DBR Newsletter #81
vs. Niagara, vs. Howard, vs. Arkansas
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Isaiah Evans
One of my favorite things in college basketball is to watch how a player’s game evolves from his freshman to sophomore year - Isaiah Evans is showing his expanded game so far this season. Slim has grabbed at least three rebounds in seven of Duke’s eight games, and recorded multiple assists in five consecutive games prior to Arkansas. Evans currently has a defensive rebounding rate of 11.6% (up from 7.9% last season) and an assist rate of 12.0% (up from 6.5%). Isaiah is attempting 21.1% of his shots at the rim so far, compared to 9.8% a season ago - and has increased his free throw rate by 10% (from 17.5% to 27.6%). At this point in the year, I still like to mention that an eight-game sample size remains relatively small, but here are Isaiah’s year-over-year metrics courtesy of KenPom.
Key Stats
Duke 100 Niagara 42
Total Possessions: 65
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.54 ppp
Niagara Pts/Possession: 0.65 ppp
Duke Line Points: 70 points
Niagara Line Points: 30 points
Differential: +40
Duke Points in the Paint: 26 points
Niagara Points in the Paint: 12 points
Differential: +14
Duke 93 Howard 56
Total Possessions: 71
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.31 ppp
Howard Pts/Possession: 0.79 ppp
Duke Line Points: 35 points
Howard Line Points: 36 points
Differential: -1
Duke Points in the Paint: 58 points
Howard Points in the Paint: 14 points
Differential: +44
Duke 80 Arkansas 71
Total Possessions: 70
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.14 ppp
Arkansas Pts/Possession: 1.01 ppp
Duke Line Points: 38 points
Arkansas Line Points: 39 points
Differential: -1
Duke Points in the Paint: 42 points
Arkansas Points in the Paint: 28 points
Differential: +14
Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats
Notes
After posting a +40 in line points versus Niagara, the Blue Devils were -1 in line points in consecutive games against Howard and Arkansas.
Duke averaged 1.41 point-per-shot on two-pointers over the last three games and combined to outscore Niagara, Howard, and Arkansas 126-54 in the paint (+72).1
Duke used a 38.7% offensive rebounding rate for a +15 advantage in second chance points against Arkansas, including 16-6 in the first half. The Blue Devils grabbed 10 of the game’s final 11 available rebounds.
Duke’s lineup of 1-Foster / 3-Evans / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia / 21-Ngongba played the final 9:33 against Arkansas. Duke trailed 60-53, but outscored the Razorbacks 27-11 to close the game (+16). Coach Scheyer had not used that five-man lineup prior to the Arkansas match-up, and Duke’s starting lineup is the only combination to appear in all eight games so far this season.
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
Points-Per-Shot on two-pointers:
Duke (1.36 pps) Niagara (0.63 pps)
Duke (1.71 pps) Howard (0.57 pps)
Duke (1.17 pps) Arkansas (0.94 pps)