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I WANT TO READ ABOUT THE MOST RECENT GAME

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) (Season 15 Issue Zero)

Pre-Season Edition

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

While this year is exciting because of 4 returning starters and 8 veteran players, there is big news for next year. Cooper Flagg, the most hyped high school player since Lebron James 20 years ago (but Flagg is a year younger now than Lebron was then) finally committed to Duke to join THE BROTHERHOOD, making Jon Scheyer arguably the most successful initial recruiter in NCAA basketball coaching history. 

Seriously, with Derrick Lively another one-and-done, the question is how good  Filipowski can be without Lively as his running mate? This will be Coach Scheyer’s challenge along with deciding what players to play where. From what little film I have seen, the Blue Devils will go as far as the three point shot will take them (live by the three, die by the three) unless someone develops into a monster on the boards (my choice is Christian Reeves) — or Filipowski’s double hip surgery improves his strength and power.

Anyway, Alan’s comprehensive analysis is enough to give you an idea of the talent on the roster, as well as Scheyer’s task to establish the starters and the rotation.  This team could turn into formidable championship contenders or just be a talented, immature pretender.

Whichever, it will be an exciting respite in an otherwise chaotic, incomprehensive world.

ALANALYSIS

After an exhibition game against Pembroke (which our DBP will not cover), Duke opens its season against Dartmouth on November 6 in Cameron at 9 pm (ACCN).  The season then gets intense with games against Arizona in Cameron on November 10 (7pm on ESPN2), and against Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago (ESPN) on November 14.  We will know much about our team by November 11, 2023.

This season is intriguing, as is the roster.  Duke has 8 returning players: including 4 starters (senior Jeremy Roach, sophomores Kyle (Flip) Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell) plus a returning rotation player (Ryan Young). It feels like decades since Duke had that kind of a veteran roster to begin a season.

For this season, Duke has tri-captains – two were predictable, but one surprise reveals much how Coach Jon Scheyer perceives his backcourt talent. Jeremy Roach is the most obvious and deserving choice.  Ryan Young’s experience and persona with his teammates make him an excellent choice because of his veteran leadership.  It is the final surprise choice of  sophomore Tyrese Proctor that is so revealing.  Proctor turned into a lock-down defender and solid point guard in the latter part of last season.  His steadiness at the point allowed Coach Scheyer to make Jeremy Roach the shooting and offensive force on the perimeter.  I believe the Coach is rewarding Tyrese for his maturity and reliability, and teaching his team to rely on Tyrese at crunch time. 

Awards based on play are what is useful while pre-season awards and predictions are, in my opinion, useless –  easy to ignore if your time is short. We list them anyway because they fight pre-season (no hoops) boredom.   Preseason, Duke is # 2 in AP’s Preseason poll and # 3 in UP’s.  Flip is the Preseason ACC Player of the Year.

The 2023 part of the 2023-2024 season is all about evaluating the players on the roster and determining starters, rotation players, and those with special skills ( for example, Jaylen Blakes’s defending abilities).  Here is this year’s roster with designation and prior accolades.  I predict a fascinating season!

Ryan was third with 7 votes for ACC Sixth Man of the year.

Ryan is one of Duke’s 3 captains

SENIOR 

JEREMY ROACH

• Returning Rotation player
• Jeremy made Honorable Mention, missing third Team All ACC by 20 votes; He received one vote for ACC Player of the Year and one vote for most improved ACC player. In the Blue-White game on October 20, 2023 [32 minute game won by Blue],  Jeremy was the only double figure scorer (12 points on 4-9 shooting, including 3-6 from deep) playing all 32 minutes. Jeremy is one of Duke’s 3 captains.

JUNIOR

JAYLEN BLAKES

• Player fighting for Playing time
• He had some great defensive moments and games before he broke his nose in practice early last season. However,  he played little after because he never returned to his pre-injury form.

SOPHOMORES:

KYLE FILLIPOWSKI

• Returning Starter
• Second team all ACC last season
• ACC Rookie of the Year last season
• all ACC Freshman Team last season

TYRESE PROCTOR

• Returning Starter
• All ACC Freshman Team last season
• Youngest of Duke’s 3 captains

MARK MITCHELL

• Returning Starter
• Mark proved a very good defender, rebounder, and scorer.  You could see how much Duke missed Mark when he could not play against Tennessee in the NCAA tournament because of injury.

CHRISTIAN REEVES

• Player fighting for Playing time
• Christian was labeled a “project” when he was recruited last year, and will push for playing time this year. He was a star in the Blue – White game, playing 28 of the 32 minutes.  Christian scored 8 points (4-6, but 0-3 from the stripe) and led both teams with 7 rebounds.  He blocked 3 shots. You cannot coach 7’1”!  It’s just a welcome asset.

JADEN SCHUTT

Player fighting for Playing time.

Jaden did not have an impressive freshman year.  Reports from training camp are that he has shown great improvement.  His reputation is as a shooter.

FRESHMAN:

JARED MCCAIN

Contending for starting or rotation

Jared was the National High School Sixth Man of the Year. He was the starting point guard for the West in the McDonald’s game and won the 3-point shooting contest there.   After watching the McDonald’s game, I wrote, “McCain can handle, drive, dish and won the 3-point contest.”  He ranked # 14 last year in high school.

SEAN STEWART

Contending for starting or rotation

Sean broke Zion’s standing-leap record!! He won the dunk contest at McDonald’s.  After an unimpressive first half, he was excellent in the second half, scoring from deep and in the paint. He was a solid rebounder in that game.  His coach reinserted him into the game with two minutes to go and the game tied.  Sean dramatically impacted the last two minutes on both ends.  He had a block, key rebounds, and scored the winning basket. Sean ranked # 22 last year in high school.

T.J. POWER, A STRETCH FORWARD WITH DEEP SHOOTING SKILLS

Contending for starting or rotation

T.J. ranked # 17 last year in high school and praise for TJ has been forthcoming from practice.

CALEB FOSTER, A COMBO GUARD

Contending for starting or rotation

Caleb ranked # 23 last year in high school. In a very crowded backcourt, he will be fighting for a rotation place.

Next Play: Monday, November 6, 2023, v. Dartmouth in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 9:00 p.m. on ACC NETWORK.

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Duke Blue Devils 92 v. Dartmouth Big Green 54 (Season 15; Issue 1; Game #1) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #1 (November 6, 2023)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Dartmouth is a well-coached, disciplined team that is very competitive in the Ivy League, but does not have the talent or size to be competitive with the top tier of the ACC. Consequently, the Blue Devils, utilizing their entire squad, had little trouble beating them in Cameron.  With only Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead from last year’s team declaring for the NBA draft, coach Scheyer has almost an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. He could almost throw about ten or so names in a box and pull out four starters (Filipowski is a given) on most nights.  Tonight, Mark Mitchell had a slight injury to his ankle and did not play. He was replaced by Ryan Young, usually a backup center.

Jared Mc Cain, the most celebrated of the freshmen, showed his offensive skills but fouled out with several questionably-called fouls while Caleb Foster, his replacement, played well, and showed finesse.  Sean Stewart, who matched Zion Williamson’s record vertical leap of 48”, played only in the second half and showed his unique athletic skills.  Jaylen Blake’s appearances demonstrated why he is the best defensive guard, who has also developed more offensive ability this year and will be a disruptive option throughout the season. Procter and Roach are invaluable veterans, and Christian Reeves may also be a contributor this  year—you cannot teach seven feet.

It remains to be seen how well these young players will mature and develop. It may take a while, but it should be an enjoyable  season. 

Next year’s outlook is also excellent.  Jon Scheyer’s incredible recruiting streak continues as highly rated 5-star Patrick Ngongba committed to Duke last week.  A 6-11 235 lb. center, Ngongba follows Cooper Flagg, who also committed last week, which you have to think made for a good week for Scheyer and his staff.

ALANALYSIS

The score of the game accurately reflected the talent differential in the respective rosters.  As expected in a season opener, Duke had some flaws, but played very well in spurts.  Mark Mitchell was held out because of an ankle injury, which was described as not serious.  Thus, who played in the interior for Duke in Mark’s absence was interesting.  Ryan Young started in Mark’s place.  Christian Reeves and Caleb Foster were the first two substitutions.  Occasionally Coach Scheyer played 4 guards and Reeves.

Offense

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski played like a First Team All American, scoring 25 points in just over 26 minutes of playing time.  Four Blue Devils scored in double figures: Caleb Foster (15), Jeremy Roach (14), and Jaylen Blakes (10).  In addition, Jared McCain and Tyrese Proctor each scored 8. The Blue Devils shot 70% in the second half (59% in the opening stanza), including 41% from 3land for the game.  Duke had 18 assists and only 9 turnovers.

Defense

It is hard to quibble with a defense that held Dartmouth to 21 first-half points and 54 for the game.  Coach Scheyer knew The Big Green’s offense relied heavily on good 3-point shooting, thus he planned a defense to attack  Dartmouth’s 3-point shooting.  The defense succeeded, holding the Big Green to 4-18 (22%).  Scheyer said if you are stopping and harassing the 3 point shooters, you are going to give up some layups.  And Dartmouth’s backdoor cuts did produce some lovely layups against the Blue Devils.  

Duke’s fouling was a problem.  Dartmouth was in the bonus with 8:15 left in the first half.  Dartmouth was in the double bonus at game’s end, and McCain had fouled out.

Rebounding and Rim Protection

Dartmouth actually outrebounded Duke until the waning minutes of the game, grabbing 29 boards, including 10 offensive.  Big warning!!  Duke played much of the game with 4 guards and one Big, which might explain the lack of rebounding.  But this was Dartmouth, not Arizona or Michigan State.   The rim protection was a bit sub-par even though Duke had 6 blocks (3 by guards – Blakes 2 and Foster 1; the others by Flip, Ryan Young and Christian Reeves).  

ROSTER BY MINUTES PLAYED

Jeremy Roach 31:22 (scored 14 points on 7 – 11 from the field including 0-2 from 3land).  Jeremy missed his only free throw but handed out 3 assists and blocked a shot.  He played excellent defense.  His second half was scintillating (10 points on 6 shots.)  On one picture perfect play, Foster stole the ball and passed to Jeremy, who drove it the length of the court.  Just when it looked as if he were trying to score, Jeremy dropped off the sweetest pass to Flip for the easy dunk.  That is senior leadership!

Caleb Foster 28:45 (scored 15 points on 6-10 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land.)  Caleb was 2-3 from the stripe with 3 boards and a steal.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski 26:30 (scored 25 efficient points on 10-12 from the field, including 1-2 from deep.) Flip was 4-4 from the stripe.  He also contributed 7 defensive rebounds, while blocking a shot and handing out an assist.  Great game.

Tyrese Proctor 24:47 (scored 8 points on 3-6 from the field, including 2-4 from behind the arc.)  Tyrese was 0-1 from the foul line with 2 boards and 8 gaudy assists.

Jaylen Blakes 19:35 (scored 10 points on 3-3 from the field, including a key 1-1 from deep.)  Jaylen was 3-3 from the stripe with a great all around floor game (2 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals).

Ryan Young 19:31 (scored 2 points on 1-2 from the field.)  He tied with Flip for leading rebounder on the team with 7.  Ryan handed out 3 assists and made a block.

Jared McCain 15:24 (scored 8 points on 3-7 from the field, including 2-4 from behind the arc.)  Not McCain’s best game.  He committed 5 fouls.  While he started, he had the announcers speculating (especially after McCain picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls) that Foster could replace him in the starting lineup.

Christian Reeves 12:17 (scored 2 points on 1-2 from the field.)  Christian grabbed 3 rebounds and blocked a shot.

Sean Stewart 9:41 all in the second half (scored 6 points on 3-4 from the field).  Sean grabbed 5 rebounds and had a steal.  He looked really good in his short stint.

T.J. Power 7:54 all in the second half.  T.J. missed his only shot.

Next Play: Friday, November 10, 2023 vs. Arizona at 7 pm in Cameron on ESPN2.

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Duke Blue Devils 73 v. Arizona Wildcats 78 (Season 15; Issue 2; Game #2) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #2 (November 11, 2023)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

There were two plays in the first half that foreshadowed the result: Keshad Johnson won the opening tip and beat Filipowski down court for an open pass and easy layup (Arizona is fast, and came ready to play with total hustle). Second, Caleb Love drained a three point desperation-heave off the backboard from nearly half court at the halftime buzzer to put the Wildcats up eight points (good shooters make more lucky shots than mediocre shooters). There is a lot of difference being up eight not five points.  Of more long-term concern is that once again this team was out rebounded by 15, and the guards –especially at the point–were outplayed. Tyrese Proctor is still inconsistent. 

It remains which, if any, of the highly touted freshmen have the talent and maturity to adjust to the realities of the college game. The guards must execute better, shoot more efficiently, AND REBOUND. ( memo: Dereck Lively II is in the NBA, and Filipowski needs help. And Jeremy Roach being good for half a game is not enough against elite teams.) Ryan Young is a polished, mature player, who has played six years of college hoops. He has already achieved his improvements. On the other hand, Christian Reeves and Sean Stewart have little to no experience but have exceptional athleticism that could make Duke a more formidable team by replacing Young in the rotation.

Having critiqued all that, the Blue Devils were still in a position to steal a win. However, they did not execute well at the end of the game. In any event, they did not deserve the win, and it would send the wrong message if they had.

I would like to point out that, at times, someone has to be tough on the players. For instance, Duke had not won anything until Hurley came along. Laettner was tough on everyone, especially Hurley, a tough Jersey kid. Once, during a pickup game,  Laettner threw a basketball at Hurley and chased Bobby out of the gym. Duke trailed Kansas at halftime in the 1992 NCAA semifinal game. Laettner had played a terrible first half (after his famous game against Kentucky where he was perfect from the field and foul line, and then hit “the shot” to win the game). At halftime, Hurley gave Laettner an earful—something like: “God Damnit Christian, get your ass in gear. I haven’t put up with your shit for all these years to lose to Kansas.” The rest is history – Duke won the 1992 NCAA Championship. 

Michael Jordan was also tough on his teammates: He punched Kerr in the face once (I’m not recommending that), and he was brutal, physically and verbally, to Scotty Pippen, and others, on the way to his six NBA titles.

Also – Former Dukie Jay Bilas, who was the color announcer, proved again that he is the best college announcer on television. He explains what is happening on the court in plain, correct, concise English.

ALANALYSIS

Duke’s effort against Arizona was described in dire terms by Coach Scheyer: 

“the biggest thing for me – we didn’t play together, and that’s hard for me to swallow. That’s not okay for us. We didn’t play Duke basketball, and I take full responsibility for that. There’s too many plays where we just, zero-pass, one-pass possessions. We’re just giving the ball up and that’s on me.” … It’s not winning basketball. That’s the bottom line. That’s not how we’re going to win games and we have too good of players, we have too much firepower that we can have on the court just to go one-on-one, and you’re just not going to be able to do it against really good teams, and they are a really good team. … too many wasted possessions, bad shots, turnovers. I thought not only do you not score, but it leads to early run outs for them. So, the swings, just starting the first half were so drastic, and it really started with our offense.” 

“Rebounding it’s still about effort, still about blocking out and pursuing the ball. We’re going to find a few times tonight where we stood and watched, and it’s just a mindset. That’s something our guards tonight, now I need them to rebound more, no question, but also, there wasn’t every play where five guys were blocking out. Again, we have three guards. It’s not like we’re small either. Mark [Mitchell]’s 6’8”, Flip [Kyle Filipowski] is 6’11”. Our guards are bigger. It’s all about effort. It’s all about mindset.” (Emphasis added)

Despite Scheyer’s dolorous pronouncement, I did not see a team that “didn’t play Duke basketball” for the entire game. A review of each half separately revealed to me a very different game.  Scheyer was amazingly successful with his half-time adjustments. A review of the second half as a separate entity reveals a more positive view of both this game and the team’s future development.  Having said that, the development of this team will be enhanced by this Arizona loss, more than if the Blue Devils had pulled it out.  A team just learns more from a loss.

Scheyer’s halftime adjustments were significant. After being outrebounded by 14 in the first half (29-15) and giving up 11 offensive rebounds without garnering even one, Duke outrebounded Arizona in the second half 18-16 and gave up only a single offensive rebound.  That’s a big time adjustment!  McCain grabbed 3 boards in 17 and a half minutes.  Sean Stewart had 2 in his brief cameo of 3:37; Duke took 7 more shots from the field than Arizona.

After a dismal 2-12 from deep in the first half, Duke was 6-11 from behind the arc in the closing stanza with Flip going 2-2 and Jeremy 3-4.  What Duke cannot live with is Mark going 0-4 and Proctor 1-6 from behind the arc.

Scheyer’s halftime adjustments on offense allowed Duke to claw back and actually take the lead after Captain Jeremy hit a clutch 3 with 2:11 left. 67-65. The Blue Devils led again 69-67 with 1:08 left after a wonderful layup by Flip. 

However, Keshad Johnson tied the game at 69 when he converted a beautiful pass from Duke-assassin Caleb Love (his previous Duke assassinations came in a UNC uniform).  On that play, Flip committed his 4^th foul and Arizona led 70-69 with 47 seconds left when Johnson converted the free throw.  The 1 point deficit (combined with Proctor’s turnover with 28 seconds left) forced Duke to foul and allowed Arizona to score 8 more points. Duke scored 4 more on a Mitchell layup and 2 clutch foul shots by Roach.  Leave out those last 8 Arizona points to recognize what an excellent second half the Blue Devils played in spite of the mistakes that cost the game in the last minute.

Duke’s second-half disappointments came on defense.  The Blue Devils simply could not get stops to ice the game.  The Wildcats shot 50% from the field (13-26, including 3-7 from behind the arc) and had 10 assists on those 13 baskets.  If defense is supposed to be Duke’s calling card, much work is needed.

Interestingly, Scheyer ignored the supposed depth of the Blue Devils in the second half, playing Roach for the full 20 minutes, Flip for 18:46; Tyrese for 18:32; and McCain for 17:29.  Mitchell played only 11:20. Ryan logged 6:18 (with a rebound and a turnover, but 0 points.)  Caleb Foster was limited to 4 minutes after playing 8 minutes + in the first half.  He did not score in the game.  Sean Stewart had a 3:37 cameo in the second half (after being glued to the bench in the first half), scoring a basket and garnering a pair of rebounds.  

