium is scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. CST on ESPN.

“With all the notoriety comes a lot of responsibility. “We get the opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the country, probably in one of the toughest environments,” Pearl said.

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Patrick Bingham | Sports editor

Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He began The Plainsman in fall 2022.

You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham

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