Duke Basketball (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Two Duke basketball freshmen need and deserve an increase in playing time.
A permanent turnaround for this Duke basketball team requires more than a quick fix. In addition, coming from Saturday’s 91-87 home defeat to UNC (12-6, 7-4 ACC), it is quickly looking a little late to save any serious hope from March Madness anyway.
No, chances are these Blue Devils (7-7, 5-5 ACC) will be watching from the couch.
But Duke’s eight remaining scheduled games, starting in Durham at 4:30 pm Tuesday against Notre Dame (7-10, 4-7 ACC), will offer an invaluable experience. With that in mind, the Blue Devils should see this stretch as a chance to 1) focus on an ACC tournament, 2) develop their individual talents and 3) build their chemistry for what should be a sunnier 2021-22 season.
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And as hard as it sounds, now that this season is about to become a lost cause, common sense says that the focus should be on the program’s future. This should translate into extended trips to the reserve bank for anyone who intends to return to the professional level once the current campaign is over.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a pair of Duke basketball newbies who sure look like pieces from several years and can also help the team now by seeing more playing time for coach Mike Krzyzewski. We’ll start with the underused muscleman on the squad …