For the game, the Duke bench was truly anemic, scoring only 5 points (Christian Reeves scored 3 first-half points in a 2:38 first half only cameo; and Sean Stewart scored a tip-in in his second-half cameo of 3:37).  Caleb Foster failed to score or even to record an assist in 12:43.  Ryan Young failed to score (2 boards and 2 turnovers) in 12:56, and Jaylen Blakes failed to score in his first-half cameo of 1:56.  Duke needs to re-establish (or establish) bench productivity and useful depth.

It is hard to miss that Tyrese Proctor had a subpar game (both halves).  For the game, Tyrese scored 8 points (3-9 from the field, including 1-6 from behind the arc).  He had 5 assists, but 3 turnovers.  In the second half, Proctor could have been the winning difference, but he was not. He had only 2 assists in the second half against his 3 turnovers.  The third turnover was the killer.  Duke was down by a point, with the ball and 28 seconds left. Tyrese drove confidently into the lane, but then traveled! -a turnover at the worst possible time. Duke was then forced to foul. Arizona converted 6 clutch free throws and a layup when Duke turned it over yet again, with 4 seconds left to play.

A vaunted defender, Tyrese was taken to school on defense by freshman Kylan Boswell.  Boswell was the Wildcat’s best player, scoring 12 points on 4-7 from the field, including 2-4 from 3land.  The Wildcat freshman handed out 5 assists.  If Duke is to prosper this season, Tyrese has to return to form.

Next Play: Tuesday,  November 14, 2023, vs. Michigan State in the State Farm Championship Classic in Chicago at 7 pm on ESPN.

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​Duke Blue Devils 74 v. Michigan Spartans 65 (Season 15; Issue 3; Game #3) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #3 (November 14, 2023)

Bill’s Cliff Notes:

The Duke – Michigan State game lost some luster when both teams lost one of their first two games–JMU, really! However, Tom Izzo is one of the very best college coaches at consistently getting whatever players he has playing tough, physical basketball. Sometimes, it makes for ugly basketball. Tonight’s first half looked mostly like an intramural basketball game played by football players. Duke, which is often considered a “finesse” team, learned how to play “physical” teams (ref: Tennessee in last year’s NCAA Tournament). This is highly ranked college teams playing, not high school basketball.

While this was an important win for the Duke team , it was also an important game for Caleb Foster to distinguish himself as the first of the highly touted freshman players to demonstrate why he was so highly ranked – by consistently hitting shots at critical times. This is the kind of game in which Ryan Young excels, because he never lacks effort. Same for Filipowski, whose potential firepower cannot be ignored by any opponent.

A characteristic of Duke’s better teams is getting to the foul line and hitting their foul shots. Tonight, they did that – especially Mark Mitchell, whose contributions are often overlooked. Tyrese Procter, whose youth may explain some of his inconsistencies, was much improved at point guard. Jared McCain again did not contribute offensively but that will change. His stroke is too good. However, it speaks volumes that he was the first among the teammates to congratulate his replacement, Caleb Foster, for his breakout performance. The genuine smile on McCain’s face spoke volumes about the attitude of this freshman class.

My assessment of this team is that they do not have the size to be a great team, but rather that they are a good Duke team that may have the talent to surprise on occasion but not go the distance.

Miscellaneous:

Anyone who watches Duke football has to be struck with the fact that the Blue Devils have been hosed two years in a row by the referees. This year, a possible interception in deep Duke territory late in the game was not reviewed.  And on the final, crucial two-point extra point, Carolina’s right guard  was five yards down field in the end zone. That does not mean that Drake May, Carolina’s terrific quarterback, wouldn’t have made another amazing play, but then, you never know. Whatever…do not be surprised if many of Duke football coaches, who have engineered this amazing turnaround, are seduced to greener pastures.

ALANALYSIS

The quality of basketball played in the first half of the first half (10:00) must have made the basketball gods weep.  One statistic says it all.  After 10 minutes of play, Duke had just 9 points and had committed 8 turnovers …and the Blue Devils were not behind!  The score was tied at 9 after 9 minutes had been played.  After 12 minutes had been played, the game was tied at 12.

First Half

You would think that Duke played great defense to hold the Spartans to 20 points in the opening half, but it is hard to ignore that Michigan State was shooting wide open shots and just missing them.  No matter how wide open its shooters were, the Spartans just kept missing.

With Duke ahead 15-12, Kyle (Flip) Filipowski committed his second foul and went to the bench for the final 6:19 of the first half.  Surprisingly,without Flip, the Blue Devils scored 16 points while giving up only 8 for the remainder of the first half.  Duke increased its lead to really break open the game while Flip was on the bench (15-12 when Flip went out became 31-20 by the end of the first half).

Mark Mitchell led Duke’s first-half scoring with 9 points (7-7 from the stripe).  

Tyrese Proctor (18:42), Jeremy Roach (16:07), Flip (12:01), and Ryan Young (11:34) each contributed 5 points in the first half.

Second Half

The basketball gods stopped weeping and started to enjoy a well played, excellent, and exciting basketball game.  The Spartans got great offensive effort from Malik Hall (13 points in 14:30) and the amazing Tyson Walker (18 points in 18:13 on 7-12 from the field, including 3-4 from deep).  Scheyer: “Walker, he hit some tough shots, man. I mean, he hit some tough shots. Hands in his face and his ability to shoot off the bounce, to shoot contested shots.”  Five times the Spartans reducedDuke’s lead to 4 or 3 points.  With 6:07 left, Duke’s lead was a mere 3 points.

However, the Blue Devil offense was equal to the task of withstanding the Spartan runs.  Every time Michigan State got close, Duke stretched the lead back out to double digits.  Caleb Foster, who had an undistinguished first half (2 points; 2 turnovers), was the star of stars in the closing stanza, with 16 second-half points (6-7 from the field, including 4-5 from 3land). Flip scored 10 (3-10, including 0-3 from deep, plus a crucial 4-5 from the foul line). Tyrese returned to form – 5 assists without a turnover in the second half.  He made his last two shots (after missing his first 4), plus 4-5 from the foul line for 8 points.  Caleb, Flip, and Tyrese scored 34 of Duke’s 43 second-half points.

From 15:20 to 13:08 left, Caleb scored 8 points.  Foster scored on a layup with 10:21 to go and then led Duke in closing out the Spartans at winning time with 3-pointers at 3:34 to go (increasing Duke’s lead to 9) and at 1:55 to go (increasing Duke’s lead to 12 and effectively ending the game).  

Scheyer gushed about Caleb’s breakout performance, “Caleb, he’s as hard as any worker we have on the team, first of all, and he’s coming off a game on Friday. He didn’t like the way it went and whether he’s pissed at me, pissed at how he played or the game. Like, going to play at Duke or going to play anywhere there’s going to be ups and downs, there’s going to be moments where you get knocked back, but the program that I know Duke to be, it’s all about how you respond. For us as a team coming off of Friday, but especially individually — like, what Caleb did tonight, he won us the game. … it says a lot about him, as a freshman, being in this environment, in this moment, and not just the points, you know, 7 for 8, 18 points is great, his defense, his rebounding, his passing. I just thought it was a big-time response, and I can’t say enough about his attitude” 

The Rotation

Tyrese Proctor (38:42) scored 13 points on 4-12 from the field, including a disappointing 1-5 from deep, plus 4-5 from the stripe.  After 2 subpar games (Dartmouth and Arizona), Tyrese went back to last year’s hairstyle and produced an excellent effort.  The key stats for Tyrese are 6 rebounds and 6 assists without a turnover.

Jeremy Roach (33:47) did not have his best game.  He scored 7 points on 2-5 from the field, including 1-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-3 from the stripe.  While Jeremy had 5 assists, he also turned it over 4 times. His play overall seemed to be lacking its usual verve.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (30:44) scored 15 points on 5-13 from the field, including a frustrating 0-4 from deep.  Flip made crucial free throws (5-7) to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocked shots, and a steal.  He was a force for the Blue Devils in the second half.

Caleb Foster (29:00) won the game with his superb shooting in the second half.  Caleb scored 18 points on a remarkable 7-8 from the field, including 4-5 from behind the arc.  Caleb also contributed 3 rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. He was simply the star of stars.

Ryan Young (23:33) finally played the way he did last year after 2 sub-par games to open the season.  Young played effective defense while scoring 8 points on 2-2 from the field and 4-6 from the foul line to go with a team-leading 7 rebounds and 2 assists.  Welcome back, Ryan!

Mark Mitchell (22:04) scored 13 points on 2-3 from the field and a gaudy 9-9 from the foul line.  Mark had 4 rebounds and 2 steals, but also 3 turnovers.  

Jared McCain (16:23) had a terrible shooting game (0-5 from the field, including 0-4 from 3land) besides his turnover without an assist.  His subpar game gave Caleb the opportunity that he took such good advantage of.

Sean Stewart (3:39) garnered a rebound, blocked a shot, and committed a turnover, all without a shot attempt, in his first-half cameo.

Jaylen Blakes (2:08) missed his only shot, a wide open 3-pointer on a great pass from Tyrese.  It was a bad miss and he was replaced quickly.

Next Play: Friday, November 17, 2023, at 6:00 pm vs Bucknell at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  TV: ACCN

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​Duke Blue Devils 90 v. Bucknell Bison 60 (Season 15; Issue 4; Game #4) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #4 (November 17, 2023)

Bill’s Cliff Notes:

When I started playing tennis seriously, I was fortunate to have Don Henson as my tennis coach. Among other things he taught me was that there are three keys/levels to playing better tennis. Learn to hit a shot consistently in practice, in a match, and on a big point. Basketball is similar. Master skills until they become second nature and you can execute them under pressure.

Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff have forgotten more basketball than I will ever know. However, I have watched and played the game for many years and have opinions. Here are some:

There are a multiplicity of reasons for college basketball teams to schedule teams of lesser talent to start the season: ease into a long, grueling season, pad records with easy wins, give their teams a scrimmage against unfamiliar talent in front of a live audience, and give the coaches an opportunity to assess all their players in a real game environment. Tonight was one of those games. Bucknell has a decent basketball resume, but time has left them behind the current curve.

Jared McCain showed he was as good as advertised and deserves to start by scoring 17 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, his best numbers yet. Coach Scheyer maintains he has six starters including Caleb Foster. “We’ve talked a lot about guard rebounding and for Jared to come off a game where he probably didn’t play as well or play as much as he wanted to. Seventeen and 10 for me, I love the 10 more than the 17,” said Scheyer. Incidentally, this team is guard heavy as Proctor, Foster, McCain, Roach, and Blakes can play both the point and shooting positions.

Mark Mitchell is listed at 6 ‘9” but seems to play smaller. (Don’t get me started on players listed size. They are like a golf handicap—inflated.) Whatever, he is a “glue” player and an integral part of this team. Tonight, he was more aggressive, especially when Filipowski was out of the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.

Proctor and Roach shot more confidently and better. Ryan Young played his usual intense, heady game getting a steal and breakaway dunk. 

Sean Stewart, an intriguing, unique prospect is too good an athlete to remain glued to the bench, played 16 minutes and got 7 rebounds, 6 points, and 3 steals. Apparently, he needs to understand the game to better compliment his athleticism. T. J. Power appeared briefly but appears to be a candidate for a red shirt season as well as more use this year for him and his 88 mph fastball on the baseball team.

Filipowski appeared to have seriously injured his ankle late in the first half but played briefly in the second and looked fine. Unfortunately, Christian Reeves did injure an ankle in practice and is in a walking boot. 

For this Duke team to be a contender not a pretender, it needs to remain healthy (especially Filipowski), the guards need to mature (rebound & shoot well), and defense needs to make up for the sheer lack of size.

ALANALYSIS:

Duke’s guards provided superb shooting from behind the arc, exactly the element the Duke offense needs if it is to reach potential needed for a grand season.  McCain and Proctor were each 5-8 from deep.  Jeremy Roach was 3-5.  Caleb Foster misfired early, but managed 3-9 from behind the arc.  In total, the guards were 13-21 without Caleb’s 3-9 (16-30).  If the guards shoot like that against elite opponents, this will be a season to remember!

The Offense

Duke had 23 assists on 32 made field goals, which is a great percentage and shows how smoothly the offense was operating.  Moreover, the Blue Devils only turned it over 7 times.  What an impressive ratio! Duke shot almost 50% (49.2%) from the field for the game.  Four of the starters scored in double figures: Mark Mitchell (a career high) 20 points; Jared McCain, 17; Tyrese Proctor, 13: and Kyle (Flip) Filipowski, 10. Jeremy Roach almost made double figures with 9 points.  Caleb Foster, who is described by Coach Scheyer as the 6^th starter, also scored 9 points.

Flip turned his ankle and had to leave the game with 6:47 left to play in the first half, and Duke leading by 9 (33-24).  In the last 6:47 before halftime, the Blue Devils increased the lead to 15 (44-29) with Flip in the locker room being treated.  He started the second half and played over 4 minutes before being given the rest of the night off.

The Defense

The defense gave up 26 points in the first half to Bucknell’s stars – Jack Forrest had 15 (including three 3-pointers in a row) while Ruot Bijek scored 11.  The Blue Devils made effective half-time adjustments, holding Forrest to 2 second-half points and shutting Bijek out completely in the closing stanza.  The lead soared to 34 in the second half.  After the first 14 minutes (when the Bison cut Duke’s lead to 6), Bucknell never got the score close enough to seriously challenge Duke’s dominance.

The Rotation

Jared McCain (27:24) not only scored 17 points on 5-8 from the field, including 5-7 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe, he led Duke in rebounding, garnering 10.  What a great double-double!  And a great bounce-back from a bad shooting game against Michigan State.

Jeremy Roach (23:39) scored 9 efficient points on 3-5 shooting from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc.  He was 1-2 from the foul line.  He (and Proctor) shut down Jack Forrest in the second half.  Jeremy is a terrific defender!

Tyrese Proctor (22:49) scored 13 points on 5-8 from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc.  In addition to playing great defense against Bucknell’s best scorer, Tyrese grabbed 3 rebounds, made a steal, and handed out 4 assists without a turnover.

Caleb Foster (22:20) did not shoot as well as he did against Michigan State, going 3-9 from the field, including 2-7 from behind the arc.   He was 1-2 from the stripe for a total of 9 points.  Caleb played a terrific floor game with 4 rebounds and 6 assists without a turnover.   Scheyer said, “Caleb could start easily. But for this game, we want to continue to build. And it’s not about just playing better, who’s shooting better. There’s the chemistry. There’s the continuity that we’re trying to develop. But Caleb, no question, is a starter whether he’s coming off the bench or not. We’ve had six starters the whole way.”

Mark Mitchell (21:58) had the best game of his young college career, leading Duke’s scoring with 20 points (8-13 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land, plus 3-3 from the stripe.  Mark can defend 4 or even 5 positions, which he does well.  He grabbed 6 boards to go with 2 assists and a blocked shot.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (16:44) was limited by his sprained ankle late in the first half.  Despite his injury-shortened time on the court, Flip scored 10 points on 3-4 from the field and 4-4 from the stripe.  He missed his only deep shot.  In addition, Flip grabbed 6 tough rebounds, and added an assist, 2 steals, and a blocked shot.  He is a force!

Jaylen Blakes (16:38) created chaos with his defense and scored 2 points (1-3 from the field including 0-1 from deep).  It was a wide open 3; the second one of those he has missed in 2 games.  Jaylen had 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

Sean Stewart (16:08) demonstrated his athleticism and potential, scoring 6 points on 3-7 shooting.  He grabbed 7 rebounds (2^nd high on the team behind McCain’s 10) and had 3 steals.  He shows signs of becoming a valuable rotation player.

Ryan Young (13:45) handed out 5 assists without a turnover, while scoring 2 points (1-1 from the field) and grabbing 3 boards.  He also had a great steal on the perimeter, which produced a gaudy floor length dribble and dramatic dunk.

T.J. Power (11:25) got his first real playing time, and got his first 2 college points on 2-2 from the stripe.  Power was 0-4 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc.  He had a rebound and an assist.

Next Play: Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 7 pm in Cameron Indoor Stadium vs. La Salle.  TV: ACCN

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Duke Blue Devils 95 v. LaSalle Explorers 66 (Season 15; Issue 5; Game 5) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Bill’s Cliff Notes

For the first time this year, Duke’s full complement of both freshman and sophomore basketball talent was on display Tuesday night. And the conclusion is: there is an embarrassment of riches! LaSalle is not untalented, just not as tall and as talented and as deep as the Blue Devils. The Explorer guards are very impressive; their big men not so much. 

Once again, Filipowski, the one indispensable Duke player, committed two silly fouls early and sat for a long period of the first half. While it freed playing time for others, it showed how much Flip means to the offense –once  the center was back in the game, his assertiveness and talent sparked a second-half run that quickly put the game on ice. Mark Mitchell took the twin opportunities of Filipowski’s absence and of being guarded by a smaller opponent to play more aggressively on offense, while Tyrese Proctor continued to impress in all facets of the game. The only problem is Coach Scheyer has a difficult job deciding playing time for all the talent, to keep everyone happy.

Duke Freshman Sean Stewart finished with 16 points and 10 boards, six of them offensive. If Sean can continue to play as if he were Grant Hill’s younger brother, he could emerge as a very key player for Duke. He flat out can do things no one else on this roster can do. The faster he continues to improve, the better Duke will be this year (and next). Even T.J. Power, the 6′ 9” pitcher, showed why he was so highly rated by making three straight threes. Only Jared McCain, the highest rated frosh, had a mediocre shooting night—but there are no worries that he will gain more consistency.  Christian Reeves had his walking boot off but was not in uniform.  Btw, Jaden Schutt is redshirting this year.

ALANALYSIS

Duke had an offensive jamboree against La Salle, especially in the second half when the Blue Devils scored 56 points, shot 60% from the field (19-32, including 7-13 from behind the arc), and had four double-digit scorers: Tyrese Proctor with 22 points, Kyle (Flip) Filipowsi with 17 points, Mark Mitchell with 12, and Sean Stewart (with 16 points off the bench in only l7:43 minutes of play!).  Sean had his first double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds, 6 on the offensive glass. T.J. Power played only 5:36 but scored 9 points when he made his first three 3-point shots of the game and his college career.  It was that kind of night.

For the game, Duke had 21 assists (Flip and Tyrese each with 4; Mark, Jeremy, and Caleb 3 each) on 36 made field goals, while turning it over only 5 times.  What an amazing ratio of assists to turnovers!

