Here's something I haven't seen discussed much: pace.
Jon occasionally makes comments about wanting to play fast, but the reality is that his teams have played slow. His first two teams averaged 64.9 possessions (298th) and 66.4 possessions (253rd). Duke has played 3 pretty fast games so far, and is averaging 71 possessions (160th). This isn't all that abnormal. For various reasons, pace of play tends to slow as the season goes on. In each of the last two years, I think we've played better in slower games.
Here are our numbers in games with 70 possessions or more
2023 -
Wins - USC Upstate, Delaware, MD-Eastern Shore, Pitt, Wake
Losses - Kansas, Wake, NC State
2024
Wins - La Salle, Queens, Syracuse, Notre Dame, GT,
Losses - Arizona, Arkansas, UNC, UNC, NC State
Remove the cupcake games, and we're 5-8 against high major competition in higher tempo environments. We're 44-10 overall in games slower than 70 possessions.
So, we've played 3 games above 70 possessions so far. Against UK, we seemed to be the more gassed team late. Sure, that may be due to youth and injuries. However, we're a big team with an 8 man rotation. I'm betting that we'll play at a slower pace as the season progresses. And I bet that will be to our advantage.