Duke-Georgetown Preview: Free Throw Battle Magnifies on Saturday

On Saturday, the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils play the No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas at home. The game is Duke’s toughest non-conference matchup to date, and Georgetown enters the game in search of a tough road win in its final non-conference game of the regular season.

Duke is 15-1 this season, with its lone loss to Michigan. The Blue Devils' conference record is 3-0, which ties them for first place.

Georgetown, meanwhile, is 12-3, losing to Tennessee in non-conference play and to Pittsburgh and Notre Dame in Big East conference play.  

Both teams are a joy to watch. Both teams appear tremendously sound on paper.

One aspect that usually determines the outcome in a contest between two great teams is the free throw battle.

Often, the team that avoids foul trouble and limits the number of fouls it commits finds success throughout the course of the game. 

For starters, Georgetown commits two less fouls per game on average than Duke.

Surely, the nature of the officiating crew can determine that average. Nonetheless, that average is often indicative of how aggressive a team is on defense and how mindful of its foul situation a team is when the calls aren’t favorable.

Georgetown is a solid defensive team because it has length and athleticism all over the floor. The defense does not overextend and commit silly mistakes, namely fouls, in crucial situations.

On the other hand, Duke prides itself on furious aggression, defensively. The Blue Devils smother their opponent, and, as a result, Duke can often commit cheap fouls.

To their credit, however, the Blue Devils always manage to not only commit fewer fouls than their opponents, but also attempt more free throws in the process.

As a team, Georgetown shoots 73.7 percent from the free-throw line, while Duke coincidentally shoots 73.8 percent.

Finally, when watching the game on Saturday, pay special attention to this particular battle. In the case that either team experiences foul trouble, both teams have depth, but not necessarily at all positions. The victor of this in-game battle is likely to win the game. 

The following is commentary concerning the game on Saturday in three distinct categories:

On the Floor

Each starting lineup appears to be nearly equally talented. From observation, both teams can turn the ball over at a dangerously high rate. But the equalizer lies in their efforts on defense.

Georgetown owns a myriad of shot-makers in its starting unit. As a result, the team does not struggle through offensive droughts to the extent that Duke does.

The Blue Devils understand offensive concepts as well as any team in the country, but they struggle to achieve continuity on offense largely due to their susceptibility to commit turnovers and reliance on making three-pointers.

Defensively, Georgetown’s length and athleticism makes operating on offense difficult for its opponents. At the rim, the Hoyas have a decent shot-blocker in freshman center Greg Monroe. Georgetown also has explosive athletes capable of contesting shots near the basket via their leaping ability.

Duke relies on its pressure to force turnovers and bad shots. This season, Duke has held opponents scoreless for a handful of minutes on multiple occasions. Though not a guarantee, such a possibility can help tremendously, especially against a team the caliber of Georgetown.

Bench

Duke has the advantage here. Not necessarily because of its quality of play, but rather because of the range of its depth is why Duke has the edge.

At times, Duke is able to utilize a 10-player rotation. Georgetown, on the other hand, does not have the luxury of such a deep bench and it does not have the experience that the Duke bench enjoys.

Coaching Staff

Unquestionably, both coaching staffs have advantages in certain categories without getting into specifics. Both coaching staffs will treat this game with the importance a conference game should hold.

The edge, however, goes to the Duke coaching staff in this contest. The reason is Georgetown will have to adjust its style of play to win the game, more so than Duke.

The Hoyas must combat the stout on-ball defensive pressure from Duke. This will likely force Georgetown to increase the pace of its offense, resulting in fewer quality shots and more turnovers than normal.

Regardless of which positions produce the most favorable matchup for each team, the bottom line is that both teams must play with outstanding effort and desire backed by the strength of their preparation. What a phenomenal game this should be.