The First Half

Duke led by only a point (19-18) at the 10 minute mark of the first half.  The defense was just not effective.  Yet less than 3 minutes later, the Blue Devils had opened a double digit lead of 10 points (29-19 with 7:20 left to play).  The lead swung between 8 and 10 for the remainder of the half (39-29 at the half).  Flip had a subpar first half, picking up 2 early fouls, which limited his playing time to 10:42.  He scored only 3 points, shooting 1-4 from the field and 1-2 from the foul line. 

Tyrese led Duke in scoring and leadership, especially in the first half.  In almost 18 minutes, he tallied 14 points on 5-8 from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the foul line.  Mark Mitchell scored 8 first-half points on 4-5 from the field, including 0-1 from deep, to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists in his 16:23 of playing time.  In only 6:24, Sean was 3-3 for 6 points, to go with 5 boards and a blocked shot.   Jeremy Roach played 16:23, scoring 4 points on 2-5 from the field, but 0-2 from behind the arc.  He had 2 boards, an assist, and a steal.  Caleb Foster logged 7:40, scoring 2 points on 1-4 from the field, including 0-2 from 3land.

The Second Half

Duke broke the game wide open early in the second half.  Even though Flip picked up his 3^rd foul just 38 seconds into the half, he scored 9 points in the next 2 minutes to extend the Blue Devil lead to 20 points (51-31 with 17:34 to be played). Scheyer said, “the job that Flip did in the second half – he wasn’t quite himself in the first half – to respond mid-game, that’s a big deal, what he did in the second half.  I am so proud of his effort.” Flip scored 14 second-half points in 12:08 (5-6 from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-3 from the foul line).  He added 2 rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot, and 3 assists without a turnover.  What a stat line!

Proctor scored 8 second-half points on 2-3 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line in 11:46.  Tyrese, in his best game at Duke, grabbed 5 second-half rebounds and handed out 3 assists without a turnover.  Tyrese has not turned it over since his 3 turnovers in the Arizona game.

The Duke lead was 30 with 1:26 to go in the game.   In the second half, Sean Stewart scored 10 points (4-6 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line) to go with 5 boards.  McCain made his last two 3-point attempts after missing his first two (6 points; 3 boards and an assist).  Foster played 14 minutes, scoring 5 points (2-4, 0-1 from deep and 1-1 from the stripe). He added a pair of assists.

The defense was not intense, allowing the Explorers to score 37 second-half points and shoot 47%. As Scheyer said, “guarding the ball was something we didn’t do well overall.”  Duke’s prolific offense made the defensive lapses hardly noticeable.

The Rotation

Tyrese Proctor (29:42) played a marvelous game, perhaps his best ever at Duke.  Proctor scored 22 points (his most at Duke, on 7-11 from the field, including 2-3 from deep and a gaudy 6-6 from the stripe).  He also grabbed 7 defensive rebounds and handed out 4 assists.  0 turnovers … again.  After his subpar game against Arizona (3 turnovers, including a travel when Duke trailed by a point with 28 seconds left in the game), Tyrese went back to last year’s hair style and has not committed a turnover since.

Jared McCain (25:21) had a poor shooting game before he made his last two 3-point attempts late in the game.  He scored 6 on 2-7 from the field, including 2-4 from behind the arc.  McCain came up with 6 rebounds and passed out 2 assists against 2 turnovers.  He defends.

Jeremy Roach (25:48) does not have to score to be the team leader!  Jeremy is not a prolific scorer in games where Duke leads by a substantial margin as in this game.  But Roach is a prolific clutch scorer.  As the announcers said last night, he “makes his own shots.”  With Duke leading all the way, Jeremy scored 4 points on 2-8 shooting, including 0-3 from 3land.  The co-captain grabbed 3 boards, handed out 3 assists without a turnover and made a steal.

Mark Mitchell (25:04) played an excellent game, scoring 12 points :5-6 from the field, including 0-1 from deep, plus a dismal 2-6 from the foul line (he had been 13-14 for the season). Scheyer said it was Mark’s best game: “Mark was just really efficient, attacking the basket, three offensive rebounds. He had three assists and no turnovers.” 

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (22:32) played a great second half, as described above.  In addition to scoring, Flip does it all.  He had 5 rebounds, passed out 4 assists, had 2 blocked shots, and an assist.

Caleb Foster (21:44) did not have a great shooting game (7 points on 3-8 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc.  He made his only foul shot).  Caleb handed out 3 assists with only one turnover.

Sean Stewart (17:43) had an amazing game off the bench with his first double-double at Duke (10 rebounds to lead Duke; 16 points on 7-9 shooting, plus 2-2 from the stripe).  Coach Scheyer gushed, “He brings in great energy. And look, we’re still figuring out lineups and who plays well together and who complements one another. But when you have six offensive rebounds, 10 total rebounds, and he did a good job finishing, and the exciting part for me with Sean is he’s got so much room to grow. He’s at such an early stage of his development as a player. But he can do something right now that translates with his ability to rebound, his ability to protect the rim, his versatility guarding the ball. … And so, I’m just proud of his effort, not just tonight, but the way that he’s grown really since he got here in July to now.” 

Jaylen Blakes (15:03) is a great defender, who just cannot get his offense rolling.  He again did not score (0-1).  He had a rebound and an assist.  He is getting chances.

Ryan Young (9:05) is first off the bench, but is losing playing time to Stewart.  Ryan scored 2 (1-3 from the field, including 0-1 from deep) when La Salle refused to guard him behind the arc.  Ryan also had 2 boards and a nifty assist.

T.J. Power (5:36) did not get into the game until the last 6 minutes;  then he put on a show, hitting his first three 3-point attempts.  That he missed a late heat check 3-pointer was superfluous.

Next Play: Friday, November 24, 2023 at 6 pm vs Southern Indiana in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  ACCN.

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Duke Blue Devils 80 v. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 62 (Season 15; Issue 6; Game 6) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Senior Captain Jeremy Roach makes his own shots

Photo credit: GoDuke.com

Bill’s CliffsNotes

Twas four years since it occurred but all through my head
Shades of Stephen-Austin, a 27 point underdog, upsetting #1 Duke, danced in my head.

Not a player was effective, not even Flip. 

Tonight, unranked Southern Indiana was outplaying, outexecuting, and beating #9 Duke for the entire first half! In the second half, the Blue Devil’s woke up and took care of business, winning 80-62. The MVP(Most Valuable Person) was Coach Jon Scheyer, who apparently morphed into Coach K at halftime, then made these comments after the game:

“Southern Indiana came out really ready to play, well prepared, and they played harder than we did in the beginning. I think that is pretty clear. You don’t need me to tell you that. That is disappointing. That is not acceptable…We have to know we have a lot of things we have to do better. That has been my message to the team. We are not close to where we want to be. It’s good to win, but it is not just about winning; it is about playing to the best of your ability. 

 “Tyrese and Flip are always gonna be focal points of what we do and those two together are even better,” 

However, make no mistake about the fact that this first half was a disturbing performance for a top ranked team, The Blue Devils cannot continue to shoot 30% from behind the three point line and only 60% from the free throw line and beat many teams. There are a lot of good shooters, on a lot of mediocre teams in college basketball, that on any given night can get hot for most of forty minutes and upset better teams. That is why Coach Scheyer stresses defense and rebounding. And that is why consistently executing your offense precisely and consistently hitting a high percentage of shots is essential to being a top team.

This is a talented but young squad which needs to toughen up and grow up, because the games get tougher and tougher as the season gets longer and longer.

It is no surprise Duke can rely on senior Jeremy Roach, who has consistently come through on several occasions. He tied the game at 35-35 on the line and he scored 8 points during a key stretch in the second half when the Screaming Eagles were trying to make a move to get back into contention. Later, with Duke holding an 11 point lead with four minutes to go, Roach hit a layup to push it back to 13. Filipowski should take note. In the last few games, Flip has played like a rookie in the first half before morphing into an All-American in the second.

This was not only a chance to pick up a win but also a chance for individual players to work on their skills, team efficiency, consistency, and chemistry. Playtime is over– more serious challenges are ahead.

Christian Reeves is out of his boot and dressed out but did not play.

ALANALYSIS

This game was not a feel good game for Duke fans, even though the Blue Devils put on a superb offensive display in the second half.  Duke’s defense for the entire game and lack of energy in the first half are not good omens for the coming season.  Coach Scheyer explained it eloquently as Bill quoted him above. Duke simply did not play hard.  … 

The Defense

Coach Scheyer articulated what we all saw about Duke’s previously vaunted defense: “For me, it was just our defense. We just were giving up layups like crazy. Up until this point, we have held every team below their scoring average, and that is something we take a lot of pride in; we have been good defensively. Clearly, we are still not where we need to be by the end of the year, …. I thought that showed where our heads were at just giving up layups in transition and letting guys get behind us. …We are not close to where we want to be. … When you’re not coming out the right way, it does not matter what you’re running. You have to play defense. You have to get stops. I thought anytime you don’t come out the right way on defense, it can affect your offense. Tyrese and Flip are always going to be focal points of what we do, and those two together are even better. But for me, it came down to our defense in the beginning and not being at the same level. But I am glad we responded. I thought the end of the [first] half was key, and we must move on quickly now, and we’re going on the road for the next two games.” 

The Offense

The offense was a tale of two halves (the first half was only the first 15 minutes; so count the second half as 25 minutes)

The First Half

 We all watched with our jaws hanging open as Southern Indiana’s Screaming Eagles dominated Duke for the first 15 minutes!  Dominated!!  This is a team so new to Division I that Southern Indiana is not even eligible for the NCAA tournament this year and has lost 5 of its first 6 games – dominating Duke – in Cameron no less!  Simply jaw dropping. The Screaming Eagles led by double digits after only 5:51 had elapsed (15-5).  Southern Indiana led by 10 points five different times (with 9:33 left; 8:40; 8:12; 5:41; and 5:02).  The Screaming Eagles still led by 8 with 3:04 remaining in the half.

While Scheyer was depressed about the Blue Devil defense, he could not have been cheered by the offense, which had scored only 22 points in the first 15 minutes of the first half to trail 32-22.  Duke’s second unit (Ryan, Caleb, Jalen, and Sean)finally jelled, reducing Southern Indiana’s lead to 4 at half-time (35-31).  Even with the 9 points Duke scored in the last five minutes, they shot only 37 % for the half (12-32, including 1-8 from deep) from the field and 6- 10 from the stripe.  The Blue Devils had only 4 assists in the entire first half (Mark, Flip, Jared, and Tyrese 1 each) and 4 turnovers (Tyrese had 2, Caleb and Ryan had 1 each).

The Second Half

The Blue Devils came alive after being serenaded by Coach Scheyer at half-time.  Duke scored 49 second-half points, shooting a gaudy 60% (17-28, including 4-10 from behind the arc).  Duke was 13-18 inside the arc and handed out 9 assists against only 3 turnovers.  Flip and Jeremy scored as many second-half points as the entire team had scored in the first half – 31 (Jeremy scored 16 and Flip 15).  McCain added 6 points on 2-3 from behind the arc.  Tyrese Proctor also scored 6 (2-3 from the field, including 0-1 from deep, plus 2-2 from the stripe), but more importantly he handed out 6 second-half assists.  Caleb’s 4 points and Mark’s 2 completed Duke’s second-half scoring.  Scheyer: “Flip and Jeremy did some big-time things in the second half. Look, we need those guys to be that way in both halves.” 

Sean, Jaylen, and Ryan all had small, scoreless cameos in the closing stanza.

The Rotation

Tyrese Proctor (35:35) played a very good second half after a disappointing (especially on defense) first half.  The sophomore co-captain (there have been only 4 other sophomore captains in Duke history) scored 11 points on 4-7 from the field, including 1-4 from deep – he made his first one.  Tyrese was 2-2 from the stripe with 2 boards and 7 assists (6 in the second half) against 3 turnovers.

Jeremy Roach (31:50) had a superb second half (playing 19 minutes in the closing stanza) after a disappointing first half.  The senior co-captain scored 18 points (16 in the second half on 5-8 shooting) on 6-12 from the field, including 2-4 from deep.  He was 4-5 from the foul line.  When Duke needs him, Jeremy delivers!

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (31:15) scored 21 points to lead Duke (15 in the second half) on 8-16 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc, plus only 5-9 from the stripe.  As always, Flip had a multitude of other gaudy statistics: 14 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 3 blocked shots.

Mark Mitchell (27:40) had a modest game on offense, scoring only 6 points (2-6 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land.  Mark was 2-4 from the stripe).  He had 6 rebounds and an assist without a turnover.  Even with Mark’s offense being less than his usual, his almost-28 minutes were well worth it for his defense and rebounding.

Jared McCain (21:22) scored 10 points (4-6 from the field, including 2-4 from behind the arc).  Jared had 2 assists and 2 steals without a turnover.  This is the first game where he did not grab a rebound.

Caleb Foster (21:03) scored 9 points (3-8 from the field, including  0-1 from 3land, plus 3-6 from the foul line).  Caleb grabbed 3 defensive rebounds.  He had a turnover without an assist.

Sean Stewart (10:58) grabbed 3 boards and blocked a shot without scoring (0-2 from the field).

Jaylen Blakes (10:10) is still the defensive disrupter when Duke wants to press on defense.  He had a steal, but still failed to score … again  (0-1 on another missed wide open 3)

Ryan Young (10:07) scored 5 points (2-2 from the field plus 1-2 from the foul line).  The third co-captain (a very experienced graduate transfer from Northwestern) also grabbed 3 rebounds in his short stint.  He has proved an effective substitute when Flip and Mark are rested.

The Screaming Eagles earned the respect of the basketball community with such a gutsy performance.  SIU was a Division II school until last year.  This is only their second year as a Division I school (all action and NCAA tournament eligibility is confined to Division I schools).  This team played with heart, discipline and never gave up.  Even when Duke opened its second half lead, Southern Indiana played hard and well.  Duke won the game, but the Screaming Eagles were not losers.

Next Play: Wednesday, November 29 against Arkansas Razorbacks at 9:15 pm in Fayetteville, Arkansas as part of the ACC-SEC challenge.  ESPN

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Duke Blue Devils 75 v. Arkansas Razorbacks 80 (Season 15; Issue 6; Game 6) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Captain Jeremy showing off his driving skills, netting him 22 points for the game.

Photo credit: GoDuke.com

Bill’s Cliff Notes

 This was either the best thing to happen to this young team or a sign that the freshmen, in particular, and the team, as a whole, were overrated. It is interesting that two upperclassmen—Roach and Filipowski– were the only two Duke players who scored well. And Filipowski did his usual (this year) trick of committing two quick fouls, which sent him to the bench for a long spell. Interestingly, the Blue Devils did not fall too far behind then. That came later. Unfortunately, none of the freshmen played well and neither did Mitchell, who was left unguarded on the perimeter—just as Arizona when they beat Duke — daring him to shoot jumpers, so they could double the paint.

 There is no way to sugarcoat this loss. Duke was beaten badly in every category for most of the game—especially scoring. Proctor, McCain, Foster, and Stewart were non-factors offensively. And that, apparently, affected their defense. This team either needs to get mentally a lot tougher and more consistent or (horrors) they do not have complementary players.

Fouling was the only answer the Razorbacks had to Jeremy’s powerful drives. Photo credit: GoDuke.com

ALANALYSIS

I echo Bill’s lament, “There is no way to sugarcoat this loss. Duke was beaten badly in every category for most of the game.”  The category where Duke was most wanting was the shooting of everyone-not-named-Jeremy Roach (22 points on 7-13 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus 7-9 from the stripe). Kyle (Flip) Filipowski did have a brilliant second half, after a foul-shortened first half where he scored only 3 points.  T.J. Powers hit two 3-pointers for 6 points in 13:28 first-half minutes before failing to score in his 6:38 second-half minutes.  Otherwise, the Blue Devils were horribly deficient.

Consider Duke’s 3-point shooting for the game: Mark Michell (0-3), Flip (1-5), Tyrese Proctor (1-6), and Caleb Foster (0-2) were a combined 2-16 from behind the arc.  Adding in T.J.’s 2-2, McCain’s 1-3, and Jeremy’s 1-1, Duke was still only 6-22 – outscored 27-18 from deep by the Razorbacks.  Duke’s shooting wasn’t much better from closer to the basket (18-45).   Overall from the field for the game, Mark was 2-8, McCain 1-7, Proctor 3-12, Caleb Foster (0-5) — (total for those four players is 6-31).  

Ryan Young, Sean Stewart, Jaylen Blakes, and Christian Reeves did not attempt a shot or score a point.  So much for Duke’s deep bench.  To compound bad shooting, the Blue Devils missed 10 free throws (21-31).  Without Flip’s 7-8, Jeremy’s 7-9, and Mark 2-2 the rest of the team was 5-12 (Sean 0-2, Caleb 2-4, Ryan 1-2, and Jared 2-4). Less than 50% from the line!

It was not just the offense.  Coach Scheyer had much to say about Duke’s soft defensive effort. Scheyer: “The beginning of the second half was key and we came out and just gave up a bunch of layups. … I thought our offense right away affected our defense. The resistance on the ball, our second level defense, our protection coming over on the weak side, it wasn’t there for us to the level that it needs to be. Bottom line. … We’re going to watch film and I think the thing we’re going to see is giving up layups. Giving up our paint too easily … for me, it’s the defense and the collective effort on that end.” 

First Half

The opening stanza was close with each team looking a bit sloppy.  Neither team led by more than 2 points, except when Duke led by 3 points twice – the first time for 20 seconds and the second time for almost a minute. With a minute to go, the Blue Devils led by 2 before Davenport of the Razorbacks hit a 3 pointer with 24 seconds left in the half to give Arkansas a 33-32 lead at halftime.  The defense that allowed that open 3 pointer was a harbinger of how the second half would go.  Flip went to the bench with his second foul after only 5 minutes had been played, and scored only 3 points in his 11:56 of playing time (1-4, including 0-1 from behind the arc, plus 1-2 from the foul line).  As Coach Scheyer said after the Bucknell game, Duke needs Flip for both halves.

