Rival Views: Which program should be more concerned, Duke or Kentucky?
With bluebloods Duke and Kentucky both off to slow starts, the college basketball world has spent the week theorizing about what could be wrong with the 1-3 Wildcats and 2-2 Blue Devils. Both have looked sluggish offensively and have lost games they were expected to win handily. Today, Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy and Dan McDonald share their different takes on which team has more cause for concern going forward.
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McDonald's Nuggets: Top 2023 prospect, big commit, more
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
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CASSIDY'S VIEW: DUKE
I think two things can be true of Mike Krzyzewski’s recent comments suggesting we shouldn’t be playing college basketball at the height of a pandemic. First, he’s probably right. Secondly, the odds of him sharing that opinion if Duke was 4-0 and looking like a juggernaut are pretty low.
The motivation behind Krzyzewski’s comments and, eventually, the decision to skip a scheduled non-conference game against Gardner-Webb isn’t cut and dry. There’s nuance involved here. Krzyzewski is looking out for his players’ best interest and probably does actually think playing games right now is insane. It’s also clear his level of confidence in this year’s team isn’t exactly off the charts ... and for good reason.
Duke’s offensive efficiency rating of 0.971 ranks 158th in the country, which is actually better than Kentucky’s rating of .918. Still, UK’s efficiency number is driven down by turnovers more so than Duke’s. The Wildcats average nearly three more per game, be it in a small sample size -- but i think that’s still important to note. Turnovers issues are easier to quell than some other, deeper offensive problems, so the Wildcats will likely see their efficiency rating jump as they learn to take care of the ball.
In the end, both teams have a host of young players that seem to be adjusting to the college game, but I think the tough non-conference slate that John Calipari has put together should help accelerate that process in Lexington.
Neither team should be happy and neither team should be totally panicked. We’re only four games into a truly bonkers season. That said, I think Kentucky will turn things around a little quicker. But, hey, I’ve been wrong before and will be again one day.
MCDONALD'S VIEW: KENTUCKY
I’m worried about both teams, but the Wildcats have a big problem if they can’t figure out the point guard spot and if they don’t start hitting shots from three-point range. Basketball is a hard sport to play when those are two of your team’s weaknesses. John Calipari has a way of getting his young teams to improve in a big way over the course of a season. If he can do that this year, it will be one of his better coaching jobs since taking over in Lexington.