Duke (8) vs UCLA (22) LIVE Stream/Radio Broadcast: Blue Devils and Bruins Face Off in Madison Square Garden Offensive Clash
ByTwo offensive powerhouses will meet as the Duke Blue Devils (8) take on the UCLA Bruins (22) in Madison Square Garden Thursday night.
In a college basketball season that was supposed to be about Andrew Wiggins and his Kansas team, Jabari Parker has elevated Duke to the dominant level they are used to. But UCLA's leading scorer Jordan Adams is not to be left out as well.
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Adams, a sophomore guard, is averaging 21.2 points per game while posting a field goal percentage of .533. He will meet Parker, a freshman forward who is scoring 22 points per game and shooting .551 percent from the floor.
Both are offensive specialists, with Parker shooting for a better three-pointer percentage and Adams holding an edge at the free throw line. The teams are set for an offensive blowout, as UCLA ranks first in the nation in field goal percentage and third in points per game and rebounds per game. Duke, on the other hand, is sixth in field goal percentage but not even top-ten in other offensive categories.
Parker also has a cast of support around him, in fact, for the first time since the 2000-2001 season, Duke has had a 20-point scorer in each of its first ten games. Eight of which have come from Parker, but combined with Quinn Cook, Rodney Hood and Andre Dawkins, the Blue Devils are formidable all around.
"I think when we get it going offensively like that, we kind of get lazy on defense," Cook told reporters following their 85-66 win over Gardner Webb. "We had it going early so we got lazy. But at some point, we've got to just get it out of our system."
The Blue Devils hit 17 of its first 23 shots, but allowed Webb 39 points in the first half, as opposed to 27 in the second half. If Duke is that relaxed early on against UCLA, the Bruins have the firepower to make Coach K's team pay.
UCLA has faced a fairly easy schedule thus far and will get their first real test against Duke. Head coach Steve Alford voiced similar defensive concerns regarding his team's 95-71 win against Prairie View. They allowed 24 points in the first half and 47 in the second.
Duke is a team that can get better toward the end of a game and UCLA will not go easy on a lax Blue Devils defense early on. Both teams are offensively capable, but defense may end up being the deciding factor.