Second Half

With 6:20 having elapsed in the half, Duke trailed by only a single point, 44-43, after which the wheels started to come off.  Only 2 and ½ minutes later, the Blue Devils trailed by ten, 55-45.  The Razorback lead fluctuated between 10 and 14 for the remainder of the half (although it dwindled briefly to 9 twice).  With 1:20 left in the game, Duke still trailed by 10 when Flip’s scoring rampage and the Duke full court press made an intense run.  In 12 seconds, Flip cut the lead in half (a 3-pointer, a steal and layup) 75-70.  Roach went 1-2 from the stripe when fouled, cutting Arkansas’s lead to 4 (75-71) with 46 seconds left.  After a pair of Razorback free throws, Flip scored on an offensive rebound. 77-73 with 27 seconds remaining.  After another Arkansas free throw (78-73), Flip was fouled and made both foul shots (78-75 with 17 seconds left).  But that was as close as the Blue Devils got.  After the Razorbacks again went 1-2 from the line (79-75), Foster missed a 3 with 5 seconds left and Duke had to foul.  Arkansas went 1-2 (again) for the final 80-75 margin.  Flip scored 23 second-half points – 9 in the minute that followed Arkansas’s last 10 point lead.  From Clark Kent to Superman!

The Rotation

Jeremy Roach (37:58) showed why he is co-captain and leader of this team, scoring 22 points on 7-13 from the field, including 1-1 from behind the arc.  His acrobatic drives to the basket earned him 9 foul shots (7-9) to go with a pair of rebounds, a pair of assists, and a steal, all without a single turnover.

Tyrese Proctor (32:52) had another subpar game against a power conference opponent (Arizona).  He scored only 7 points on 3-12 from the field, including a disastrous 1-6 from behind the arc without drawing a foul.  Tyrese did grab 3 boards, hand out 4 assists and make 2 steals while committing only a single turnover.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski had a heroic second half after a foul-plagued quiet first half (each described above).  Flip had 26 points on 9-20 from the field, including 1-5 from deep, plus a critical 7-8 from the foul line.  Flip had yet another double-double by grabbing 10 boards.  He handed out an assist, blocked a shot, and made 2 steals, while also committing 3 turnovers.

Jared McCain (31:39) shot poorly (1-7 from the field including 1-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-4 from the foul line for only 5 total points).  He played so many minutes because he was a great rebounder for a guard (10 boards to tie Flip for team lead). He had 2 assists and 2 steals, without a turnover.

Mark Mitchell (18:42) did not play well.  He scored 6 points on 2-8 from the field, including a frustrating 0-3 from deep.  Frustrating because Arkansas decided not to guard him on the perimeter, and Mark could not make the Razorbacks pay for that strategy.  He was 2-2 from the foul line with 3 rebounds and a turnover.

Caleb Foster (18:30) scored only 2 points (0-5 from the field, including 0-2 from 3land).  He was 50% from the stripe (2-4) with an assist and a turnover.  Not very productive for the so-called 6th starter.

T.J. Powers (13:28) came in when Duke was floundering.  The Blue Devils went to a zone defense, which was briefly effective and protected T.J. from having to defend man to man.  Powers hit his first two 3-pointers for 6 points, but did not take another shot.  He grabbed a rebound.

Ryan Young (9:18) replaced Flip when Flip committed his second foul, but then Ryan committed 3 of his own first half fouls (4 for the game) while going 1-2 from the foul line for his only point.  He did not take a shot from the field, but blocked 2 shots and grabbed a rebound.  He turned it over once.

Sean Stewart (2:44) missed 2 free throws without another statistic in his cameo.

Jaylen Blakes (2:28) had another scoreless cameo.  No statistics.

Christian Reeves (0:44) came in briefly when Ryan picked up his 3rd first half foul.  It turned out to be a short cameo when Scheyer put Flip back in.  No statistics.

Conference Play Commences as Duke’s Play Has Underwhelmed

Going into the season, with 8 returning players, 4 starters including Flip, pre-season ACC Player of the Year, and the second ranked recruiting class in the country, expectations for a championship (ACC or NCAA) were running high.  After losses to Arizona and Arkansas demonstrated real weaknesses on both sides of the ball, disappointment among fans is a growing emotion..  Neither loss will be significant in March if the Devils can regain their swagger, shooting eye, and defensive intensity.  The Championship quest (ACC regular season) begins Saturday in Atlanta Georgia against Georgia Tech.  The Yellow Jackets beat ranked Mississippi State in the ACC-SEC challenge and looked good doing it.  Road games in the ACC are tough, making this almost a crucial game.

“They call me Superman”: Flip shook off the kryptonite to nearly rescue the second half with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Photo credit: GoDuke.com

Next Play: Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. against Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the conference opener for both teams.  CW Network (in NYC that is WPIX).

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Duke Blue Devils 68 v. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 72 (Season 15; Issue 7; Game 7) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

 

Bill Millers’s CliffsNotes

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday…What a shipwreck! A Duke basketball team that can’t shoot threes or foul shots or play defense, can’t start fast, or finish a game efficiently– or keep its composure after a winning play. (That would be you, Mark Mitchell.) And yet this Duke team was in position to possibly win all three games that they just lost—especially Georgia Tech–if they had just executed one, or possibly two, of the fundamentals listed above. And to top it off, Tyrese Proctor was injured early in today’s game. How seriously, we don’t know, but after not putting any weight on his ankle leaving the court, he spent the rest of the game on the bench with an ice pack on his ankle.

Actually, you could see this outcome in your worst dream but were hoping it wouldn’t happen. Only it did. The team (and Filipowski) misses Dereck Lively II a great deal. Without him, the Blue Devils are a small team and Flip is stretched thin. He is being required to do too much and, therefore, is being less effective than if he operated as a combination power forward/finesse center.

Somehow, Coach Scheyer and his staff will figure it out and the freshmen will mature….

–or the freshman class was just overrated.

“We need a hero, but if we can’t find one I’ll just do it myself, I will ”: Ever reliable Jeremy – Duke’s leading scorer.  Photo credit: GoDuke.com

ALANALYSIS

Duke played its first ACC foe on the road as a heavy favorite.  Georgia Tech had lost to UMass Lowell at home by 3 points, and at Cincinnati, on the road, by 35 points.  Duke not only lost to Georgia Tech 72-68, but the Blue Devils were beaten more badly than the close score indicates. The Blue Devils had a disastrous shooting night and only led for 1:38 of the game (while the Yellow Jackets led for 34:40).  Duke was 4-16 from deep.  Kyle (Flip) Filipowski and Jared McCain were each 0-3; Jaylen Blakes was 0-2; and Mark Mitchell was 0-1.  Georgia Tech, like Arkansas and Arizona, did not guard Mark on the perimeter.  

From the foul line, Duke was 12-20.  Jeremy Roach’s  6-7 and Flip’s 4-6 made the statistics less disastrous than they appeared.  Without Jeremy and Flip, Duke was 2-7 (Caleb Foster 1-4, Mark Mitchell 1-3). Some were the front end of one and ones. Ryan Young, Jared McCain, T.J Power, Jaylen Blakes and Sean Stewart did not draw a free throw.

If Tyrese Proctor’s injury keeps him from playing for an extended time, this will be a real problem for the Blue Devil backcourt on both sides of the ball.

The Offense

Jeremy Roach, who played all 40 minutes of the game, led the Duke offense with 20 points (6-12 from the field, including 2-3 from 3-land, plus 6-7 from the foul line.  Jeremy was gallant, pulling down 8 rebounds while handing out 4 assists and making 2 steals. However, with Duke trailing by 2 with 18 seconds left, it was the Senior co-captain who failed to get a shot off (twice).  

Scheyer: “Jeremy kept us in it. He was really good throughout. He’s been in a lot of those games, so he’s not fazed by anything. That’s why at the end, down the stretch, it’s just him and Flip, playing a two-man game. And they made some big-time plays. He did a really good job; he did all he could. The only thing is on the last play, we’ve got to get a shot up. But besides that, he was really solid and really dependable throughout.”

Jeremy: “Yeah, I got the ball, and I had three guys running at me at one time. It was kind of difficult getting it out of that corner. But I should’ve made a better play. It’s on us at the end of the day.”

The First Half

The Blue Devils managed only 31 first-half points on 37% shooting from the floor, including 20% from behind the arc (2-10; both makes were by Jeremy, who was 2-3; Blakes was 0-2 to continue his season-long futility from deep; Flip, Jared, Caleb, J.T. Power, and Mark were 0-1).  Duke had only 4 assists on 13 baskets. Only Flip (2-4) and Jeremy (1-2) got to the free throw line (3-6 for the team).  Jeremy, who played all 20 minutes (40 minutes for the game) led the scoring with 11 points.  Flip and Caleb each scored 6 points.

Duke scored only 2 points in the first 3:34 of the game to trail by 10 points (12-2). The Blue Devils clawed back to lead by 2 with 6:58 left in the half (23-21) but could not hold it.  Duke trailed by 6 with 1:05 to go before Flip made a lay up to cut Duke’s halftime deficit to 4 (35-31).

The Second Half

The Yellow Jackets quickly moved their lead to double figures (highest was 11), and still led by 10 with 9:21 left in the game.  Duke fought back gallantly to tie the score at 62 all with 3:43 left and take the lead on Mark Mitchell’s dunk (64-62) with 2:56 to go.  Then came the defining play of the game.  With 2:41 left, Mark was fouled, but missed the front end of the one and one.  Mark heroically got the offensive rebound and dunked it.  Duke 68 v. Georgia Tech 64 with 2:22 to go. Then Mark got in the defender’s (Miles Kelly) face with a taunt!  Technical foul.  Kelly made both foul shots, followed by a jump shot to tie the score just 22 seconds after Mark’s spectacular dunk.  Flip gave Duke its last lead with a cool layup with 1:36 left.  Duke 68-66.  Tech’s freshman big man, Baye Ndongo, who had never scored more than 8 points in a game in his career (he scored 21 in this game), gathered in 2 lobs for virtually uncontested dunks (to tie the game at 68 with 1:20 to go) and (to give Georgia Tech the lead, with 40 seconds left, 70-68). 

Duke got lucky because after a Roach turnover, Duke had to foul.  The Yellow Jacket missed the front end of a one and one, giving Duke the ball with 21 seconds left, trailing by only 2.  Ndongo blocked Roach’s layup without fouling him with 5 seconds left.  Duke somehow kept the ball and called time out.  Then, Ndongo again blocked Roach’s attempt to tie the game.  Flip had to foul with 2 seconds left and Tech converted both for the game’s final score of 72-68.

The Defense

The Entire Game

The Yellow Jackets shot 56% for the second half and 51% for the game.  Georgia Tech had 19 assists on 27 field goals.  Scheyer: “For me, it was our defense. When we needed key stops, we didn’t get them. … On the ball screens, we’re not in on the ball the way we need to be. It’s all about the attention to detail. It’s not at the level it should be.”  Jeremy agreed: “We didn’t come down with some crucial stops.” 

Duke was an excellent defensive team last year with almost the same personnel (except as Bill points out without the extraordinary rim protector and shot blocker, Dereck Lively II).  With Flip now the center, Duke’s other interior players are Mark Mitchell, Ryan Young and Sean Stewart.  T.J. Power can play on the interior as well (he retrieved the key defensive rebound with 20 seconds left in the game after the missed Yellow Jacket free throw).  But, none of them have proven effective interior defenders, rim protectors or shot blockers.  

However, the porousness of Duke’s interior defense is not only on the interior defenders.  Duke’s perimeter defense has been subpar as well, allowing penetration.  After the Arkansas defensive disaster, the coach lamented the ease with which Duke’s opponent easily penetrated into the lane, putting pressure on Duke’s ability to defend the paint.  It is a problem that Scheyer must solve if Duke is not to have a disappointing season.

The Rotation

Jeremy Roach (40:00) was amazing as set forth above, leading Duke in scoring with 20 points, 8 boards and 4 assists.  He was not less than gallant, even with an uncharacteristic failure in the last 20 seconds.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (35:10) had an effective floor game even though he scored under his average (12 points on 4-9 from the field, including 0-3 from 3land, plus 4-6 from the stripe) to go with 9 boards, 4 blocked shots, 5 assists and a steal without a turnover.

Caleb Foster (35:56) was the primary point guard after Tyrese’s injury after only 1:16 had elapsed in the game.  Caleb scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor, including 1-2 from behind the arc.  He was a subpar 1-4 from the foul line.  On defense, Caleb had 2 steals and a blocked shot.  However the replacement point guard had only 1 assist and a turnover.

Mark Mitchell (27:54) did not start the game (Scheyer’s wake-up call), but scored 11 points on 5-11 from the field.  He was 0-1 from deep and 1-3 from the stripe to go with 4 boards.  But oh that taunting technical foul!

Jared McCain (20:26) did not shoot well (3-10 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc.  He did not attempt a foul shot.  3 rebounds.  0 assists, steals, or blocked shots.

T.J Power (16:16) scored 3 points on 1-2 from deep.  He garnered 2 boards (including the crucial defensive rebound with 21 seconds left in the game.  He also made a steal.  I suspect he may see more playing time moving forward.

Jaylen Blakes (8:58) is still having offensive woes, but finally scored.  He was (1-5, including 0-2 from deep, for 2 points).  He made a steal and is a defensive force.

Sean Steward (2:07) did not have a statistic in this cameo.  He is a potential force protecting the rim and rebounding, but he seems a bit lost on the court, which reduces his playing time and value.

Coaching Wisdom

 [Kara Lawson, Duke women’s basketball coach, commenting on close losses to highly ranked Stanford and South Carolina.] 

“We have shown the ability to compete in the environment. And the next thing we have to show is the ability to win in the environment. And we don’t have that yet. And we need to chase after it with reckless abandon, to try and get it. It’s elusive, It’s not something that’s easy to catch. It’s why not everybody can do it. And so that’s what we’re chasing. And hopefully we can keep chasing it.” (emphasis is mine)

Next Play: Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 2:15 pm in Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Charlotte University 49ers.  CW network (in New York that is Channel 11 WPIX).

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Duke Blue Devils 80 v. Charlotte 49ers 56 (Season 15; Issue 8; Game 8) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Jeremy sails in to squelch a 49er rally.

Photo Credit:Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Bill’s CliffsNotes

The Blue Devils benefited from some time off, some tough love coaching, an unranked opponent, and playing in Cameron. It even overcame the loss of their valuable point guard Tyrese Proctor. The critical winning numbers were 50%, 55%, 77%, and 36. The 49’ers numbers were about 20% less.

Basketball is a simple game: making stops and hitting shots. Candidly, this Duke team has not consistently been good at either. Consequently, three losses. It appears to me that these players have yet to develop complementary skills. 1). It is a small team. Mitchell does not play 6’9” and has difficulty shooting consistently. 2). Derek Lively is missed as a rim protector and as a complement to Filipowski, when Derek allowed him to play high and low.  His absence limits Flip’s scoring effectiveness. 3). The guards and small forwards have underperformed. Thank goodness for Jeremy Roach; he has been the only reliable player to consistently score from all areas of the court.  And whether he scores or not, Filipowski is indispensable.

My rule of thumb is watch a player shoot foul shots, and you can tell whether or not he is confident in his stroke.

If you recall, last year it took half the regular season for that Duke team to reach its zenith and then go on to win the ACC Championship. If Proctor can fully recover from his injury and fulfill his promise, while McCain, Foster, Blakes, and others get experience and maturity, it might become a more formidable team. Good defense leads to easier offense, so Blakes may be the key to short and long term success.

PATIENCE

Jaylen exploded with a perfect shooting game.

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

ALANALYSIS 

Coming off two consecutive road losses, and with the injured Tyrese Proctor on the bench in street clothes, , Duke returned to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the Charlotte University 49ers (who are playing their first year in the American Athletic Conference).  The 49ers were 5-3 coming into the game with losses to Liberty (71-59), UCF (74-71 in OT), and Davidson (85-81).  Not exactly an elite team.

The critical question for The Blue Devils was how its available backcourt players could replace the many minutes that Proctor usually plays, the points he scores, the smooth offense he runs, and the excellent defense he plays.  Jared McCain (21 points), Jeremy Roach (18 points), and Jaylen Blakes (15 points) – plus a defense that held Charlotte to 40% shooting (including 4-20 from deep) – answered that question emphatically in an 80-56 Blue Devil win.  Yet there were some troubling aspects to Duke’s 24-point victory. 

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski sprained his ankle before 2 minutes had elapsed in the second half, and, although he returned to the game to play a second half total of more than 14 minutes, he shockingly failed to tally a single point in the closing stanza.  About a minute later, Jeremy Roach went to the bench after committing his third foul.  Duke led by 22 points (55-33) with 16:35 left in the second half, but had to play without Tyrese, Flip, and Jeremy.  With Mitchell, Foster, Blakes, Young, and McCain on the floor, the Blue Devils still had the same 55 points 3 minutes later, when Flip and Jeremy re-entered the game.  In those 3 scoreless minutes (Young and McCain committed turnovers, Foster had his layup blocked, and McCain committed an offensive foul), the 49ers scored 11 points to cut Duke’s lead to 11 (55-44) with 14:08 left to play.  Once Flip and Jeremy returned to the game, they restored order, pushing the lead back to comfortable. 

Both T.J. Powers (more than 6 minutes without a shot) and Sean Stewart (0-1) failed to score at all, while Ryan Young scored 2 points (1-1 in almost 6 minutes).  Duke played with only 6 real contributors. Only Jaylen Blakes contributed from the Duke bench (7 first-half points; 8 second-half points).

Offense

The Blue Devils produced a superb offensive first half, scoring 45 points on 58% shooting, including 57% from behind the arc, plus 10-13 from the foul line.  McCain had 14 superb first-half points (5-7 from the field, including 2-4 from deep, plus 2-2 from the stripe).  Roach logged 8 early points (2-5, including 1-2 from deep, plus 3-3 from the foul line).  When Duke’s lead grew (the lead was as high as 25 very late in the half) Jeremy did not have to be a scoring force.  But when the lead evaporated to 11 in the second half, Jeremy took over scoring (10 second-half points) and controlled the offense. Mark had 8 second-half points, shooting 6-8 from the stripe to go with 1-2 from the field.  Jaylen scored an impeccable  8 second-half points on 3 attempts (3-3, including 2-2 from deep). Jared added 7 points (2-6 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land, plus 2-2 on free throws).  Collectively, those 4 players scored 33 of Duke’s 35 second-half points.  Caleb added 2 points on 2-3 from the foul line, but missed both of his shots from the field.

