The Blue Devils missed the veteran transfer in their first ACC loss.
Duke basketball (20-3, 12-1 ACC) has been without veteran transfer wing Mason Gillis for two games now. Gillis has been dealing with an illness and didn’t travel with the team to JMA Wireless Dome on February 6th when the Blue Devils took down Syracuse 83-54 or to Clemson when the Blue Devils fell for the first time in ACC play 77-71 this past Saturday.
The wing tried to get on the plane to join the team, but Duke head coach Jon Scheyer didn’t allow it.
“He was trying to get on the plane, and we told him, ‘There’s no way.’ We’ll see when we get back. We’ll see how he is [Thursday]. But if he’s not here, that means he’s really under the weather, not feeling well,” Scheyer said after the victory over the Orange.
Now, Duke has a three day break before it’s next matchup, a home game against California (12-12, 5-8 ACC) on Wednesday (9:00pm ET, ACC Network).
“I think not having Mason is a big deal,” Scheyer said following the loss to Clemson. “I didn’t feel we really had a true sub for him. Either we went smaller, or we would have played with some lineups that offensively wouldn’t be as good for us either. We were having a hard time scoring, so that’s something that I have to figure out.”
The Blue Devils had a tough time finding rhythm scoring in the second half against the Tigers, making just 9-of-29 (31%) field goals. Gillis only averages 4.9 points, but his three-point shooting threat allows the Blue Devils to space the floor that much more with him out there.
What makes it difficult to sub Gillis out is at the same time he’s a talented shooter, he’s also 6′ 6″ and 245 pounds with the ability to post up inside and either score back-to-the-basket or kick it out.
The senior had made 8-of-14 (57.1%) of his three point attempts over his previous five games before his injury. The hope is Gillis will be ready to go at home Wednesday night with three days of rest.