The Duke Blue Devils came away with back to back victories over Marist and Grand Canyon over the weekend.  Here is my two game review, followed by player notes and thoughts.

Duke 94 Marist 49

Short handed or not, Duke was just too athletic for Marist in their opener.  The opening game of a two game set in the Hall of Fame Tip Off went as expected with the Blue Devils winning big.  Duke had a sluggish start but then adjusted offensively score 54 first half points. The Blue Devils were able o go to their bench in the second half earning bench players lots of playing time.  Antonio Vrankovic came away with a game high 10 rebounds while true freshman Frank Jackson led the team in scoring with 18 points.  Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard added 16 each.

Duke 96 Grand Canyon 61

Grayon Allen turned in a Player of the Year worthy stat line of 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists as the Blue Devils cruised against a much tougher opponent than in their opener.  Duke rarely played beyond six men int his game as Mike Krzyzewski's bench shortened with Kansas coming up tomorrow in the Champions Classic in New York City.  The Blue Devils showed man to man, traps and zone while accumulating an impressive 14 steals.  The Duke defense also had 8 blocked shots in the game despite being short-handed up front.

Do not expect Bolden, Giles or Tatum this week

The injuries to Marques Bolden, Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles will keep the former prep All Americans out versus Kansas for sure.  In fact, don't expect any of them back during the two game Hall of Fame Tip Off at the Mohegan Sun Arena as well.  Duke will move cautiously with concern to a return and the what you see now as a team is what you get or the forseeable future.  The good news is that Duke can win with this team according to Krzyzewski and we'll find out this week.

There is an uptick in the play of Luke Kennard

If you are wondering who has played more minutes than any other Duke player thus far, the answer is Luke Kennard.  There has been an uptick of improvement in Kennards game which has led Krzyzewski to say is has been their most consistent player in the pre season.  Kennard is averaging 15.5 ppg and pulling down 7 rebounds per contest.  He's playing bigger and stronger which bodes well for Duke.

Frank Jackson is the real deal

After his second collegiate game, Jackson is averaging 19.5 ppg. That's impressive .  He has successfully mastered running the point in unison with Matt Jones, Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard to date. Now, the question is how will he handle the defense of  a solid Kansas backcourt in the Madison Square Garden spotlight.

The old guys

Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones are the heart and soul of the spunk Duke will need while the team battles injuries.  Jones had a very solid outing against Grand Canyon and they will need him to step his game up another notch this week.  Jefferson is currently in Divinity School at Duke as a graduate senior.  He has picked up where he left off a season ago averaging a near double-double.  Like Jones, they will need his play to be top-notch as teams will start to focus on the trio of Allen, Jackson and Kennard.

Will the real Chase Jeter please stand up

Thrust into the starting lineup at center, Chase Jeter has been a tale of two games thus far in the season.  Against Marist he tallied 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots with no turnovers.  Against Grad Canyon his numbers sank to 3 points and 2 rebounds.  However his blocked shots went up at 3 and he had 3 steals.  The Duke staff is seeking consistency from their capable sophomore.

The defense never rests

After two games the Duke defense is forcing opponents into 17.5 turnovers per outing.  The Blue Devils are also averaging 11.5 steals per game where Matt Jones leads the team with 3.0 per contest.