The Duke Blue Devils moved to 4-0 on the young college basketball season with a 74-54 win over Temple.  Granted, there was not a lot of flash by the players in the victory.  Instead, Duke won with a workmanlike effort against a team which thrives on getting you into grinder of a game.  Experiencing a physical, half court oriented type of game  should help the team grow as they move forward.

The Blue Devils are relying on a lot of freshman, with three in the starting line up and there is a learning curve at the college level.  Jahlil Okafor struggled a but early, but finished the game with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  Okafor is learning to play through contact and be strong with the ball.  The Owls defense gave the talented freshman center something new to think about moving forward.

Tyus Jones struggled with his shot from the field, but he leaned on his passing acumen where he led the Blue Devils with a game high 7 assists.  Jones steadies the Duke offense and finds ways to contribute and that helps free up his teammates to play off ball.

One of Jones teammates who played on and off the ball was the steady to date Quinn Cook.  Averaging just under 17 ppg, Cook has been the most consistent offensive performer to date.  Cook drained three more three-point shots last evening on a night when the Blue Devils went just 7 of 23 behind the stripe.

Cook and Okafor were joined in double figure scoring by Justise Winslow, who ended the game with 15 points.  But it is Winslow's activity on defense that has been just as impressive thus far for Duke.  Winslow is an active player who adds a new dimension of ability to this years team.

Not to get lost, was a solid performance from Duke co-captain Amile Jefferson.  The Philly native scored some key buckets in route to his 8 points and added a solid 8 rebounds for the Blue Devils.  Jefferson doesn't have to have big numbers to always be effective and remains the one player who always talks to his teammates on the court.

Duke eventually just wore the Owls down with their talent, but they had to go back to their starters.  When Duke went to its bench, production fell off after extended minutes.  While not particularly disturbing, the Blue Devils will need better production against Stanford on Saturday night.

This game of course, sets up the first match up between Mike Krzyzewski and one of his most prized recruits and former assistant coach, Johnny Dawkins.

Stanford looked good in their walloping of UNLV last night and they return most of their players from last seasons NCAA Tournament run.  The Cards should be ranked this season but instead is just outside the top 25 at this time.

The Cards will offer Duke yet another different look on defense where they'll play a disciplined zone.  The Blue Devils need to better looks from beyond the three point stripe in this game which is televised in TruTV, a Turner Network.  The Blue Devils next game after the Stanford match up will be against Furman this coming holiday Wednesday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.