NCAA: Wisconsin Presents Duke’s Jahlil Okafor With First True Test
By Nathan Giese
In the most highly anticipated non-conference matchup of the season, the Duke Blue Devils take a road trip (their first true road game of the season) to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night.
Stories write themselves for this game. Two teams, both ranked in the top five in every single poll, colliding. Two coaches, both with over 700 career victories, with so much prestige and respect battling it out.
Wisconsin rarely loses in Madison, going 102-7 in the Kohl Center under Bo Ryan against non-conference opponents and are 199-21 overall at home in that time.
Duke features one of the top offenses in the country entering the game, ranking fourth in points per game (90.4) and assists (20.1), sixth in fewest turnovers (9.3) and first in both points per possession (1.33) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.17:1).
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The Blue Devils are 24-13 under Coach K when both teams are ranked in the top five, which will be the case on Wednesday night.
A lot is going to be made of this game, as it is rare to see two top-five ranked teams battling it out in a true home-away game this early in the season. Wisconsin and Duke are two teams that many feel should be favorites to make trips to the Final Four or, better yet, take home the national championship.
This game also features plenty of star power. Duke has its deepest roster in years with a mixture of talented freshmen and veteran leaders. Wisconsin is sizable and athletic, something not all Bo Ryan-led teams can say.
Yes, the Badgers against the Blue Devils is set to be one heck of a head-to-head battle between two very talented teams, but this game also features a story that takes a bit of precedence over the rest of them.
Freshman Jahlil Okafor, the highly touted recruit out of Chicago, heads into this game for Duke as the team’s leading scorer (17.9/game), dominating the competition through the Blue Devils’ first seven games of the season. He’s scored in double-digits in every game so far this season, appearing unstoppable.
However, the Badgers present a task that may be difficult for Okafor to overcome, as it will be the first time he’s faced this all season. Wisconsin as the size and the athletes to expose the freshman for being, well, a freshman.
Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky, the 7-foot center for Wisconsin is taller than all of Okafor’s previous one-on-one pairings so far this season. The only comparable player in terms of size that Okafor has faced is Stanford’s Stefan Nastic.
While Kaminsky is only one inch taller than Nastic, The Tank has a skill set that doesn’t come close to comparing to Nastic’s.
Nastic is a low-post oriented player, used more for his long arms and shot blocking ability in the paint. Kaminsky presents that same type of threat, but his offense is far superior is just about every category.
Kaminsky has the ability to take Okafor inside and outside, using a variety of his shooting ability and physicality in the paint.
In terms of season averages thus far, Kaminsky and Nastic are comparable, both scoring over 15 points per game and hauling in over seven rebounds, which are very close to the numbers Duke’s Okafor has put up thus far, but they’re two completely different types of players.
It should be noted that in that game against the 6’11” Nastic, Okafor was held to 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting but did manage to bring in 12 rebounds. That was his first real test with size of his caliber (6’11”, 270 lbs), but it’s nothing compared to what Wednesday night holds.
Early in the season, as is the case most seasons, Duke’s non-conference schedule has been softer than fresh baked bread at Subway. Michigan State seemed like a good game at the time, but in reality, the Spartans are still searching for what can make them a great team this year.
Stanford is the second-best game on the Blue Devils’ schedule so far, but they, too, are still trying to find out who they are without their NBA prospects from last year.
Okafor has yet to go up against somebody with the skill set of Kaminsky and he’ll need to show that he is as advertised. Early on, the freshman has shown great footwork, very solid passing skills and intelligence on the court.
These are the same skills that translate well at the next level, making him the top NBA Draft prospect for 2015. Right now, though, that has yet to be proven because of the lack of challenges Okafor has had to face this season. Kaminsky and the Badgers present that challenge.
The game itself should be stellar and have major NCAA Tournament implications as we move forward. You can bet the selection committee will be watching this one closely, but it’ll be the one game NBA scouts want to see Okafor excel.
Wisconsin is coming off of a trip to the Bahamas where they played three games in three days, facing UAB, Georgetown and Oklahoma on their way to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. Duke could catch Wisconsin on a downswing from the tournament, but don’t hold your breath on that one.
Every freshman/draft prospect has that one game that separates themselves from their peers. For Duke’s sake, hopefully the Wisconsin game will be Okafor’s, because with the Badgers’ great success at home, they’ll need everything they he can provide in order to come away with a win.
Footwork, speed and agility will be the determining factor for Okafor’s performance.