Old North Banter
Fansided

To Jahlil or not to Jahlil: Duke beats Spartans 81-71

By John Woodcock

facebooktwitterreddit

It is always nice to see the premier programs in the country go after each other in men’s basketball. It happens more often than in football because losses are less significant over the much longer college basketball. So seeing Jahlil Okafor and the Duke Blue Devils mix it up with the Michigan State Spartans of Tom Izzo is a cool thing.

More from Duke Blue Devils

There seem to be two schools of thought about yesterday’s ten point win for Duke. One seems to be that it was all about big man Okafor. The other storyline was that it was not all about Okafor. Let’s look at these two competing stories.

1. Okafor was the Man

Okafor put out a 17 point, five rebound, two steal, and two block performance over thirty minutes of game play. Michigan State, like many teams that Duke will face this year, had no cover for him. Okafor continued his high percentage shooting with an 8 of 10 performance and has only missed five shots on the year. Take him away and the Spartan pressure defense can try to go find Duke’s shooters. Okafor did collect four fouls and was on the bench at the end of the game.

Live Feed

NC State vs Tennessee: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
NC State vs Tennessee: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule /

Busting Brackets

  • NFL rumors: Kyler Murray sticking in AZ? Eagles mole, Joe Flacco's job just got even harderFanSided
  • AFC North Power Rankings: Browns, Ravens, and Bengals making playoff pushDawg Pound Daily
  • How Much is My Apex Legends Account Worth?DBLTAP
  • Joe Flacco's performance raises questions about the value of Deshaun Watson's record-breaking contractDawg Pound Daily
  • Fantasy Football: 3 must-start QBs that could carry you to the next round of playoffsFantasy CPR

    • 2. Okafor was a Man among Men

    Duke won by ten points. Okafor was not the highest scorer on his team. That was guard Quinn Cook, who scored 19 points in 36 minutes of action. Fellow freshman Tyus Jones scored 17 of his own, and their tag partner Justise Winslow added 15 more. Those scoring lines suggest more balance. Winslow outrebounded Okafor on the game.

    The answer to this question is ‘yes.’ Duke is showing itself to have good balance this early in the season. Is Okafor the driving force? Maybe. Any team that faces Duke will have to have a complete game plan, and not just whether they can stop Jahlil.

    Home/Duke Blue Devils