When No. 4 Duke and No. 22 Arkansas meet Thursday night in Chicago, it will be a Thanksgiving night showdown.
It’s a big opportunity for both teams – and there’s also the flip side.
“We’re risking a lot, but so are they,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “There’s a risk to doing these games.”
Duke (7-0) will be playing in its third neutral-site matchup this month after topping Texas and Kansas.
“They’re always fun,” Duke swingman Isaiah Evans said. “It’s just another chance for us to get better and to test ourselves and see where we’re at.”
Arkansas (5-1) has been pushed in other ways. After a loss at then-No. 22 Michigan State, the Razorbacks had close calls against Samford and Winthrop before blowing out Jackson State 115-61 on Friday.
Calipari has demanded his team become tougher.
“No one is afraid of us,” Calipari said. “Why is that? … They’re coming in, push them, shove them, go rebound.”
These are games that Duke covets. This one happens to take Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer to his hometown.
“When everyone was talking about our schedule, they were talking about these games coming up so we’re excited,” Duke freshman Cameron Boozer said. “We’re going to go in there, play our butts off and have a good time.”
Two years ago, Arkansas defeated visiting Duke 80-75, but this will be the first time that Calipari takes on the Blue Devils as Arkansas’ coach.
Freshmen lead both teams in scoring with Cameron Boozer (21.1 points per game) for Duke and Meleek Thomas (18.3) for Arkansas. Thomas is joined in the backcourt by Darius Acuff Jr., another freshman.
Calipari sees more from Boozer than simply a scorer.
“He’s a terrific passer,” Calipari said. “So you can say ‘Let’s double team him.’ Now the rest of the guys, the game is easier.”
Duke might turn to larger lineups against teams with more size than some previous opponents.
“They’ve got a lot of guys that are really talented and really big, length-wise,” Calipari said.
Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown have been trending in the right direction in the lane for Duke.
“Those two as a tandem, I’d say we have the highest-IQ big men in the country,” Boozer said. “The more they get comfortable playing a bigger role, more minutes, it’s going to be great having those two at (center) for us.”
Ngongba is 15-for-16 from the field in the last three games combined.
“He is just scratching the surface,” Scheyer said. “He can really score at all three levels. He is a lob thread, he can play in the pocket and he has shown he can step out and shoot.”
Scheyer said he’ll emphasize defense with less fouling this week leading up the Arkansas game.
“We have to be way more disciplined,” he said. “It’s showing your hands. It’s not reaching in. … Part of our strength is our length and so we want to try to make people score over us. And if they hit some shots, that’s going to be a lower-percentage shot than fouling them and putting them at the free-throw line.”