Defense

Holding any team to 56 points in a game (27 in the first half) is a good defensive result.  The 49ers managed only 40% shooting from the field.  Mike Giminski, the color announcer, as well as all-time Duke basketball great, told us that Duke had hard “old fashioned” practices after the two road losses.  Coach Scheyer said, “The main focus for us was our defense and that is what we talked about. I know our offense hasn’t been as good, but it is because we are thinking about it too much. So, I love the collective effort on the defensive end.”  The Blue Devils held the 49ers without a field goal for more than 7 minutes (14:08 to 7:04) in the closing stanza. 

Jared elevates his game! playing his best game at Duke, leading in scoring with 21 points.  Photo credit: GoDuke.com

The Rotation

Mark Mitchell (33:20) scored 12 points (2-5 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land.  Foul shots: Mark missed 4 in a row and then came back to sink 8 straight).  He added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Coach Scheyer’s praise: “Mark Mitchell had a great game. He made some passes, he got 12 free throws, he drove the ball stronger than he had all year. He is a key guy for us.” 

Jeremy Roach (32:39) played a superb floor game and was The Scorer, a role he morphs into whenever Duke needs scoring.  He notched 18 points (5-9 from the field, including 3-5 from behind the arc, plus a gaudy 5-5 from the stripe).  Roach also added 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals without a turnover.  The senior co-captain is Duke’s most reliable player.

Jared McCain (32:31) had his best game at Duke, scoring a game-high 21 points (7-13, including 3-7 from behind the arc, plus 4-4 from the stripe).  Jared added 3 rebounds and 3 assists with only a single turnover.  Coach recognized the early season difficulties that Jared has had, “He goes through probably the worst shooting stretch he has had in his life and hadn’t played as well. We lose and a lot of attention is on him. For him to come out the way he did, it just shows a lot about his character. He is tough minded.”  Duke needs him to play like this against elite competition going forward.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski had a subpar scoring game (5 points on 2-10 from the field, including 0-1 from behind the arc, plus 1-2 from the foul line).  But Flip played a valuable floor game, grabbing 13 rebounds, handing out a Duke-high 4 assists with a steal and a block.  

Caleb Foster (29:37) scored 7 points (2-4 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus 2-3 from the stripe).  Caleb added 3 boards and 3 assists with only 1 turnover.

Jaylen Blakes (21:01) had a magical game (his best of the season by a wide margin).  Jaylen had a perfect shooting game to score 15 points (5-5 from the field, including 3-3 from deep, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  WOW!!  Scheyer: “Jaylen Blakes, look, the 3-3 from three and 5-5 from the field is great, but to me it’s more about the energy and the defense that he brought. He brings the tenacity to our team that we need.” 

T.J. Power (6:26) did not attempt a shot, score a point, or achieve any other statistic.

Ryan Young (5:52) is seeing his playing time shrinking both from last year and early this season.  However, his few minutes were fruitful (2 points on 1-1 from the field, 3 rebounds, and blocked a shot).  He also committed one turnover.

Sean Stewart (5:50) continues to look a bit lost on the court.  He failed to score, missing his only shot (a put back attempt after he had grabbed his only rebound).  He made a steal, committed a turnover and a foul in his brief time on the court.  His formidable potential remains unrealized.

The Remainder of December

Duke has 3 games before the remaining ACC games begin in January.  The Blue Devils journey to Madison Square Garden to play Baylor (currently ranked 6th in the AP poll) on December 20.  Hofstra and Queens are unranked foes on either side of the Baylor game.

Jeremy impressing Duke’s new football coach with his straight-arm.

Photo credit: Ethan Hyman| Raleigh News & Observer

Next Play: Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 7 pm in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Hofstra (the Pride).  ESPN2.

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Duke Blue Devils 89 v. Hofstra Pride 68 (Season 15; Issue 9; Game 9) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

“It takes two to make it outta sight”: Jeremy and Flip have been devastating in the two man pick and roll.

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

Bill Miller’s CliffsNotes:

With four minutes left in the first half and Duke behind 37-32, Coach Jon Scheyer called a timeout. That may have been the turning point of the game and, perhaps, the season. I don’t know what Coach said to the players but from that point on, the Blue Devils were a different team defensively.  And for the first time this season, I thought that this team MIGHT be a contender. Certainly, Hofstra is a mid-major, but not just any mid-major. They are a scoring machine. Thomas and Dunbar could play with any Division I team. They are prolific multi-dimensional scorers.  Unfortunately, for them, they do not have complementary big men, which gave Filipowski the opportunity to showcase all his skills with a near triple-triple 28-12-8, which is much more impressive than the mere numbers. It has not been since Bill Walton was at UCLA that I can remember a seven-footer play center with such passing finesse! Seeing the entire floor is one thing; making the passes with precision is another.

Most every good high school player has offensive skills but not many have focused as much on their defensive skills. College is different—especially Duke. Time will tell if the lesson struck home—especially next Wednesday against Baylor.

Mark Mitchell seems to have gotten the message that he needs to play up to his height as a power forward and be more aggressive and active around the basket—for points and rebounds.  Jared McCain appears to have found his shooting touch, which is a relief.  But the real catalyst may be Jaylen Blakes , who brings a whole new energy that is infectious to the team when he is on the floor. Every good Duke team has an identity. This team needs to find theirs and hone it! Good defense leads to easier offense.

Jaylen Blakes – the energizer bunny on the defensive end.

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

ALANALYSIS

After a scoreless second half in the previous game against Charlotte, and scoring only 5 points in that entire game, Kyle (Flip) Filipowski produced one of Duke’s best ever offensive performances against the Hofstra Pride (28 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists) in Duke’s 89-68 win on Saturday.  Senior co-captain, Jeremy Roach was almost as spectacular, scoring 19 points – 13 in the second half.  Roach not only scored, but he also handed out 8 assists without a turnover.  The Blue Devils were a smooth offensive juggernaut all game, with 22 assists on their 33 field goals.

On defense, it was a tale of two halves, although the Duke defense perked up late in the first half after sleepwalking through the first 16:04 of the first half.  At that moment, Scheyer called a timeout with Duke trailing 37-32.  Giving up 37 points in 16 minutes is beyond porous defense.  During the timeout, Seth Greenberg, ESPN’s studio analyst, opined that the Blue Devils were lackadaisical and were without intensity and desire on defense.  As Bill points out, we do not know what Scheyer’s message was at the timeout, but we do know his team got the message.  The Pride scored only 2 points in the last 4 minutes as Duke rolled to a 44-39 halftime lead. 

 Hofstra scored only 29 second half points.

The Offense

Duke’s offense was simply beautiful to behold.  The ball moved with energy.  The passing was crisp, and the team was unselfish. The Blue Devils shot 62% in the first half and 55% for the game.  Duke was 11-22 from behind the arc for the game and made 12 of its 14 free throws (86%).  In the second half, Duke was 7-14 from behind the arc, which is why the Blue Devils scored more points in the second half (49) than in the first half (48) even though their shooting percentage was lower.  Critically, Duke’s 22 assists (8 for Flip and 8 for Jeremy) overshadowed only 10 turnovers (7 by Flip and 3 by Caleb Foster).  Jared McCain was 3-4 from behind the arc as part of his 13 point, 4 rebound effort.  Mark Mitchell grabbed 5 offensive rebounds and was 4-5 from the foul line on his way to a 14 point game, with 2 assists, and a steal without a turnover. Caleb scored 9 points on 4-6 shooting, including 1-2 from 3land.

It was simply dazzling.  Scheyer, “I thought we had great discipline starting with controlling the ball. … I love what our vets did. The guard play with Caleb [Foster], Jared [McCain], Jaylen [Blakes] is a team effort.”

The Defense

Once Scheyer’s message was received, during the timeout in the first half, The Blue Devil defense was as efficient as the offense.  In the last 24 minutes of the game, Duke allowed the Pride just 31 points. Duke forced 14 turnovers and gave up only 2 offensive rebounds, both rebounds were in the lackadaisical part of the first half.  The Pride did not garner a single offensive rebound in the last 24 minutes of the game.  

Duke’s defense wasn’t perfect, but it was effective.  Coach Scheyer, “We switched a little bit how we played defense, they spread you so much that we end up switching a lot. I thought we moved our feet well, limited their threes, and to hold a team like Hofstra, who averages 80 a game, to 29 points in the second half, thought that it was really good.”   Scheyer acknowledged Duke’s effort on the defensive glass, “Rebounding is all about grit. It is all about fight. It is all about doing it together. Even if you’re blocking out a bigger guy, we have talked about how you do not even have to get the rebound, just block out and then your teammates are going to have your back. … I thought there may be three or four of those tonight where the guy that started the block out did not get the ball and somebody else did because he [who successfully blocked out] put his body on the line. That is a big thing.” 

Flip’s best scoring game (28 points; 12 rebounds) in college!

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

The Rotation

Jeremy Roach (37:22) scored 19 points (7-11 from the field, including 3-5 from deep, plus 2-2 from the free throw line) to go with an astounding 8 assists without a turnover, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Scheyer, “I thought Jeremy was in great control of the game. His stats were great with 19 points and eight assists, but for me it was just his command, his poise, and the way he looked throughout: never rattled. He has really stepped-up big time for us!”

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (35:38) had perhaps his best game ever at Duke! Flip scored 28 points (10-16 from the field, including 4-7 from deep plus 4-5 from the stripe).  Flip added 12 rebounds and 8 assists for yet another double-double, missing a triple double by only 2 assists.  He added a steal and 3 blocked shots to his gaudy stat line (marred only by his 7 turnovers). Scheyer had praise, “Flip [was] two assists away from a triple-double. He is just a force, and they had to double, when they didn’t, he really attacked the basket hard.”  What an impressive scoring bounce back!

Jared McCain (32:52) scored an efficient 13 points on only 8 shots (5-8 from the field, including 3-4 from deep) to go with 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Two good games in a row for Jared after struggles in the previous games.

Caleb Foster (27:55) had a solid outing on both ends of the court.  He scored 9 points (4-6 from the field, including 1-2 from behind the arc) to go with 4 rebounds and an assist (against his 3 turnovers).

Mark Mitchell (25:40) scored 14 points, but he took 16 shots to do it (5-16 from the field including 0-3 from deep, plus 4-5 from the foul line). Mark grabbed 6 boards, while handing out a pair of assists without a turnover.  He played excellent defense and produced a steal.  Scheyer, “Mark did not finish as much, but Mark had some great moments. He is close, I’m telling you, Mark is so close to having just some big-time games, and he’s right there.”

Jaylen Blakes (25:28) was a demon defender, who scored 4 points (2-3 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land).  Jaylen garnered a rebound while handing out 2 assists without a turnover.

T.J. Power (9:05) scored 2 points, sinking his only 2 free throws.  T.J. had a rebound and an assist without taking a shot from the floor.

Sean Stewart (2:38) did not impress (again), committing 2 fouls in his cameo without recording any other statistic.

Ryan Young (1:44) had his shortest outing of the year; no illness or injury was reported.  He did not have a statistic.

Playing Baylor in Madison Square Garden

Baylor is undefeated and ranked 6^th in both polls.  Madison Square Garden on National television is the spotlight with its big time pressure!  Duke has not had impressive games against Power 5 conference teams, such as Arizona, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech (3 losses).  The win against Michigan State doesn’t look as impressive now because of recent losses.  This game will be an illuminating test of this season’s Blue Devil team. They will have to learn, as Coach Kara Lawson says, to Handle Hard Better!

Next Play: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 7 pm vs. Baylor at Madison Square Garden.  ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 78 v. Baylor Bears 70 (Season 15; Issue 10; Game 10) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game # 10 (December 20, 2023)

The Captain comes through in the clutch with an epic steal 

Photo Credit: Ethan Hyman | The News & Observer

Bill Miller’s CliffNotes:

This was more like it. This was Duke Basketball: a strong start… tough defense for forty minutes …survive a tough opponent’s inevitable run(s)…everyone rebound…share the ball…hit 80% of free throws…a strong finish to close the game and secure the win. Coach Scheyer said that if this were a tournament game, Tyrese Proctor would have played. Duke did not miss Tyrese because McCain and Foster were terrific, which bodes well for the future. Duke cannot win without Filipowski and maybe Roach, who is playing the most efficiently of anyone. And no one was more crucial than Ryan Young, who replaced Filipowski late in the second half when Flip committed his fourth foul. It was an important game for the coaches, because it proved that they could rally the team after disappointing losses to Arizona, Tennessee, and (OMG) Georgia Tech. Fortunately, Duke looks at Madison Square Garden as a home away from home. They have won 70% of their games played there.

Coach Scheyer (who is proving to be an exceptional choice to succeed THE LEGEND) summed it up best: “What an honor to play in Madison Square Garden. This has been a special place for us, especially to play right before Christmas. This kind of game, it’s going to be hard to do it going forward, depending on the ACC schedule, but just seeing the crowd show up, and all the Duke fans in New York, what a special thing. For these guys, I know they love playing in it. It’s great coaching. 

“To play a team like Baylor, to get tested by a team who really had, coming in, a top-five offense in the country, best three-point shooting team, top-five offensive rebounding team, and a great culture. They’ve been a winning program. So, it’s an honor for us to play them. 

“I want to talk about [Jeremy Roach and Jared McCain] really quickly. College basketball can be so up and down. And I think Jared heard it early on, just the reaction that people can have of Duke losing. And for us to be in some big-time games right away, and we didn’t play our best in a couple of those. We didn’t finish in two of them. We have two wins right there and we didn’t finish. But we went through some stuff together. Those games, I think, brought more to the light. I give these guys credit for just putting their heads down and working. I thought we were incredibly tough tonight. I’m not saying Baylor wasn’t. I thought we were more mentally tough down the stretch, which is what this program has been about. I thought our defense throughout was pretty good. I mean, they’re an explosive offensive team. They’re going to score some points. And for Jared and for Caleb [Foster], as freshmen and in this environment, and have the games that they did. Jared, on offense, he’s got 21 and seven of 11 from the field, very efficient. But also on defense, he’s playing his butt off. Caleb, I thought, ran our team great. On defense, the same thing. I told the team in the locker room – Jeremy’s presence over our team, just what he’s done over the last few weeks, it can be a make or break point in a season, and Jeremy’s saying, ‘It’s not going down this way.’ And the whole team has responded together. And I have to mention Ryan Young. with what he did there. It’s an interesting time, [Flip] gets four fouls, and I’m usually pretty aggressive with keeping guys in with fouls. But you have a guy in Ryan who has been in these moments before, and he had the best sequence of the game. The finish, which I was told he got his 1,000th point off Jeremy’s pass to him for the finish. The pass to Jared then for the three. And then the rebound and he makes two free throws. That’s a big-time sequence. It really extended that lead and put us in a great position to win. I’m really proud of this game, proud of just the mental toughness that we’ve shown.”

Other comments:

Yves Missi is a gifted athlete successfully transitioning from soccer to basketball. While, at times, he appeared to be transitioning from rugby, he certainly presented a defensive antidote for Filipowski’s offense as the referees – shall we say – “let them play”. Fortunately, Flip has a variety of other skills which make him so valuable. 

We had the benefit of hearing Jay Bilas on the broadcast. His analysis is second to none on college basketball partly because being an assistant coach is part of his valuable experience.  Coach K hired him while Jay was attending Duke Law School (and thereafter). Jay really does his homework, dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of each team and player.  

He defends, he attacks! Jared McCain deployed his many skills for the Blue Devils last night.

Photo Credit: AP/Adam Hunger

Photo Credit: Ethan Hyman

ALANALYSIS 

Pre-Game, I wrote:

The game against Baylor is crucial for Duke as a test whether the two excellent games against lesser opponents – Charlotte and Hofstra – were about lesser opponents or Duke’s growth toward being a national contender.  Baylor was 9-0, ranked 6^th nationally.  But last Saturday, Michigan State, thoroughly whipped by the Blue Devils previously, just ran Baylor out of the gym.  The Spartans led by 30 in the first half.  I believe this will make a humiliated Baylor team highly motivated and intense against Duke.  The test is therefore even more challenging.

The Challenge Was Met!

With sophomore co-captain point guard Tyrese Proctor still unable to play as a result of the ankle he sprained on December 2 against Georgia Tech, the 3-man Duke backcourt – Senior Jeremy Roach, together with freshmen Jared McCain and Caleb Foster – played superbly on both ends of the floor.  The Blue Devil backcourt played exceptional defense against a team that has averaged scoring 87 points per game on 51% shooting.  Baylor had only 10 assists against 14 turnovers that Duke forced.  The perimeter was led by Roach, whose leadership was, in my opinion, even more instrumental than usual for the win.  The senior co-captain scored 18 points on only 9 shot attempts (5-9, including 1-2 from 3land).  Roach drew 4 fouls with his acrobatic drives and then shot a game winning 7-8 from the foul line!  Foster ran the team from the point with aplomb while scoring 12 points on some dramatic drives of his own and 4-4 from the stripe.  McCain scored an efficient (team high) 21 points on 11 shots, including making 75% of Duke’s 3s (3-6), and was also perfect from the stripe (4-4).   These three Duke guards shredded the Baylor perimeter defense with their drives!

Baylor is a fierce rebounding and shot-blocking team, led by freshman sensation Yves Missi (11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocked shots).  It was up to Kyle (Flip) Filipowski – and, to a lesser extent, Mark Mitchell and Ryan Young – to defend Duke’s backboard and to add some offense.  Flip dominated the game with defense, rebounding and passing in the early going, but then Missi came to life and dominated.  Flip only scored 4 first-half points but came alive offensively when Duke needed him down the stretch.  After a quiet 2 minutes of playing time in the first half, Ryan Young provided a starring 6 second-half minutes late in the second half when Flip picked up his 4^th foul. The score was tied at 59 before Duke opened up the winning margin in the wake of Ryan’s inspired play with Flip on the bench.

Finally, Duke closed out the game in true Duke fashion, holding Baylor to just 2 points at winning time.  With 7:02 remaining in the game, Ryan replaced Flip with the score knotted at 59.  Baylor did not score its 62^nd point until there was only 3:28 left.  Duke led 70-62 by then, when Flip returned to the game.  All Ryan did in those almost 4 minutes was: to score on a layup on a great pass from Roach, grab a defensive rebound and feed McCain for a 3-pointer, grab a second rebound, and make both free throws when he was fouled.  He was out for 24 seconds before returning to the game and making a steal.  In short, Duke met every single difficult challenge for the Blue Devils’ best game of the year!

