Duke’s opener against Army gave a glimpse of just how many pieces Jon Scheyer can throw at opponents, but it still didn’t answer the biggest question hanging over the Blue Devils: what does the rotation really look like when the games start to matter?
On Monday, 10 different Duke players logged double-figure minutes, and Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski added eight more off the bench after missing most of the preseason with a knee injury. That kind of depth is the selling point here, but the real test comes next week, when Duke meets Michigan State in the Champions Classic in Chicago. That’s when the Blue Devils should finally start to show how far Scheyer is willing to go with his bench.
One second unit that has stood out is Caleb Foster, Deron Rippey, Bryson Howard, Cameron Williams and Scharnowski. That group, as it stands, looks good enough to be a rotation on its own. Sebastian Wilkins has also taken major steps and looked like a reliable reserve during the preseason, giving Duke even more options as it moves deeper into the schedule.
Duke is back in action tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Coastal Carolina.
Thursday’s only matchup between power-conference teams lands in Nashville, where Vanderbilt hosts Wake Forest. The Commodores are chasing a third straight NCAA Tournament berth under Mark Byington and opened the year by blasting Bellarmine by 46 points. Tyler Tanner was the star of that debut, piling up 20 points, six assists, four steals and no turnovers.
Wake Forest enters with a lot less certainty around it. The Demon Deacons were picked 14th in the ACC preseason poll, but Steve Forbes’ teams have a habit of beating expectations. One player to watch is 6-foot-11 freshman Gavin Placide, who opened with 20 points and seven rebounds against Maryland Eastern Shore.
BYU’s win over Ohio State on Monday night in Salt Lake City was driven by Rob Wright’s 33 points and five assists, but Tyler Betsey deserves a close look too. The 6-foot-9 junior transfer from Syracuse looked dangerous as a stretch four, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds while going 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
That kind of spacing could make life easier for both Wright and Michigan State transfer Jaxon Kohler, who added 11 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Young’s team is back Friday in Provo against Omaha.
There were also a few notable items elsewhere on Wednesday. Houston’s Chase McCarty has a sprained knee and is day-to-day, Kelvin Sampson told 247Sports. The 6-foot-5 McCarty was hurt in Monday’s opener against La Salle, and the Cougars return Sunday against Cal in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Illinois also got bad news when Brad Underwood said Jake Davis had shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely. Davis, a 6-foot-6 wing, is one of the top Glue Guys in college basketball, and the Illini are back Thursday against Penn in Champaign.
A few other notes stand out: Alabama’s rotation size is striking, with only Aden Holloway and Anderson Diaz listed as potential players shorter than 6-foot-6. Marquette may have a breakout candidate in Josh Clark, a 7-foot-1 sophomore who had 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Mercyhurst. And Michigan freshman Quinn Costello took 12 field goal attempts in the opener against Oakland, with 10 coming from 3-point range.
Daily specials on the schedule include Wake Forest at Vanderbilt, Green Bay at Cincinnati, Toledo at Michigan State and Penn at Illinois.
In Other News...
BYU Road Controversy Put One UCF Player In A Tough Spotlight
The UCF homecoming game against BYU carried more than the usual conference-game edge, and some of the noise from the stands crossed a line. A group of UCF fans directed derogatory chants at BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prompting security to identify them and remove them from the stadium. The Big 12 later fined UCF $100,000 under its updated discriminatory conduct policy, a reminder that the league is drawing a harder line on behavior that goes beyond ordinary game-day heckling.
Among the people caught in the middle was UCF tight end Grayson Brousseau, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He praised the universitys response and framed the episode as bigger than football, stressing the need for respect in a setting where rivalries can get loud but should not turn personal. For BYU, it was another uncomfortable road backdrop, and for UCF it became a test of how seriously the program and school would treat conduct that reflected poorly on both. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Utah Hopes Suddenly Center On One Crucial Return
A viral snap from former BYU offensive lineman Connor Pay has turned an otherwise routine football detail into a talking point online, with the clip drawing more than 3 million views. The video shows the ball landing in a throwing position with the laces on the fingers, prompting plenty of debate about whether it was the kind of clean exchange that deserves all the praise it received.
For BYU, though, the bigger issue is what comes next as it prepares for Utah. The Cougars are hoping running back LJ Martin can make it back from injury in time for the matchup, and his availability could matter plenty as the rivalry game approaches and the offense looks to round into shape. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Holy War Path May Come Down To One Brutal Matchup
The buildup to this years Holy War has a familiar feel, with both Utah and BYU knowing the margin for error is almost nonexistent. The matchup brings a lot of the usual pressure points into focus, but the one that stands out most is the ground game, where Utahs rushing defense has been one of the more difficult tests BYU will face while the Cougars have spent much of the season trying to find consistency on the ground.
From there, so much of the game could hinge on who settles in first. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier adds another layer to the challenge, and a fast start, clean special teams work and avoiding turnovers all loom large in a game with College Football Playoff and conference championship implications. In a rivalry like this, the obvious strengths and weaknesses are only part of the story, but this one may come down to whether BYU can survive the kind of matchup that has a way of deciding everything. [Read more 🡒]