Duke basketball is looking reloaded soon ahead of Friday's huge March Madness showdown. Caleb Foster looks on track to play against red-hot St. John's. The Blue Devils already welcomed back top big Patrick Ngongba II during the round of 32.
Their returns are crucial for the No. 1 seed. Especially after Duke struggled early against Siena and TCU to start the NCAA Tournament.
Foster dealt with a foot ailment early in the tournament. The guard solidifies the backcourt for an already deep Blue Devils squad. He hands head coach Jon Scheyer an extra scorer and a bail out option next to famed twins Cayden and Cameron Boozer.
But Foster isn't the X-factor here heading to Washington D.C. And neither is the big Ngongba. Here's who Duke needs to raise their game another level against the Red Storm.
Duke needs another rising star to step up
Isaiah Evans needs to continue his hot shooting streak among other elements. He's projected to land at No. 25 in the NBA Draft but could shoot higher with a dominating Friday.
Evans hit 40.2% of his 3-point baskets in the absence of Foster. He's averaging 16.5 points per game entering the Capital One Arena.
St. John's and head coach Rick Pitino is aiming to wear down Duke in the paint. He's unleashing Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell down low to pummel the top seed in the East Regional.
Evans' three game must come in handy here for Duke to avoid the upset. His presence can spread out St. John's pack-the-paint defensive approach.
The Red Storm likely wants to employ the “crowd the paint” strategy on Cam Boozer. St. John's masterfully congested the inside lanes on Darryn Peterson of Kansas on Sunday, forcing him to settle for four points inside the arc.
But again, Evans can bail out Boozer and the others on the floor with his long range game. Evans is needed for another reason, though.
Evans must raise his defensive game another level
The shooting guard's biggest flaw is his defense. Especially in defending the perimeter.
Evans will need to bury the regular season defensive version of himself here and become a changed defender. He's tangling with an up-and-down 3-point shooting team.
The last thing Duke needs is for St. John's to get hot from behind the arc. Pitino could dare Evans to try and defend Ejiofor (who can hit from long range) or even guard options Oziyah Sellers and Ian Jackson, who are his best sharpshooters. The latter Red Storm player will be crossing paths with Evans in all likelihood to throw off Duke's long-range game.
Pitino, though, is masterful at attacking an opponents' weak link. Evans' defense is one of those links. All the more reason why Duke needs a versatile sophomore here to raise his game another level.