The Rotation:

Jeremy Roach (39:45) did not come out of the game until there was only 15 seconds left and Duke had an insurmountable lead.  The senior co-captain is having a simply terrific season!  He provides leadership on both ends of the court while also scoring and defending.  Jeremy scored an efficient 18 points (5-9 from the field, including 1-2 from behind the arc).  His drives to the basket were acrobatic and drew 4 fouls from Baylor, allowing him 8 free throws (he made 7).  Jeremy also contributed 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal (1 turnover). Jeremy’s post game comments: “we just wanted to kind of prove to ourselves that we can do it. Obviously, we had three tough losses early in the season and I felt like I didn’t kind of set the tone. I wasn’t leading the right way. I wasn’t doing what I needed to do. Just forget the offense. Forget everything. Just me leading and my presence there, like Coach said, has been a big thing. And I think that’s why we took the lead, extended the lead in the second half.”  He has been a joy to watch.

Mark Mitchell (37:05) is still in a shooting slump from deep (0-2 from behind the arc) but is valuable on defense and rebounding, as well as some inside scoring.  Mark had 10 points on 3-6 from the field (3-4 from inside the arc), plus 4-6 from the foul line.  He also contributed 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.  He still has a way to go to reach his potential though.  The Coach demonstrated Mark’s value by playing him for over 37 minutes.

Jared McCain (36:19) played a superb game, scoring 21 points (7-11 from the field including 3-4 from 3land, plus 4-4 from the free throw line).  Jared also contributed 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal, with only a single turnover.  He is both a shooter and a driver, as well as a competent defender.  Jared is beginning to show why he was rated so highly before choosing to play at Duke. And he is so freshman-excited: “There’s really no words to describe it. I mean, I’m in New York, at Christmas time. Going to see the Rockefeller tree tomorrow. I’m excited. This is just a surreal moment. I visualize a lot of stuff and I visualized coming into the locker room celebrating. And it happened. There’s no words to describe it. It was amazing.” 

Caleb Foster (33:20) played the point in Proctor’s absence and did a creditable job.  He scored 12 points (4-9 from the field without a 3-point attempt, but a valuable 4-4 from the foul line).  He’s 6’4” and an excellent defender.  His drives through the Baylor defense were a huge plus for the Blue Devils.  Two assists and two turnovers.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski is always a key player for Duke regardless of his scoring.  Flip garnered 10 rebounds, handed out 4 scintillating assists, and made 3 steals, all while scoring 13 points (9 in the second half when Duke really needed his scoring).  Yet another double double! Flip was an inefficient 4-14 (0-2 from behind the arc, plus 3-5 from the foul line).  He is Duke’s only true rim protector and rebounder.  Missi gave him trouble, but Flip never backs down.

Jaylen Blakes (10:36) was not the contributor that he has recently been.  I believe this resulted more from how well the 3 starters were playing than from anything particularly negative about Jaylen’s performance.  However, he did not score (0-1 from the field) or record any positive stat (1 turnover).

Ryan Young (8:41) had his first star turn of the year with 6 scintillating second-half minutes, scoring 4 points (1-1 from the field plus 2-2 from the stripe).  He also grabbed 2 key rebounds to go with an assist, and a steal without a turnover.  This was the type of value Ryan provided last year and needs to provide this year.

T.J. Power (2:55) had a first half cameo without any statistic.

Summing Up

Bill has it exactly right.  This (finally) was Duke basketball against an elite team.  The game brought back to Scheyer memories of his national championship playing days and beating Baylor in the 2010 NCAA tournament: “That game was probably the most important game of my playing career. Because we went through three-and-a-half really tough, successful years and it comes down to a moment. And you either were going to a Final Four and putting us in position to win a national championship or you’re not. They had a terrific team. But that was really the moment for me and my teammates. And I felt that was the same thing for our team tonight. So, pregame, we talked about it being a moment. It’s pretty crazy, the sequence of the game – it was 61-60 in that game. Same thing in this game. The final was 78-71 in 2010 and 78-70 tonight.”

After a December 30 game against Queens, Duke begins conference play.  Already 0-1 (loss to Georgia Tech), the real season starts.  Tyrese’s return is expected and Duke, for all the early season struggles, is still the favorite to win the regular season title.  The Baylor game was just what the Blue Devils needed to ignite this team’s confidence going forward.

Next Play: On Saturday, December 30, 2023, at 2 p.m. vs. Queens University at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  The CW (in New York, channel 11.)

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Duke Blue Devils 106 v. Queens Royals 69 (Season 15; Issue 11; Game 11) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Bill Miller’s CliffsNotes:

The Duke Blue Devils took care of business in Cameron as expected against the fledgling Division I Queen’s College, with Duke freshman Jared McCain demonstrating the offensive maturity and touch that made him so highly rated in high school. Also, Tyrese Proctor, seemingly recovered from his ankle injury, played major minutes in a supporting role. Keeping Queens from shooting from behind the arc,  was a major focus of the Blue Devils’ defense in Coach Scheyer’s preparation.  The defense  created 19 turnovers, while keeping the Queens’ team from scoring a high percentage of threes. However, disturbingly, the defense was also susceptible to opening too many driving lanes to the basket.

This Duke team will go as far as their guards, a high percentage of free throws, their defense, and the uniquely talented Filipowski can take it. Unfortunately, Flip does not have a teammate (as he did last season with D-Live) to help him defend the paint and, consequently, has developed a habit of getting two early fouls, spending major minutes on the bench, or fouling out. It will be interesting, and imperative, for the coaching staff to develop some more big backups. Where in the world is 7’1” Christian Reeves? Are Sean Stewart and, T.J. Power, “projects” or just benchwarmers?  The answer to these questions may determine whether this team is a Contender or a Pretender.

ALANALYSIS

The ACC Season Begins in Earnest 

The development phase of the season comes to an end (but not the team’s development) with Duke’s manhandling of the  Queens Royals 106 v. 69 in the last game of 2023. Duke’s first stated goal for the season is winning the ACC regular season. The race for regular season ACC champion will also inform tournament seedings and the ability to compete for post-season championships.  The Blue Devils encountered early season ACC failure, losing to Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the ACC opener on December 2.  The conference part of the schedule begins in earnest on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

The ACC has had a disappointing 2023, which will make it more difficult for Duke to get Quad 1 wins to enhance its post-season prospects.  The ACC has only 3 ranked teams in the polls.  In the Coach’s poll, UNC is ranked 11^th, Duke 15^th and Clemson 17^th.  Virginia received enough votes to be 27^th and Miami got 3 votes to tie with 3 other teams at what would be 37^th.  In the AP poll, UNC is 9^th, Duke is 16^th and Clemson is #18. Virginia and Miami got votes that would have put them at 28^th and 30^th respectively.  Duke has a single Quad One win (Baylor), and a win over Michigan State which might turn into a Quad One win because the Spartans have started to win big games after a slow start. 

The NCAA ranks teams – good teams are in the first quadrant or ‘Quad One’. A high seed in the postseason comes from beating teams in Quad One.  A team gets even more credit for wins on the road  So a Quad One road win is extremely valuable. (The ACC might still have only one Quad One team (UNC) when evaluations for seeding are actually made..  Duke needs Quad One wins for good seeding in the postseason tournaments.  ACC’s early losses make fewer opportunities for Duke to get Quad One wins.

Duke will play 8 January games in the ACC –   4 on the road (Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Virginia Tech), and 4 at home (Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Clemson, and a rematch with Georgia Tech).  The Blue Devils must beat Georgia Tech this time.  Any loss in the ACC will hurt the Blue Devils for post-season seeding.

The Beat Down of Queens Was Mostly Good News

What was not good news is that, after Queens had fallen behind by 15 points after only 4:55 had elapsed in the game, the Royals outscored Duke 29-27 in the final 15:05 of the first half.  The Blue Devils still led by the same 15 points with 14:31 left in the second half.  Then the offense exploded!  Duke scored 60 second-half points while pulling away to a 42 point lead with only 1:46 left in the game (106-64). Duke shot 62% in the closing stanza, including 5-12 from behind the arc, plus 13-16 from the foul line.  Duke shot 58% for the game.  What an offensive display!

The announcers kept repeating that even though Clemson had beaten Queens by 30 points, the Royals had outscored Clemson in the second half. Thus, they were predicting Queens would be tough in the closing stanza.  Instead of the announcers’ prediction that Queens would play well in the second half, Duke outscored the Royals by 24 points (60-36).

Jared McCain had a simply fabulous start, scoring 17 points in the game’s first 15+ minutes.  In 16:14 first-half minutes, Jared was 7-10 from the field, including 3-6 from deep.  His defense was also excellent with 3 defensive rebounds (plus an offensive one) to go with 2 first-half steals.  For the game, McCain led Duke in scoring, with a career high 24 points.  It was a bravura performance!

Tyrese Proctor made his first appearance on the court since he sprained his ankle on December 2, logging almost 18 minutes and looking good on offense.  However, Tyrese did not look ready to defend on the perimeter yet.  Deyton Albury, who scored 23 points for Queens, blew by Tyrese on every drive against him.  Tyrese has been an effective defender, but some things take time to re-establish.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski again had foul trouble — picking up his second foul late in the first half, but worse committing  fouls # 3 and 4 before 5 minutes had elapsed in the second half! Even with his playing time limited by his fouling, Flip scored 19 points in the game – a remarkable 12 points in only 8 second-half minutes!  He was Duke’s second highest scorer.

Caleb Foster (13 points) and Mark Mitchell (10 points) also scored double figures for Duke.

“Not throwin’ away my shot”: Duke is relying more and more on Jared’s excellent shooting.

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

The Rotation

Caleb Foster (27:26) logged the most minutes for Duke and shared the point guard duties with Tyrese.  He scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.  For the game, Caleb was 5-13 from the field (including a disappointing 1-6 from behind the arc) plus 2-2 from the foul line.  He had 3 boards (2 offense, one of which was a spectacular tip in) to go with 3 assists. But, he also committed  2 turnovers.

Jared McCain (26:24) had (once again) his best game since arriving at Duke.  His efficient 24 points came from just 14 shots (9-14 from the field, including 4-9 from 3land), plus 2-2 from the stripe.  He also handed out 3 assists (with only 1 turnover) and played terrific defense, making 3 steals!  Jared is a good rebounder for a smallish guard; he grabbed 4 boards.  Scheyer: “Jared has just played with a confidence level and a swagger on the offensive end and defensive end. He has played both sides of the ball, so his confidence that he came out with was important for our team. It’s a huge reason why we got the lead.” 

Jeremy Roach (26:24) scores big only when Duke needs his scoring, which it didn’t in this game.  Jeremy scored 6 points (3-7 from the field, including 0-3 from deep, without getting to the foul line).  Jeremy handed out 4 assists without a turnover and added a steal and blocked shot, all while playing excellent defense.

Mark Mitchell (23:42) played well, scoring 10 points on 5 shots (3-5 from the field, including 0-1 from deep — still slumping from behind the arc–  and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line.)  Mark led Duke in rebounding with 8, handed out 2 assists without a turnover while playing effective defense and making a pair of steals.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (21:59) Flip scored his 19 efficient points (8-10 from the field, including 1-2 from deep, plus 2-3 from the stripe) in just 22 minutes of play.  Flip also blocked 5 Queens shots (a career high in blocks), handed out 2 assists, made 2 steals without a turnover, while grabbing 4 defensive boards.  His penchant for being in foul trouble is a concern.

Tyrese Proctor (17:54) made his return to the lineup after missing 28 days with a high ankle sprain.  His return buoyed every Duke player, and fan.  Tyrese scored 9 points (3-4 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, but with a disappointing 2-5 from the foul line).  He had 4 assists against 2 early turnovers.  Welcome back!

Jaylen Blakes (14:45) had some good moments on both ends of the floor.  Jaylen scored 6 points (3-5 from the field, including 0-1 from deep, plus 0-1 from the foul line) to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists, without a turnover.

T.J. Power (13:35) scored 6 points on 2-2 shooting from deep.  He also grabbed a rebound and handed out an assist.  His 2 defensive steals were quite impressive.

Ryan Young (12:08) had a terrific game.  He scored 8 points (2-3 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line).  Ryan grabbed 4 boards, blocked a shot, handed out 2 assists, and made a steal.  

Sean Steward (10:12) was Duke’s second leading rebounder with 5, although 2 came when he missed at the rim and grabbed the rebound – and then missed again.   Sean scored 5 points (2-5 from the field, plus 1-2 from the stripe).  Sean also blocked 2 shots. 

Next Play: Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 9 p.m. vs. Syracuse in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  TV: CW (In New York, Channel 11)

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Duke Blue Devils 86 v. Syracuse 66 (Season 15; Issue 12; Game 12) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Bill Miller’s CliffsNotes: 

Either the first half of this game should have been hosted by Rod Serling or  Duke was suffering from bi-polar disorder. 

1st half: scoreless Flip, benched with fouls. versus 

2nd half: 20 minutes played, 12 points on perfect shooting (5 for 5)

Photo credits: GoDuke.com (1st half) & Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports (2nd half)

These Duke players are capable of playing like an ACC bottom feeder or a real contender—all in the same game.  For my own sanity, I wish they would make up their minds. The only good thing about the first half is that Mark Mitchell played like a really good 6’ 9” power forward, scoring an aggressive 18 points. (Maybe his father should have posted his social media opinion of how poorly Mark has been handled by the coaching staff at the beginning of the season — if at all — rather than this week…however, better late than never.)

I don’t know what Coach Scheyer said at halftime, but he may have channeled one of Coach K’s more scathing assessments of his team’s performance. Or did  McCain get a J.J. blood transfusion? It’s all history now.  Jared started hitting threes like Redick did back in the day; Filipowski started playing the low post like an All American should; while Proctor played like he had never been injured. Whatever the motivation, the Blue Devils went on several patented Duke runs to put the game out of reach and finish the Orange off like a good team should. 

OTHER COMMENTS:

• • Coach Scheyer went deep into his bench late in the second half, proving that the backups  are not yet ready for prime time.

• • It is a mystery to me how a player like Mitchell can be so accurate from the free throw line (mid-eighties) and so inaccurate (one for the season) from behind the three-point arc.

• • Duke great point guard and Player of the Year Jason Williams was the co-announcer, showing that he is not a “one trick pony.” Ex-Duke players are populating not only the coaching ranks but also the media in impressive numbers.

“All you need to do is call”: The reliable Jeremy Roach answered his team’s need with 17 points

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

ALANALYSIS

Duke’s second half is worth analyzing.  Jeremy Roach (12 second-half points) and Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (12 second-half points) each played the full 20 minutes, while Jared McCain (14 second-half points) played 18:39.  Tyrese Procter scored 10 second-half points in 12:50.. Those four players – Roach, Flip, Jared, and Tyrese – accounted for 48 of Duke’s 51 second-half points! Mark Mitchell played 14 minutes, after scoring more than half of Duke’s first-half points, and scored the remaining 3 second-half points. The only other Blue Devils who saw the court were Jaylen Blakes (6:03 of valuable defensive minutes without scoring), Caleb Foster (7:10), and T.J. Power (1:21)

What an offensive half!  The Duke transition game was off the charts, and McCain took full advantage. “Once we get that outlet, I’m running. I know Tyrese and Jeremy are looking, Kyle, everybody’s looking, I’m just running up the court, and if they play off, I’m definitely shooting it. The coaches told me, ‘Take those.’ Those are shots that I make. I work on those all the time, and I just trust my work. Being able to have Coach let me shoot those, it’s amazing for me as a freshman. Those are probably my favorite shots in basketball, especially when they call timeout after.”  

“Once we get that outlet, I’m running…. my favorite shots in basketball, especially when they call timeout after”

Photo credit: GoDuke.com

Scheyer was thoughtful, “that’s a Duke shot: that transition, wing threes. Those are the threes I grew up watching J.J. Redick take. Trajan Langdon used to take them. I tried to take them, hopefully I hit a couple.”  Against Syracuse, Scheyer got to watch Jared “hit a couple”.

Duke had 12 assists on 18 field goals (75% from the field, including a stunning 8-8 from behind the arc!).  After a first half 0-9 from deep, and a host of blown layups, I wrote myself a note, “the law of averages will take care of this.”  Post-game, I texted Bill, “I love the law of averages.” 

What was the magic Scheyer message at half time? Jared told us, “The message at halftime was we needed to be better defensively. That was huge for us. [Syracuse was] getting easy buckets, easy layups, and we needed to be in the gaps and make sure Judah [Mintz] and J.J. [Starling] weren’t driving in a line straight to the basket. Our defense turned to offense quickly.” 

Duke’s defense was also superb.  After committing 10 first-half fouls, the Blue Devils committed only 3 in the closing stanza.  After having been out rebounded in the first half, Duke won the rebounding battle by 7 in the closing stanza.   Jaylen was special on defense.  Scheyer: “when we played four guards, Jaylen was our 6’1” four-man there for a second and was just making every right play again. Getting every loose ball, every right play.”

The freshmen were disappointing in the first half (3-16 from the field, including 0-5 from 3land).  Let us suppress the heartburn of recalling the opening half in favor of the comfortable delight that came from remembering the second half.  When the Blue Devils play as they did in the second half, they are a team contending for championships!

A healed Proctor regains his point guard position and driving license… will he shoot or dish?

Photo Credit: GoDuke.com

The Rotation:

Jeremy Roach (32:16) scored 17 (7-11 from the field, including 2-2 from behind the arc, plus 1-1 from the stripe) to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals (but 3 first-half turnovers).  The senior co-captain is Mr. Reliable.

Jared McCain (30:43) scored 18 points (6-13 from the field, including 4-6 from 3land, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  He scored only four of his points in the first half.  His second half 4-4 from deep broke Syracuse’s heart and will.

Mark Mitchell (30:27) played his best game – certainly his best half (the first) – of the season.  Even though he missed his only two 3-point attempts, he scored 21 points on 7-8 shooting inside the arc, plus 7-9 from the foul line.  He was aggressive on his drives (thus, getting to the foul line), and his rebounding! (he grabbed 6), and his passing (3 assists without a turnover) and his defense (2 blocked shots).  Coach, “Mark has really stayed the course, and he’s had to adjust people guarding him differently on offense. Really, the best thing he does, Mark Mitchell is a winner. That dude is a winner, competitor, connector, and I thought he was himself tonight.”

