3 Duke Blue Devils on Thin Ice Before Battle vs. North Carolina
By Joe Summers
2. Tyrese Proctor
Proctor is a flame-thrower capable of catching fire from deep at any moment, shooting 11-of-25 from beyond the arc in his last four games. However, he's prone to slumps and shot just 1-of-6 from the field in the initial loss to Duke.
The sophomore is talented but can be targeted defensively. Duke ranks just 118th in two-point shooting defense (49.1%) and I expect Tar Heels guards to try to get switched onto Proctor to drive the lane and attack inside.
I don't care that this wasn't an assist, I love this play by Tyrese Proctor. Explosion out of the screen with quick handles, then finds the open shooter through off-ball traffic
— Rich (@MavsDraft) March 7, 2024
Given the context of his game, I felt this one game was really impressive. Full words coming today pic.twitter.com/sbjaBU1FRE
He's a really talented player and will need to bail out teammates in situations where a tough North Carolina defense swarms the ball-handler. Proctor does a great job protecting the ball, so Duke needs to be able to trust him when the shot clock starts dwindling.
Similar to Filipowski, Proctor tends to have foul trouble when the Blue Devils lose. He had four fouls against Wake Forest and three each against Pittsburgh and North Carolina, so keeping solid defensive position is critical.
If Proctor catches fire from deep, Duke can attack the Tar Heels' perimeter defense and generate easier looks for Filipowski and Roach on drives. If he shoots like he did in the first game, the Blue Devils may be in for a long night.