Ensure that Tariq Owens stays out of foul trouble
The key to beating Duke tonight could be Tariq Owens who last year went off for 17 points in St. John’s upset of the Blue Devils at MSG. He is the only Red Raider that has the type of athleticism that can rival Duke’s and as a such, he must stay out of foul trouble.
Owens has yet to foul-out this year but he came close against Memphis having to play the final 13-plus minutes with four fouls. Of course, if that is how he plays every time he has four fouls, maybe Tech should just have him pick up four right away.
Against the Tigers, Owens had 13 points, 11 rebounds and a school record 8 blocks helping Tech overcome a double-digit deficit. That is they type of performance the Raiders needs out of him tonight.
Facing a team that attacks the rim with impunity like Duke does, you have to have a rim protector. Owens is the only Red Raider that fits that description and if he is not on the floor, Tech will have to go small and throw Jarrett Culver, Brandon Francis or even DeShawn Corprew at one of Duke’s forwards, which will be less than ideal.
Against Gonzaga, Duke had ten shots rejected including four in the final minutes. Bulldog junior Brandon Clarke had six blocks and helped keep the Devils from raking up the easy hoops as often as they are used to and Tech needs that type of defensive effort tonight from its big man.
Owens is a tremendous help-side defender which will also be critical against players like Reddish, Barrett and Williamson. If he stays on the floor, he will be able to give Tech’s defense the backbone that it needs tonight against one of the top offensive teams in the nation.