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (27:26) played only 7 first-half minutes without scoring because he picked up his second foul with only half of the first half having elapsed.  But what a second half Flip had, playing every minute, scoring 12 points on a perfect 5-5 (some jaw dropping post moves), plus 2-2 from the stripe.  He garnered 7 boards, handed out 3 assists, had a blocked shot and a steal.  Coach: “He didn’t even score in the first half, and he’s done an incredible job. A lot of guys in his position would chase numbers and chase scoring, and he’s just taking what’s there. His passing, to have a 7-footer that can post, shoot threes, pass, and score, I think he’s one of one. I don’t think there’s anybody like him in the country from that regard.” 

Tyrese Proctor (26:54) With his ankle apparently healed, Tyrese returned to defensive form and continued to star on offense.  Tyrese scored 14 points (10 in the amazing second half) on 5-7 from the field, including 2-4 from deep, plus 2-2 from the stripe.  He added 4 assists and a steal, taking back control of the point guard position in the second half.  Scheyer: “Tyrese, he’s efficient. He has 14 points, but he only takes seven shots. He has four assists. I thought he did a great job just jumping in and playing to win and playing together.”

Caleb Foster (20:50) ran the team well when Tyrese was on the bench, but has not been shooting well or scoring.  He scored only 2 points (a disappointing 1-5, including 0-1 from deep). But he is a good ball handler (2 assists) and defender (2 steals).

Jaylen Blakes (14:31) drew Scheyer’s post-game praise, “Every young player should watch him. He takes one shot, has three steals, and he was in for two of the critical moments in the first half just to keep us steady.”  Jaylen may have only scored 2 points (2-2 from the stripe; 0-1 from the field), but he  played a valuable floor game – 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and a blocked shot.

T.J. Power (8:45) missed all 3 of his shots (2 from deep), failing to score.  He did grab 3 boards and made a great block.

Ryan Young (4:26) failed to score (0-1 from the field) but did grab a rebound and handed out an assist in his brief cameo, (made brief by his 3 first-half fouls!)

Sean Stewart (3:42) also failed to score or garner a rebound.  He made a steal but committed 2 fouls in his short first-half-only stint.

Mark’s sensational first half brought home more than half of Duke’s 35 points

Photo Credit:ESPN.com

Next Play: Saturday, January 6, 2024, against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana at 6pm. ACCN

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“Those cats were fast as lighting”: Jeremy Roach snags an acrobatic rebound.

Photo Credit: Matt Cashore-USATODAYSports

Bill Miller’s CliffsNotes:

Good Golly, Miss Molly, can’t somebody beside Mark and Jeremy score the ball?

Don’t hold your breath for the NBA to call!

Raise your hand if you think Duke will win many away games shooting 36% from the floor, 31% from the three-point line, 11 turnovers, and Filipowski, McCain, Procter, and Foster collectively basically scoring a convenience store (7/11).

Fortunately, Mitchell and Roach did not miss a lot – especially foul shots – and Mark hit one more 3-pointer (2) than he had all season (1). If the young guys keep playing this way… forget the NBA draft, they better locate Siberia on the world map.

Fortunately, Notre Dame was worse, but they weren’t expected to be any good this year. They play hard, but not very well.  Maybe the solution for Duke is for Mark Mitchell’s father to make another post on social media that the coaches are not handling Filipowski, McCain, or Foster the right way. It seems to have worked for his son.

On the other hand, Jeremy Roach is a good example of what playing four years can do for your game. He is the MAB (Man Among Boys) of this group. BTW, a long time (not old) friend of mine points out that Jeremy has another year of eligibility remaining at Duke (if he chooses) thanks to Covid.

One skill this team has improved upon is free throw shooting. Jeremy Roach sealed the win by hitting nothing but net on all his free throws down the stretch. That is one important piece of the puzzle.

Enough negativity. Let’s talk about the football team’s bowl performance. Two days after Coach Elko told the players he wasn’t going anywhere, he left for Texas A&$. Every player who had entered the transfer portal participated including Interim Coach Trooper Taylor, who is joining Coach Elko at Texas A&$. Using a third string freshman quarterback, an underdog Blue Devil team won 17-10 in a spirited victory-quite a show of loyalty in this day and age of transfers and sitting out Bowl Games to protect from possible injuries prior to the NFL draft!

Mark has been on fire for two games.  Rumor has it that Mark’s dad is taking credit because of his social media post.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Michael Caterina

ALANALYSIS 

Mark Mitchell’s scintillating second half (19 of Duke’s 38 second-half points) together with Jeremy Roach’s 18 point game (10 first-half points and a cool 8-8 from the foul line at crunch time in the second half) were largely responsible for the Blue Devils’ first road victory of the season, after two disappointing early season road losses (one doubling as a conference loss).  Proctor again did not start, He came off the bench and played half the game, but failed to score a point. Foster started in his stead(as he has since Tyrese’s ankle sprain).

From the opening tip, the Fighting Irish lived up to their nickname, completely dominating Duke’s defense in the early going.  It was as if the Blue Devils believed the pre-season hype (Duke was picked first in the ACC and Notre Dame last). Duke gave up 19 points in the first 7:34 of the game, while scoring only 15 points in the first 15:15 of the game.  The Blue Devils trailed 24-15 with 6:46 to go in the first half… when both the Duke offense and defense finally awoke!  

Duke then outscored the Fighting Irish 14-3 in those last minutes of the first half to take a 29-27 lead into the half time break. In that stretch: Roach hit a 3-pointer, Mitchell scored 2 of his 4 first-half points (all 4 from the foul line), Young made a layup on an assist from Jeremy, Roach stole the ball for a layup, McCain made a driving layup and the foul shot for a three point play the old fashioned way, and Mark made 2 more free throws to close out the Duke comeback!  Scheyer: “The way we closed the first half, I think it was 14-3, that’s huge if you can end a half that way when you don’t play your best.”

Duke obviously did not play its best in the first half, with 9 first-half turnovers and only 3 assists, while shooting 31% from the field (including 3-14 from behind the arc).  Proctor failed to score; Flip scored only 2 first-half points (0-5 from the field, including 0-2 from behind the arc plus 2-4 from the stripe).  McCain was 0-4 from deep.  On the plus side, the Blue Devils’ defense came alive after the opening 7:34 and held Notre Dame to 8 points in the last 12:24 of the half, including 0 points in a 5:07 stretch.

The Second Half Success

Duke never lost the lead, which fluctuated between 8 points and 2 points in the closing stanza. After 9 first-half turnovers, the Blue Devils committed only 2 in the second half. Mark scored 19 second-half points (worth repeating) to lead Duke. The Blue Devil lead shrunk to 2 points three different times in the closing half (with 12:50 to go; 8:39 to go; and with 2:44 to go). The game was that close. Foster replaced Proctor with 2:44 to go, with Duke leading 57-55.  

The Brotherhood appreciating their conference road win. 

Photo Credit: Matt Cashore-USATODAYSports

Winning Time Was Duke Time

Flip scored a layup but missed a free throw when he was fouled.  59-55 with 2:24 to go.  Foster grabbed the offensive rebound but missed the putback.  Mitchell grabbed that offensive rebound and did not miss.  61-55 with 1:12 to go.  McCain fouled ND star Marcus Burton, who made both free throws. 61-57 with 53 seconds remaining in the game.  Foster was fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one and Notre Dame took possession.  Roach began his late game heroics.  He not only made a key steal with 35 seconds left, but was also fouled and made both free throws. 63-57 with 29 seconds remaining.  Notre Dame center, Njie, got the offensive rebound when Burton missed and scored the putback. 63-59 with 20 seconds left.  

The Irish had to foul with so little time left.  But fouling Roach was no help for Notre Dame as he made both free throws, with 19 seconds left. 65-59.  Then Flip blocked Burton’s layup attempt with 11 seconds left.  Notre Dame again fouled (Jeremy), allowing Roach to clinch the game and close out the scoring by making both foul shots for the winning 67-59 margin!  Duke needs to always play like this at winning time!. 

Mark played another superb half to keep Duke in front in the final stanza.  Scheyer gushed, “the job that Mark Mitchell did – let me just tell you how proud I am of him. He’s been working his butt off, consistently, he’s been really decisive. Playing more confidently. I love the two three’s, I love the shooting, but what I love the most is the 14 rebounds. … you see what he’s done as a screener for us, getting guys open. You’ve seen what he’s done attacking the basket. And the biggest thing is that we talked to him about being decisive with his decision. If you shoot it, great. If you drive it, great. If you cut, great. I thought he did an incredible job of doing that. Will Avery on our staff has really worked with him on his shooting and done a terrific job. … I want him to keep doing this because it changes our team.”

What a half for Mark!  Roach was 0-3 from the field but shot a valuable 8-8 from the stripe when it counted; however, besides Mark’s 8-9, Duke was only 4-21 from the field (including 3-10 from deep) in the second half.  Foster, Blakes, Young and Proctor failed to score. Flip and Jared were each 2-7 from the field. Flip 1-2 from deep; Jared 2-5.  Mark was the winning difference.

The high-flying Mark cannot be stopped by Notre Dame

Photo Credit:Matt Cashore-USATODAYSports

The Rotation

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (35:02) had his lowest scoring game of the year (7 points on 2-12 from the field, including 1-4 from behind the arc, plus 2-5 from the stripe). His floor game was valuable, garnering 5 rebounds, handing out 4 assists, blocking 2 shots and making a steal.  Although Flip again committed 2 first-half fouls, he did not foul after that.

Jeremy Roach (33:54) simply played a great game!  He scored 18 points (4-9 from the field, including 1-4 from deep, plus a gaudy 9-9 from the foul line — 8-8 in the second half). Jeremy pulled down 6 rebounds, made 4 steals, and handed out two assists with only a single turnover.  His clutch foul shooting reaffirmed his leadership and reliability! 

When our editorial board first saw Jeremy Roach as a freshman, they predicted that he was going to turn into quite an excellent player. He admirably stayed in school to get his education, unlike many others, and has now proven the prediction beyond accurate.  As the Senior Co-Captain he has grown into a great basketball player, a tremendous leader, and an all around good young man!

Mark Mitchell (32:07) was the star (for the second game in a row) scoring a career-high 23 points (8-12 from the field, including 2-2 from deep  – after 1-22 from deep for the season going into this game – plus 5-5 from the foul line).  Even more valuable than his scoring were the 14 rebounds he corralled.  He had an assist, a steal, but also two turnovers.  He makes Duke a far more lethal team when he plays this well.

Jared McCain (31:55) did not shoot well in spite of scoring in double figures (11 points on 4-13 from the field, including 2-5 from 3land, plus 1-1 from the foul line).  Jared also pulled down 5 rebounds and blocked a shot.  No assists and a turnover.

Caleb Foster (25:12) scored only 3 points (1-4 from the field including 1-1 from deep but missed his only foul shot, the front end of a one-and-one at crunch time). He had a steal and a rebound.  Caleb’s major contribution was his steady ball handling at the point (no turnovers) and aggressive defense (a steal).

Tyrese Proctor (22:08) shockingly failed to score in the game (0-4 from the field including 0-3 from behind the arc without getting to the foul line).  Tyrese handed out 3 assists (1 turnover) with a rebound and a steal.  His failure to score has led to speculation that his sprained ankle is not completely healed.

Jaylen Blakes (8:39) is Scheyer’s sparkplug when he feels Duke’s defense is not as intense as it should be.  Jaylen creates chaos.  He not only had a steal, but he also finally hit an open shot from the corner (1-2 from deep) to score 3 points.  His value exceeds the minutes he is playing.

Ryan Young (7:40) committed 3 fouls and turned it over 3 times, but otherwise had a short yet effective cameo.  Ryan scored 2 points (1-2 from the field) to go with 4 rebounds and a blocked shot. 

T.J. Power (3:24) failed to score, missing his only shot (a 3-point attempt).  He got a rebound and committed a turnover.

Cheers to Duke’s most consistent player all season on defense as well as offense – Senior Co-Captain, Jeremy Roach!

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Michael Caterina

Next Play: On Saturday, January 9, 2024, at 9 pm vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (coached by Jeff Capel) in Pittsburgh.  ESPN. 

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Duke Blue Devils 75 v. Pittsburgh Panthers 53 (Season 15; Issue 14; Game 14) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game # 14 (January 9, 2024)

Bill Miller’s CliffsNotes:

The first half was more like it! Duke played both defense and offense as we have been expecting all season. 

Filipowski led the Blue Devils with a very impressive 7 for 8 from the field, scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds in the first half as Duke led 48-23. “When [Filipowski] plays that way for our team, it totally changes the dynamic of our offense [and] our defense,” said Scheyer. “I don’t feel there’s really anybody like him in the country when he plays that way.” 

One of the announcers mentioned that it is possible that since Filipowski had been sidelined all summer recovering from an operation on both hips, that he was just getting his timing back. Whatever the reason, his shooting stroke was a thing of beauty last night as he hit nothing but net or banked it off the backboard for  points. Everyone else had their moments, except Mark Mitchell, whose hot scoring streak came to an end. But then, it wasn’t needed.

Next up Georgia Tech in Cameron. Then comes the meat of the ACC schedule against suddenly formidable teams like UNC, NC State, Clemson.  There are no easy games left.

ALANALYSIS

Another Blue Devil offensive explosion, AND a second consecutive conference road win!  Duke’s pummeling of Pittsburgh by 23 points, after having a lead of 34 points rates as a worthy achievement.

Conference road wins (any conference) are always difficult.  At the same time as Duke was winning a conference road game in a rout, the nation’s # 1 team, Purdue, was crushed in Omaha by unranked Nebraska, 88-72, while the nation’s # 2 team, Houston, was beaten by unranked Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.  The next night (Wednesday), # 3 Kansas on the road fell to unranked UCF, and #5 Tennessee was beaten on the road by unranked Mississippi State.  That puts Duke’s win over Pittsburgh in proper perspective.

The Offense

Duke scored 48 points in the first half, a truly impressive offensive explosion.

Kyle Filipowski bounced back from a bad game in South Bend with another double double, shooting 11-12, finishing with 26 points, and 10 rebounds.  He had 17 first-half points (7-8 from the field, including 3-3 from 3land).  

Scheyer: “When Flip plays that way for our team, it totally changes the dynamic of our offense and our defense.  … He can run to the block and post up early, he can trail and drive, he can trail and shoot threes, he can set early ball screens. He can do so much. I think our guards are figuring out how to play with each other.” 

Duke’s ball movement was beyond brilliant;it was like watching the Bolshoi ballet perform. Duke assisted on 19 of its 29 baskets. In the first half, this led to 60 percent shooting, including 53 percent from behind the line.  The Blue Devils had 11 assists on 18 first-half baskets (only 5 turnovers). 

The second half was kind of dull.  Duke pushed the lead to as high as 34 points, and it was never less than 21 points – even though the Panthers actually outscored Duke 30-27.  The Blue Devils were 2-8 from deep with 9 turnovers and only 8 assists (on 11 field goals).  But a rout is a rout, and Duke was never threatened.

The Defense

In the first half, Duke’s defense was sensational. The Blue Devils held Pitt to 8-28 from the floor and just 3-11 for threes.  Duke was constantly switching, which forced the Panthers to shoot a good bit further out than Pitt Coach (and former Duke player and assistant coach), Jeff Capel, would have probably liked.  Duke’s defense was good, but less than sensational, in the second half.  Duke’s rebounding was a terrific improvement.

Scheyer: “our defense was really good, probably the best we’ve played on that end. We defended, we rebounded. … Defensive rebounding we’ve done okay, but not to the level that we’d like. We talk about gang-rebounding all the time – five guys on the boards, and I thought it was the best game we’ve had. … We had five guys on the boards. And what it did for us, was obviously you’re taking away their second-chance points. But it also sets up – we’re at our best when we’re flowing and running in transition.” 

Duke gave up just 11 points in a 12:42 first half stretch, and held Pitt to 23 first-half points.

“I thought our guards did a really good job defending the ball. it was the best our perimeter defended the ball. We emphasized that after the Notre Dame game, we felt it was something we could do better. Those guys, to start, Caleb, Jeremy, Jared, Tyrese, and Jaylen, when they came in, they just defended the ball. It changes your whole defense.  It keeps you out of rotations.  We switched more than we usually do tonight, which was effective.  But it started with the on-ball defense by those guys.” 

Flip on the Duke defense: “We were just playing a lot more cohesively on the defensive end together.  We were playing five guys, in tandem.  Defense is not a one person job.  And we had a different, more unique, defensive game plan for this game.  And I think we executed it really well.” 

The Rotation

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (29:44) scored an efficient 26 points on just 11 shots (11-12 from the field, including 4-4 from behind the arc) with 10 rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot.  The only negative was 5 turnovers. He bounced back from his lackluster performance to play like the first team All-American that Jay Bilas called him.

Jeremy Roach (29:44) who scores only when Duke truly needs him, scored early and then was content to run the team.  The Senior co-captain had 4 assists without a turnover while scoring 9 points (3-9, including 1-4 from deep, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  Jeremy also contributed 2 rebounds and a steal.

Jared McCain (29:03) was the only double figure Duke scorer besides Flip.  Jared scored 12 points (5-9 from the field, including 2-5 from 3land) to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists (2 turnovers) and a steal.  Jared is playing lights-out defense.

Caleb Foster (26:31) played one of his best games, handing out 7 assists (2 turnovers) while scoring 8 points (3-6 from the field, including 2-3 from behind the arc.)  Caleb added a pair of rebounds.   He is a capable defender and good rebounder.

Tyrese Proctor (23:59) still looks to me as if his ankle is not completely healed.  It shows on defense where his lateral movement is not quite what it was before the injury. He scored 3 points (1-6 from the field, including 1-5 from 3land.)  It is significant that Tyrese did not get to the free throw line and attempted only one shot from inside the arc; he is not driving the way he did last year and before the injury.  Tyrese did hand out 5 assists (but 3 turnovers) and made a steal.

Mark Mitchell (21:11) had a quiet game after his last 2 breakout 20+ point efforts.  Mark scored 4 points (1-4 from the field, including 0-1 from behind the arc, plus 2-4 from the stripe).  He had 3 boards and a turnover.  He is an excellent defender.

Ryan Young (15:03) played valuable minutes, scoring 6 points (3-3 near the basket) and grabbing 5 boards while blocking 2 shots.  He had a terrific outing!

Jaylen Blakes (10:43) injured his hand on a driving layup.  He returned to play in the second half and made a steal.  Jaylen missed his only other shot, a 3-point attempt.   Jaylen also grabbed a tough rebound.

