Duke Blue Devils: Jayson Tatum is the Key Against Heels

The Duke Blue Devils need to win the post matchup if they want to improve their ACC Tournament positioning.

The Duke Blue Devils play the North Carolina Tar Heels later today in what will seem to be a close game. Given the injuries on both sides and the question marks, the game may come down to the effort of one or two players. For Duke, that player is Jayson Tatum.

First off let me acknowledge that there are several players who could have good games out of nowhere. Harry Giles might finally put things out there for the NBA scouts. Frank Jackson might go off for the second straight game. These are things that could, but are not predicted to happen given the minute distributions of both teams.

Grayson Allen was restricted against Florida State. If he is not against UNC, it is fair to assume that he and Luke Kennard will likely be cancelled out by Joel Berry and Justin Jackson in the scoring column. That shifts the key matchups down low where Tatum and Amile Jefferson face Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks.

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Of that group, Tatum is the most important. Meeks and Hicks are standard post guys. You can predict pretty much where they will be in the Tar Heel offense at any one time. This also means that they are designed to cover their opposite numbers on the other end of the floor. This is during a time when having two posts is becoming less common in college basketball.

Tatum is part of that newer group. Duke uses him similar to way they used Jabari Parker. He doesn’t hang inside too much on offense and can be found shooting the long ball more than you might think.

Duke Blue Devils Basketball /

Duke Blue Devils Basketball

His first job will be to draw Hicks out of the paint. Rebounding is crucial for the Tar Heels, and they lost to Duke in game 1 when Duke outrebounded them. Hicks is a big part of the rebounding package. He can’t help from the three point line.

Job two is to get Hicks into foul trouble. This will happen through plays designed for Tatum to drive in from the perimeter. This will test Hicks’ quickness and hopefully cause him to make mistakes which will lead to fouls. Once Hicks is forced to the bench, Tatum will then get to see Luke Maye. Maye is not has big as Hicks and would give Tatum better vision on his three point shot.

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Defensively Tatum would have to stay out of foul trouble and maybe draw a charge somewhere. The Tar Heels front men will try to cause contact in order to get fouls and Tatum must be cognizant of this. Careful recognition of the passing lanes could also open the opportunity for turnovers.

Essentially Tatum has to have a big game because that will prevent Hicks from having a big game. That would give Duke the post matchup and the victory.

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