Duke Basketball: Biggest Lessons Learned in ACC Play so Far

Here’s a lesson for you—the Duke basketball team is going to have its work cut out for it if it has any hope of winning an ACC crown.

That’s more of a statement about the strength of the top of the conference than the Blue Devils themselves. Virginia, Notre Dame, North Carolina and even Syracuse (5-1 in league play after a disappointing nonconference slate) represent a loaded top of the standings, and that’s not even mentioning the North Carolina State team that easily handled Mike Krzyzewski's squad in a head-to-head matchup.

While the majority of Duke’s most difficult showdowns lie ahead, there are a number of lessons fans can glean from the start of conference play that could give a hint as to how the rest of the season will unfold. Here are a few of them.

Mike Krzyzewski Has a Zone in His Back Pocket

Ellen Ozier/Associated Press

Duke fans may still be having nightmares about the defensive side of the ball from last season, which is why Krzyzewski didn’t tempt fate after a two-game swoon in mid-January.

The Blue Devils played matador defense in back-to-back losses to North Carolina State and Miami, allowing a combined 177 points total and 106 points in the two second halves alone. Both the Hurricanes and Wolfpack shot better than 50 percent from the field, but it wasn’t just the raw numbers that were the problem.

Opposing ball-handlers slashed through the defense with ease, which forced defenders to collapse and opened up the shooters. There was also a lack of rim protection, and the defense didn’t really force any meaningful turnovers either.

Krzyzewski responded by switching to a zone against Louisville, and the result was a double-digit victory in one of the toughest venues in the entire ACC.

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Krzyzewski commented on the switch, via ESPN.com: "I thought our offense was affecting our defense and we needed to change our point of pick up -- whether it be man or zone -- and put it at the top of the key. Try not to let people get points in the paint against us. Our guys did a good job of that."

Duke’s strong point is always going to be the offense, but it is encouraging moving forward that Krzyzewski has the ability to switch defenses depending on the opponent. Something needed to change after the efforts against the Hurricanes and Wolfpack.

Duke May Have an On-Off Switch

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This may be simplifying things a bit, but Duke may just have an on-off switch, which can be both encouraging and discouraging at the same time.

The Blue Devils have played their best games of the season, including in ACC play, against the best teams on their schedule. In fact, Duke won at Wisconsin, against Michigan State, against Temple, against Stanford, against Connecticut and at Louisville by double digits and completely controlled the tempo of every game.

That is an NCAA tournament-worthy resume already, and there are a number of games against elite competition still to come.

The flip side of the coin for Duke is that some of its lackluster games have come against opponents that simply don’t match up on paper.

The Blue Devils were sleepwalking through the second half against Elon, almost lost to Wake Forest and then did lose to North Carolina State and Miami. Elon outscored Duke in the second half, the Demon Deacons are 1-5 in ACC play, the Hurricanes lost to Eastern Kentucky by 28 points, and the Wolfpack lost to Purdue and Wofford.

Ellen Ozier/Associated Press

Sure, North Carolina State and Miami are still solid ACC teams, but the Blue Devils are loaded with future NBA players and have handled some of the nation’s top squads.

If Duke truly does have an on-off switch, that could be good news if it reaches the latter stages of the NCAA tournament. It has to get past the easy teams first, though.

Justise Winslow Needs to Impact the Game in Ways Outside of Scoring

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The freshman wall hits different players at different times (and sometimes misses first-year players altogether), and swingman Justise Winslow appears to have hit his in recent weeks.

In fact, Winslow shot a measly 7-of-29 from the field, 3-of-14 from three-point range and 5-of-15 from the free-throw line in the four-game stretch against North Carolina State, Miami, Louisville and Pittsburgh. 

Fortunately for Winslow and the Blue Devils, there are a number of ways to impact the basketball game outside of just scoring the ball. He has done just that, as ESPN’s Jeff Goodman noted, and will need to continue to do so if the Blue Devils are going to win the ACC:

Winslow is going to make the NBA on the back of his athleticism, defense and versatility rather than his scoring. Duke has a number of players who can put the ball in the basket, including potential No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor, but it needs Winslow to continue to dominate on the defensive side of the ball. 

Ideally, the offense will come back before March, but the defense is the most important aspect of his game.

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