Duke Basketball: Ranking Jahlil Okafor's Toughest Matchups in the 2014-15 Season

The accolades continue to pour in for Duke center Jahlil Okafor before he's even suited up in his first collegiate game. The CBSSports.com National Player of the Year is preparing to embark on what should be a very short collegiate career, 35 or so games between him and a date with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

During that span, there will be nights when Okafor resembles a father posterizing his kids in the driveway. In other games, however, Duke will face teams featuring burly, athletic big men who can deliver the Chicago product a stern test.

The five well-known bigs listed here—as well as five lesser-heralded sleeper picks—will make the Blue Devils' rookie star put in work during their dates this season. They may not be Okafor's fellow McDonald's All-Americans Karl Towns, Myles Turner or Cliff Alexander, but they are veteran college players anxious to teach the newbie a couple of tricks.

5 Sleeper Picks

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

William Truss, Presbyterian (Nov. 14)

Truss, a 6'8", 265-pound senior, has the privilege of opposing Okafor in the freshman's collegiate debut. None of Truss' nine double-doubles for the Blue Hose came against power-conference foes, but he did card eight points and six rebounds against Georgia Tech, plus six and 10, respectively, against West Virginia. For the year, Truss nearly averaged a double-double with 10.9 points and nine boards per game.

Nathan Boothe, Toledo (Dec. 29)

Boothe isn't always a primary offensive option for the Rockets, but he can score when presented the chance. The 6'9", 250-pound junior led Toledo with 15 points in last December's tough matchup with Joel Embiid and Kansas. So, Boothe's done the whole "body up the freshman superstar" thing before.

Devin Thomas, Wake Forest (Jan. 7)

Wake's 6'9", 255-pound junior big man ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounding last season. He has, however, struggled with foul trouble against major competition, so Duke will use Okafor to attack him straight up.

BeeJay Anya, NC State (Jan. 11)

Anya's weight peaked at nearly 350 pounds during his freshman season. Now, at approximately 290, he's still far from a bantamweight. His sheer bulk—to say nothing of his insane 7'9" wingspan—will test Okafor's endurance and patience as they jockey for position in the lane.

The Seminole Trio, Florida State (Feb. 9)

Florida State is one of the only teams in America that can boast three 7-footers: 7'0" grad student Kiel Turpin, 7'1" junior Michael Ojo and 7'3" junior Boris Bojanovsky, pictured above stuffing Virginia's Justin Anderson. That's 21 feet and 15 fouls' worth of harassment that FSU can run at Okafor all night long.

5. Amida Brimah, UConn (Dec. 18)

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Think of UConn 7-footer Amida Brimah as a taller version of St. John's Chris Obekpa. Both centers are natives of African countries, both are highly dangerous shot-blocking threats and neither is much of a scorer.

Brimah was hardly expected to start for the Huskies last year, but he'd emerged as a key contributor by midseason. This year, he's been named a captain, illustrative of the sort of faith he's earned from coach Kevin Ollie.

Brimah's 7'6" wingspan is tough for anyone to shoot over, and Okafor will need to dig into his bag of post moves if he intends to post a big scoring game.

Expect Brimah to ignore his offensive game and focus on containing Okafor. The Husky big man had only three games with more than five shot attempts last season, and the number isn't likely to be huge this year, considering all of UConn's perimeter talent.

4. Chris Obekpa, St. John's (Jan. 25)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

St. John's center Chris Obekpa does one thing really well on the basketball court: block shots—lots and lots of shots.

Before I turn this into a Dr. Seuss book, let me note that Obekpa has only 24 fewer blocks than points in his career. His all-time highs in points and swats are equal at 11. His four double-figure scoring nights during Big East play last season were the first of his career, the run starting in his 53rd collegiate game.

Obekpa isn't likely to be a major test of Okafor's defensive mettle unless Duke allows St. John's to get out in transition. Obekpa's a fine athlete who can run the floor very well when he sees an opportunity, so it's likely he can beat Okafor down the court.

Where the Nigerian import will struggle is in keeping post position. His lower-body strength is a weakness that allows bigger, stronger centers to establish and keep their position on the low block, and it's a flaw that Okafor can feast on.

Still, even if he beats Obekpa to the basket, Okafor will have to keep his head up, because Obekpa can come out of nowhere for the stuff. While Obekpa's chasing blocks, however, he'll take himself out of rebounding position, so a double-double for Duke power forward Amile Jefferson is very possible in this game.

3. Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina (Feb. 18/Mar. 7)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The work that North Carolina center Kennedy Meeks has done in reshaping his body this offseason will pay off not only on a game-to-game basis but also in his late-season consistency. The same man who fell three assists shy of a triple-double against Louisville five games into his collegiate career recorded only four points and five boards combined in UNC's two battles with Duke.

Now down to nearly 270 pounds, Meeks will be a stern physical test for Okafor when the two do battle twice in UNC's final six regular-season games. What remains to be seen is how Meeks will handle the rigors of working against Okafor. He was able to play 20-plus minutes in only three of Carolina's final 14 games. Okafor will crush Meeks late in the game if the hefty Heel is winded and allows his footwork to get sloppy.

When Meeks played extensive minutes, he was almost always dominant. In the seven games in which he played 20 or more minutes, Meeks averaged 13.4 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Heels would love to see that kind of production against Okafor and Duke, as long as it comes in a pair of victories.

2. Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse (Feb. 14/Feb. 28)

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Syracuse banger Rakeem Christmas is a rugged rim protector in his own right. As the man in the middle for the Orange's iconic 2-3 zone, he'll also have plenty of help in guarding a stud like Okafor.

Cuse's zone has endured for more than 30 years because coach Jim Boeheim finds lengthy athletes willing to buy in and put in the work to make it more than the bunch-of-guys-standing-around defense you see at your local YMCA. Christmas is a quick enough player to rotate to wherever Okafor will catch the ball, whether it's in the short corner or the high post.

Christmas' 7'3" wingspan—along with those of fellow Orange bigs Chris McCullough and Chinonso Obokoh—will test Okafor's passing ability when Syracuse collapses to trap him along the baseline. If Okafor catches the ball in the high post, he'll have no shortage of options, especially with Duke's array of shooters who can keep Syracuse honest.

Offensively, Christmas does most of his best work off the glass, making it imperative that Okafor control his position and keep the 6'9" senior from getting putbacks and drawing fouls.

Duke may elect to be proactive and test Christmas early, trying to get him in foul trouble a la last season's second meeting. The Devils didn't attack him often in the first meeting, allowing him to play 34 minutes and record seven points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.

1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (Dec. 3)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Of all these matchups Okafor must face as a freshman, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky may be the only one that can truly force Duke's incoming star to scramble on both ends.

For starters, the Wisconsin game is Duke's only true road encounter, an ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup that's only on the schedule because ESPN said so. It will be Okafor's first experience in a truly hostile venue, and the Kohl Center will be loaded with rabid Badger fans.

Kaminsky, like Okafor, is one of nearly everybody's All-Americans and with good reason. The 7-foot Badger was an overgrown guard in high school, and he'll be a constant threat to drag Okafor out to the three-point arc, keeping him off the glass and freeing up space for cutters in the lane.

When Okafor gets the ball, Kaminsky will likely get help. Even if he doesn't, he's enough of a playmaker to give the freshman fits. Kaminsky swatted 2.4 shots and ripped 1.1 steals per game last year. Okafor's arsenal of post moves will be tested as he seeks to draw contact and land Kaminsky in foul trouble.

This one is among the most anticipated matchups in the nation this year. The man who gets the better of it could punch his ticket to a spot on the postseason All-American First Team.

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