Ranked teams meet as No. 5 Duke hosts No. 1 Gonzaga
Nov 24, 2021, 1:31 PM | Updated: Nov 25, 2021, 3:32 am
No. 1 Gonzaga (6-0) vs. No. 5 Duke (6-0)
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas; Friday, 10:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two top-5 teams battle as No. 1 Gonzaga visits No. 5 Duke in a non-conference showdown. Gonzaga has two wins and zero losses against ranked opponents this season, while Duke has against a ranked team.
STEPPING UP: This will be a homecoming game for Bulldogs sophomore Julian Strawther, who has averaged 14.3 points and 5.7 rebounds on the season. Drew Timme, who’s recorded 18.7 points and six rebounds per game, and Chet Holmgren, who’s averaged 13.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks, have helped lead the team with Strawther this year. On the other bench, Wendell Moore Jr. has averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists while Paolo Banchero has put up 17.8 points and eight rebounds.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Moore has had his hand in 41 percent of all Duke field goals over the last five games. The junior forward has 36 field goals and 31 assists in those games.
LONG-RANGE THREAT: Gonzaga’s Strawther has attempted 29 3-pointers and connected on 48.3 percent of them, and is 9 for 18 over his past three games.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Blue Devils have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Bulldogs. Duke has an assist on 68 of 108 field goals (63 percent) over its previous three games while Gonzaga has assists on 48 of 102 field goals (47.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Duke has committed a turnover on just 12.6 percent of its possessions this season, which is the fourth-best percentage among all Division I teams. The Blue Devils have turned the ball over only 8.8 times per game this season.
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