Duke men's basketball opponent preview: Stanford - The Chronicle
As No. 3 Duke prepares to take on a west-coast foe in Stanford, the Blue Zone is here with an overview of the Cardinal, along with an X-Factor for each squad:
: 14-18, 8-12 in the Pac-12
: 16-9, 8-6 in the ACC
: Kyle Smith
: Stanford leads, 2-1
70-59 Duke, Nov. 22, 2014
Duke will take on Stanford for the first time in over a decade Saturday in an attempt to continue its momentum from defeating the other Golden State team and ACC newcomer Cal at home Wednesday. In order to beat the Cardinal, which ranks sixth in the ACC despite being projected to finish much lower, Duke will need to play at a high level to prevent an upset similar to its harrowing loss at Clemson Saturday. Stanford, after losing by eight to Georgia Tech Wednesday, will hunt for a win even if only by one point, as was its victory against N.C. State. The Blue Devils only beat the Wolfpack by ten in a tumultuous battle at home.
With it being Kyle Smith’s first season coaching the Cardinal, the Blue Devils might be able to take advantage of this transition period. A new coach means new plays and new connections that need to be formed with the players. However, Smith clearly riled up the team at halftime Wednesday night, causing the Cardinal to have a late-game run against the Yellow Jackets and almost coming back from a 15-point halftime deficit. The Blue Devils should not get too confident if they lead at halftime against the group from out west. Duke should also be wary of fouling the Stanford players in the paint, as the Cardinal are second in the ACC in free-throw percentage. Preventing these extra points from piling up could ensure a Blue Devil victory.
Cameron Indoor Stadium will welcome back guard Jaylen Blakes, the 6-foot-2 graduate student who spent his undergraduate years repping the Duke blue before transferring last year. Averaging 14.5 points and five assists per game this season, the guard has been a consistent starter for the Cardinal. He was clearly reminded of his Blue Devil roots when Stanford played the Tar Heels in Chapel Hell, where Blakes nailed a game-winning short jumper with 0.9 seconds left on the clock, putting the score at 72-71 Stanford. The Duke team should be wary of its former player and his presence back in Cameron.
As the Blue Devils battle the Cardinal, who have an average of 34.9 rebounds per game led by ACC boards leader Maxime Raynaud, Patrick Ngongba II will be expected to put on a show. His strength and skills in the paint bring his field goal percentage to 72.7 this season, the highest among the Blue Devil squad. The Virginia native will also be crucial in times of foul trouble, as demonstrated by forward Maliq Brown’s performance Wednesday when he fouled out. As a key buffer against foul trouble, Ngongba will be looking for some extra minutes this weekend, especially late in the game as he did against the Golden Bears. This game provides an opportunity for the freshman center to get more playing time and to further develop his role off the bench.
The senior forward will be a key player for Stanford against Duke at Cameron. As a frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year, he is averaging 19.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Raynaud’s stats rank him among the top 15 players for points per game and he holds the third spot for rebounds. This threat could be a large problem for the Blue Devils, whose fall to the Tigers was fueled by a lack of rebounds, with Clemson leading 36-23. While the rebounding differential was unusual for Duke, the Blue Devils still need to address the issue before facing Raynaud’s power in the paint. Despite his typical high numbers, he went 4-of-13 for field goals, 0-for-6 from three and had only six rebounds against Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils need to hold Raynaud to the same performance if they want to secure a dominant win.
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