Jan. 28--SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he will unveil a unique defensive strategy against Duke on Wednesday to limit big man Jahlil Okafor.
"We're going to do triangle-and-two, and two guys are going to be on him," Brey said.
Brey was joking, of course, but it might not be so far-fetched, given how the freshman from Young is making defenses choose how they would like to lose.
Keep one defender on the 6-foot-11 Okafor, a player of the year candidate who is averaging 18.9 points, and you allow him room to operate inside. Double down to help your post defender and risk Duke's other potent weapons torching you.
Notre Dame is well aware of the challenge that lies ahead.
"He has such great footwork and hands, and then he's a great passer," Brey said. "People have been doubling him a lot, and he's very secure with continually kicking it out of double teams and not forcing stuff. For a young guy, that's pretty admirable to be mature enough to know."
Okafor has plenty of admirers among the Irish, including guard Jerian Grant, who is one of Okafor's strongest challengers for ACC player of the year honors.
"Most eyes are going to be on him," Grant said. "He's a great player. He's a big body and a lot of focus is going to be on him. Being able to decide how much we're going to help, sag on other guys, is going to be important."
The player who will get first crack at Okafor in the post for Notre Dame is 6-10 junior Zach Auguste. Auguste is known more for his offensive prowess than his defense, but he's eager to show what he can do.
"It's going to be fun to go up against some top competition," Auguste said. "He's the No. 1 draft pick probably, and I'm looking forward to taking him on as a team."
Auguste has seen Okafor play plenty of times throughout the season and noticed a few tendencies he will try to exploit.
"He likes to spin, go baseline and try to bully his way in," Auguste said. "If I get him off the baseline a little bit, I'll push him out, try to stay aggressive like I've been doing, make it not as easy for him."
Auguste will have some help from his teammates, but it would benefit the Irish if he could handle Okafor one-on-one. Duke has the fifth most efficient offense in the country, according to kenpom.com, and can call on Quinn Cook (14.8 points per game) and Justise Winslow (11.9 ppg) should the Irish hound Okafor.
Notre Dame has had issues defending big-bodied opponents on Michigan State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. And the Irish haven't seen an opponent with Okafor's dynamic ability.
"He's a really hard one to deal with," Brey said.
No matter how you choose to deal with him.
chine@tribpub.com
Twitter @ChristopherHine
