DURHAM, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will round out 2023 on Saturday, December 30^th against national powerhouse Duke University. The Blue Devils jumped to #16 in the latest AP Top 25 and #19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: December 30, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.)
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THE MATCHUP
Saturday afternoon marks the first meeting between Queens and Duke, two programs separated by 144 miles. The Saturday matinee will be the Royals third matchup with a power six opponent, and second straight after facing Clemson prior to the holiday break.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (6-8 overall, 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens is coming off a 109-79 loss at nationally ranked Clemson last Friday night. The meeting with the Tigers was the Royals first-ever matchup with an AP Top 25 opponent. Clemson wasted no time jumping on the Royals dropping 69 points in the opening half which were the most by a Royals opponent in a single half since January 16, 2010. The Tigers finished the evening shooting 63 percent from the field which is the highest by a Royals opponent in Division 1.
• Despite the loss at Clemson, five Royals reached double figures in the same game for the third time this season. AJ McKee and BJ McLaurin led the charge with 18 points each while Chris Ashby added 14, Deyton Albury contributed 10, and Logan Threatt finished with 10.
• The Royals enter Saturday afternoon still searching for their first true road win of the season. The Royals only victory away from Curry Arena came against Fairfield University in the Market Street Challenge hosted by Drexel University.
• The last time the Royals started a season 0-7 on the road was 2008-09. Queens has never opened a season 0-8 on the road.
• The Royals offense is capable of putting up incredible numbers as they sit fourth in the league in scoring with 80.7 points per game. Queens has reached the 80-point threshold six times this season and holds a 4-2 record in those games. In Division 1, Queens is 38-7 when eclipsing 80 points.
• Queens has put up historic numbers on multiple occasions this season. Against Carolina Christina on December 1^st, the Royals broke the single-game scoring record with 134 points. Just a few games later, the Royals dropped 112 points against Carolina University which tied for sixth all-time.
• Distributing the ball is key for the Royals as they are 5-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks fourth in the ASUN in assists as Deyton Albury leads the way with 4.4 per game, a mark that is also seventh-best in the league.
• The Royals have struggled defensively this season as they are giving up the most points on average in the league at 81.3. However, Queens sports the fifth best perimeter defense in the league as opponents are shooting 32 percent from behind the arc against them.
• Preseason All-Conference recipient AJ McKee anchors the Royals offense and is averaging 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The Charlotte native sits fifth in the league in scoring and third in steals.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has put together a solid start to his first campaign in the Queen City. The Nassau, Bahamas native is top 10 in the league in scoring, field goal percentage, steals, and assists. Albury has reached double figures in 11 games this season, including five straight. Against Appalachian State, the junior poured in a career-high 25 points.
• Senior BJ McLaurin has started all 14 games on the block for the Royals. The forward has reached double figures in eight games this year, including four of the last five contests. McLaurin turned in his second double-double of the season after scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Winthrop.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby leads the Royals perimeter scoring as the junior is averaging 10.7 points per game on 41 percent shooting from behind the arc. The Houston, Texas native ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage as he has buried a three pointer in 39-of-47 career games as Royal.
• Winning the battle on the boards is a part of the Royals identity. In Division 1, Queens is 21-7 when outrebounding their opponent and 3-14 when losing the battle on the glass. This season, Queens is fourth in rebounds per game pulling down 38.3 boards per outing.
• The Royals are one of the league's most efficient teams at getting to the free-throw line. Deyton Albury, AJ McKee, and BJ McLaurin sit top 20 in the league in free throw attempts. Queens is 14-7 in non-conference Division 1 games in which they attempt more free throws than their opponent.

 
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS (8-3 overall, 0-1 ACC)

• Duke enters Saturday afternoon 8-3 overall and 0-1 in ACC action. The Blue Devils are coming off a convincing 78-70 victory over #10 Baylor inside Madison Square Garden.
• The Blue Devils moved up to #16 in the AP Top 25 and #19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Duke is 6-1 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium this season with their only loss coming against #12 Arizona on November 10^th.
• The Blue Devils take care of the basketball ranking top 10 in the country in assist to turnover ratio at 1.83.
• Duke is one of the nation's best shooting teams cashing in on 49 percent of their attempts from the field.
• Duke is led by ACC Preseason Player of the Year, Kyle Filipowski. The ACC Rookie of the Year and Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year is averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.
• Senior guard Jeremy Roach is an impact player for the Blue Devils pouring in 15.1 points per game while dishing out 3.3 assists per game.
• Duke is led by second-year head coach Jon Scheyer. Under his direction, the Blue Devils are 35-12. Scheyer spent nine seasons under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will turn their attention to Atlantic Sun action as they open league play on Saturday, January 6^th at Kennesaw State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on ESPN Plus.
 
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.