Sean Steward (8:22, all in the second half) had his best outing, scoring 4 points (1-3 from the field,  plus 2-2 from the foul line) to go with 4 rebounds, a steal, and a blocked shot.  If Sean can keep progressing, he will be valuable by the year’s end.

T.J. Power (5:40) hit a 3-pointer (1-3, including 1-2 from deep) to go with a rebound.

Next Play: Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 5 pm vs Georgia Tech in Cameron Indoor Stadium, ACC Network.

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Duke Blue Devils 84 v. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 79 (Season 15; Issue 15; Game 15) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game # 15 (January 13, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

There were good reasons to be optimistic about today’s game against Georgia Tech: It was played in Cameron, Duke was on a winning streak, Tech was on a losing streak, Filipowski was coming off arguably the best game of his career, and Duke has dominated the series continually since Bobby Cremins was the Georgia Tech coach. That optimism was to dispel the glaring fact that the Yellow Jackets match up well against this undersized Blue Devil squad that is streaky, not overly athletic, and is over reliant on Filipowski. But that optimism was dispelled most critically because Mark Mitchell was sidelined with a sprained knee.

Duke started strong but Tech, which previously shot poorly from three-point land, started draining threes and executing their favorite offensive play — the pick and roll just below the foul line —which played to their strength and Duke’s weakness. Fortunately, Flip stayed out of early foul trouble and the Yellow Jackets’ center and power forward did not. Nevertheless, the score was tied 39-39 at the half.

It did not seem logical that Tech would hit eight threes again in Cameron and that with their big men in foul trouble would be aggressive in defending Filipowski. Logic be damned, when Tech went up by 10 points with 14 minutes remaining in the game, things looked bleak. After a time out, Duke did a very Blue Devil thing: they scored 8 points in less than a minute as Filipowski, Roach, and Proctor played the best basketball of their careers. As so often happens, it cut the hearts out of the young Yellow Jacket opponents, and even though Roach went out with an injury, his team held on to win. Filipowski and Proctor were sensational, and Ryan Young, who never stops playing hard, proved indispensable.

While this was a heart pounding win, it was against a young, inexperienced team. There is much more parity in the ACC than was predicted, and Duke has more tough games ahead.

OTHER COMMENTS:

• • Randolph Childress, Wake Forest’s great guard, who broke Duke’s heart in the 1995 ACC Tournament, was one of the announcers. He was very good at explaining the strategy of both teams.

• • The Blue Devils had 16 assists, finishing with a 4-to-1 assist-turnover ratio.

ALANALYSIS

What we learned

The biggest takeaway from Duke’s hard fought narrow victory over Georgia Tech at Cameron is how dependent Duke’s defense is on Mark Mitchell. Mark sprained his knee in practice during the week and did not play in the game (Coach Scheyer says it is not serious). Evidence supporting this takeaway is the defense Duke did employ against the Yellow Jackets in Mark’s absence.  Without Mark, the Blue Devils gave up 79 points (39 in the first half and 40 with the game on the line in the closing half) and allowed the Yellow Jackets to shoot 55% for the game from the field.

An injury to Senior Co-Captain Jeremy Roach, with more than 8 minutes left in the game added to Duke’s woes at “winning time”.  Jeremy was playing lights out (as he does consistently) when he was forced out of the game with what appeared to be a knee problem.  He returned to the game for a minute, but could not go on.  Coach Scheyer put Jeremy’s season thus far in perspective, “I don’t know that Jeremy is getting the national publicity that he should.  There are other players who have had great years, and I don’t know the numbers side by side, but the value for Jeremy on this team – we do not need him to score 25 points every night. Tonight, he gets 18 points on 12 shots, and he doesn’t even play the last six or seven minutes. I think he’s been as good as any guard in the country.  He’s been efficient.  He’s really taken care of the ball. He’s going after it on defense.  He’s been as good as anybody. He’s played like a senior, and I’m just proud of him.  He’s made a jump. You want a guy like him to make a jump in a lot of areas.  He’s done that really in every way. The way he works, his attitude, his leadership, in just every way.  He’s been having a heck of a season. I just want to get him healthy, or see what’s going on, and then keep building.” 

Another key takeaway is that Duke (even without Jeremy and Mark) prevailed at “winning time”.  The game was tied at 69 with 6:51 remaining.  A minute later, Duke took the lead on Tyrese’s critical 3-pointer and maintained the lead against Yellow Jacket challenges to win the game. A team does not have to bring its A game as long as the result is a W; really good teams win even when they don’t play well.

The Defense

While Duke’s defense seemed porous (because it was), Georgia Tech made some acrobatic shots even when the Blue Devils played excellent defense. The Blue Devils received defensive help from the bench. Coach Scheyer: “Give Georgia Tech credit. I thought they hit some really tough shots. I think some of them were on us, but you’ve also got to give them credit. That is the best they’ve shot the ball from three recently (11-20) . They had some really tough shots in the paint.  In the second half, when we got down 10, we subbed in Jaylen Blakes, we subbed Ryan Young in, and they just made it happen, especially in this building, and on the defensive end.”  Ryan’s second half was crucial on both ends. 

Still, the defense allowed Georgia Tech, for the game,  to shoot 55% both from the field and from behind the arc.   That percentage defines porous.  Whether the return of Mark Mitchell will fix that going forward remains to be seen. 

The Offense

Duke scored 84 points in the game, with 45 coming in the second half.  Flip (30), Jeremy (18), Tyrese (17), and Ryan Young (10, all in the crucial second half) scored in double figures.  Flip praised Ryan, “I didn’t know he had 10 points, nine rebounds, but that’s good for this team.  He came in, provided exactly what we know he’s capable of against a really good paint team as well.  Ryan provided that lift for us – we couldn’t have gotten the win without him, for sure.”

Tyrese was dazzling down the stretch (3-4 from deep, when it really counted), scoring 11 second-half points.  Flip poured in 16 of his points in the closing stanza.  Add Ryan’s 10 points, and those 3 players scored 37 of Duke’s 45 second-half points.  Jeremy added 5 second-half points before his injury, while Jared made a field goal and foul shot for the other 3 points.

Winning Time

Duke trailed by 4 points (67-63) with 8:03 remaining.  Flip hit from deep to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 1.  After a Georgia Tech jumper pushed their lead back to 3, Tyrese tied the game with a 3-pointer with 6:51 left (69-69).  Ryan blocked  a layup and Flip fed Tyrese for his second straight 3 pointer with 5:53 left (72-69, Duke). While Duke led the rest of the way, it was far from easy. The Yellow Jackets had a bunch of last gasps, finally cutting the Duke lead to a single point –  78-77 – with 2:18 left in the game.

Flip made 1-2 foul shots to give Duke a 79-77 lead.  Ryan made a layup on a great assist from Flip.  Duke led 81-77 with 1:40 left.  Proctor made a pair of crucial foul shots to restore a 6 point lead with only 22 seconds left.  Game effectively over.  

This is an important win in the face of serious adversity.  Ryan explained its importance, “We’re down Mark obviously, who’s been playing incredible. Jeremy goes down in the second half, Jaylen Blakes has four stitches in his left hand. These kinds of games – if you want to go deep in the tournament, hang banners and win championships, these are the kind of games you have to learn how to win and make it work!” 

THE ROTATION

Jared McCain (37:49) scored only 6 points on a night where his shooting was off (2-8 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-4 from the free throw line).  The injuries to Mark and Jeremy made his continuous presence on the court necessary.  Jared snared 4 boards without an assist, turnover or steal.  

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (37:14) scored a career-high 30 points in a well-rounded offensive display.  Flip scored from the perimeter, mid-range, at the rim, and from the foul line.  He took 24 shots from the field and missed 5 free throws (10-24, including a gaudy 4-5 from behind the arc, but a disappointing 6-11 from the foul line[and still he banked home 30 points!]).  But Flip does so much more for Duke than score. He not only snared 13 rebounds for yet another double-double, but he also handed out 4 assists on several dazzling passes without a turnover, blocked 2 shots and made 2 steals. A true All-American performance!

Tyrese Proctor (32:04) returned to the starting lineup for the first time since his injury on December 2, 2023.  Tyrese took charge of Duke’s offense down the stretch, especially after Jeremy was injured.  He was effective for the entire game, scoring 17 points (5-10 from the field, including 3-5 from behind the arc, and a crucial 4-4 from the stripe).  His crucial 3-pointers late in the game fueled Duke at winning time.  He handed out 2 assists without a turnover.  He had a steal. Tyrese is still not all the way back as a defender, but his improvement on the defensive end is palpable.  The return of his offense was both dramatic and timely (though he is still not yet driving the way he did pre injury).

Jeremy Roach (31:01) played a superb game until he was injured with 8:22 left in the game.  He scored all of his 18 points before the injury (5-12 from the field, including 2-4 from 3land, plus a gaudy 6-7 from the foul line) to go with 3 assists, 2 steals and a rebound – only a single turnover. While Jeremy’s attempt to re-enter the game was valiant and is encouraging, Duke fans are praying (even the atheists) that Jeremy’s injury is not serious.

Caleb Foster (28:04) was the primary ball handler in Duke’s offense for most of the game.  While he did not score much (3 points on 1-3 from deep), he handed out 4 assists without a turnover.  He garnered a pair of rebounds and made a steal.

Ryan Young (21:59) played his best game of the year, logging more minutes than usual because of Mark’s absence.  Ryan was a major key to Duke’s victory, scoring all of his 10 points in the second half. (4-5 from the field, plus 2-2 from the stripe). The co-captain grad student was only a single rebound away from a double-double with 9 boards.  He added 2 assists and a steal.  

Jaylen Blakes (9:31) was inserted whenever Coach Scheyer wanted to increase the defensive pressure on Georgia Tech’s perimeter.  While Jaylen failed to score, missing his only shot attempt, which was from behind the arc, he blocked a shot, handed out an assist and garnered a rebound.  He had more impact on the game than his playing time and statistics suggest.

T.J. Power (2:18) had a first-half only cameo, where he snared a rebound.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, January 20, 2024, at 8 pm vs. Pittsburgh Panthers in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  ACCN. 

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Duke Blue Devils 76 v. Pittsburgh Panthers 80 (Season 15; Issue 16; Game 16) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #16 (January 20, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes: 

This Duke team cannot spot any ACC team’s two starters 9 points, and expect to win—even against Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh. Every team has big men and three-point shooters. And when a really good shooter like Blake Hinson gets hot, going seven for seven from three point land, (plus the other team does not defend well) so that unheralded, opposing freshmen get open looks, well, it might not be your day—or year.  Especially, when you are outshot and outrebounded for the entire game. 

Jeff Capel is a very good coach with a lot of experience at Oklahoma and Duke and had a good game plan to take advantage of Duke’s missing starters and obvious shortcomings. While Hinson is a proven scorer, that does not excuse the open looks that the rest of the Panthers got. That is just poor defense.

The recent seven game run may have been a false positive as the Blue Devils have not yet faced the best teams of the ACC Conference. These Duke freshmen better put their big boys pants on for every game or else it will be a disappointing season.

ALANALYSIS

Without injured stars, Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach (Duke’s  team leader, most consistent excellent player, and leader of the perimeter defense), the Blue Devils played inadequate defense, yielding 80 points and allowing the Panthers to shoot 51% from the field and 50% from behind the arc (7-10 from deep in the second half).

After out-rebounding the Panthers in Pittsburgh last week, Duke was outrebounded by the Panthers 32-25 in Cameron last night.

Mark missed last Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. because of his knee injury.  The Georgia Tech Alanalysis opened with, “The biggest takeaway from Duke’s hard fought narrow victory over Georgia Tech at Cameron is how dependent Duke’s defense is on Mark Mitchell. Evidence supporting this takeaway is the defense Duke did employ against the Yellow Jackets in Mark’s absence.  Without Mark, the Blue Devils gave up 79 points (39 in the first half and 40 with the game on the line in the closing half) and allowed the Yellow Jackets to shoot 55% for the game from the field.”  

Nothing changed for this game. It was so bad that Coach Scheyer started out his press conference and concluded his press conference by apologizing to Duke fans for such a performance.

The Defense

Duke appeared lackadaisical, expecting  an easy home game after destroying the Panthers in Pittsburgh the week previously.  The lax attitude showed when the Panthers scored the first 9 points of the game.  Scheyer, “I didn’t like our start, … I thought we came out passive. I thought the defense impacted our offense, because we weren’t ready at the level we needed to be; … That’s not how it should be for us. That’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been. Tonight, they out-rebounded us, and the game up there, we out-rebounded them. I think rebounding a lot of the time comes down to will and mindset, and we didn’t have that. … A lot of it comes down to guarding the ball. I just go back to mindset. It’s just you gotta find a way. And we didn’t do that tonight.”  He pointed out that Pitt’s freshman star, Jaland Lowe, hit two crucial 3-pointers on “step backs”.  There was not a Duke defender in the camera shot on either of those crucial 3s. Each one erased a Duke lead.

McCain confessed in his post-game interview, “Defensively, we just couldn’t string together stops. … we should’ve just guarded the ball better, bullied the ball better. [There were] a lot of things on our part we could’ve done better.” 

Ryan lamented Duke’s rebounding shortcomings, “Our staff was emphasizing [rebounding without Mark and Jeremy] and letting us know that that was a pivotal part of the game, and we didn’t execute it. Rebounding is just toughness and effort, so that’s something that can’t happen, and we need to look ourselves in the mirror and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Moreover, Duke simply could not defend (or score enough) at “winning time”.

The Offense

Duke shot it well but started settling for jump shots instead of driving to the basket. It takes less energy to shoot a 3 than drive to the hoop. Understandably, Duke got tired. Flip, Jared, and Caleb played all 20 minutes of the second half. 

Scheyer on whether Duke took too many jumpers in the second half: “Absolutely, absolutely. And you have to know how to win and how the game is going. I think we let them off the hook with some of those.”

Duke Did Not Play Winning Basketball at Winning Time

With 7:03 left to go in the game, Duke scored its 65^th point to take a 1-point lead (65-64) when Flip made both the layup and the foul shot.  Almost 4 minutes later, Duke still had 65 points while the Panthers had taken  a 69-65 lead.  In that almost 4 minutes, Flip turned it over, Caleb missed a jumper, Ryan traveled, Tyrese missed a jump shot, Ryan committed a foul, Flip missed a jumper, and then Flip missed another jumper.

Ryan cut the lead to 69-67 when he made a pair of free throws.  But Duke gave up a wide open 3-pointer (72-67 for the Panthers).  Foster missed a jump shot but got his own rebound.  Jared cashed a layup (The Blue Devils trailed 72-69 with 2:45 left).  

Young missed a layup with 1:54 left, followed by Jaylen committing his 4^th foul with 1:27 left.  Pitt missed the first of a one and one, and McCain made a driving layup. (Duke trailed by 1 with 1:10 to go).

With 43 seconds left, Duke left Lowe wide open for a 3-pointer, which he swished. (The Blue Devils trail 75-71 with 43 seconds left).  McCain turned it over with a bad pass but made up for it with a steal (33 seconds left).   McCain missed a jumper with 28 seconds left, and Flip fouled the Pitt center with 26 seconds remaining.  The Panther center made 1 of 2 to lead 76-71.  Foster drove and was fouled.  He made 1-2 to cut Pitt’s lead to 4  (76-72 with 19 seconds left.)

Caleb immediately fouled Lowe, who made 1-2 (77-72 Pitt with 18 seconds left).  Flip hit a clutch 3 with 10 seconds remaining, which cut the Pitt lead to 2 (77-75).  Caleb immediately fouled Lowe, who made 1-2 for a 3 point Pitt lead (79-75 with 9 seconds left). 

Proctor was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 0.04 remaining. [Stupid foul but gave Duke one more desperation chance]. Tyrese missed the first one (unintentionally) and the third (intentionally) after making the second one.  Caleb fouled immediately; Hinson made 1-2 for the final score of 80-76.

Duke tied or took the lead 6 times in the second half but gave up the lead as soon as Pitt had the ball and immediately beat the Duke defense.  Critically, this means that Duke  never consolidated a lead (or was tied)  by stopping the Panthers and having both the ball and a lead! 

The Rotation

Jared McCain (37:58, including all 20:00 of the second half) led Duke in scoring with 20 points, 14 in the second half, (7-14 from the field including 3-8 from behind the arc, plus 3-4 from the foul line).  He grabbed one rebound, had an assist, a steal, and a turnover.  Jared was part of the defense that simply could not defend Pittsburgh, as he said, “Defensively, we just couldn’t string together stops. … we should’ve just guarded the ball better, bullied the ball better. [There were] a lot of things on our part we could’ve done better.” 

Tyrese Proctor (37:19, including all 20:00 of the first half) is playing better on both ends but is not physically back to where he was prior to his injury in early December (a depressing thought when applied to the comebacks of Mark and Jeremy).  Tyrese scored 11 points; 10 were in the first half.  Tyrese was on the foul line with Duke with 0.4 left on the clock and Duke trailing 79-75.  If he could make the first two and intentionally miss the third that would give Duke a shot at the tying tip in.  However, Tyrese missed the first one and committed a turnover when his intentional miss failed to hit the rim as required.  Tyrese was basically scoreless in the second half where he played more than 17 minutes.  He also did not hand out an assist, get a steal, or block a shot in the second half.  One turnover.  While Tyrese is getting better, he is still not fully back.  For the game, Tyrese scored  11 (3-7 from the field, including 2-7 from deep, plus 3-5 from the line – the two misses coming with 0.4 left in the game as described above.)  He had 5 rebounds and an assist.

Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (35:55, including all 20 minutes of the second half) scored 19 points, 13 in the second half (5-10 from the field, including 3-6 from 3land, plus 6-7 from the foul line).  Flip grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 2 assists, blocked a shot and made a steal.  Uncharacteristically, Flip committed 5 turnovers.  While Flip committed 3 fouls, he drew 9 Pitt fouls.

Caleb Foster (35:16, including all 20 minutes of the second half) played an excellent game Caleb scored 16 points ((4-9 from the field including 3-5 from behind the arc, plus 5-6 from the stripe.)  Caleb added 6 boards, 5 assists (only one turnover) and 3 steals to his stellar statistics.

Ryan Young (25:23) picked up much of the slack from Mark’s absence, especially after Duke’s defense opened so badly with Jaylen Blakes in the starting lineup.  Ryan scored 6 points (2-3 from the field, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  Ryan grabbed 4 boards and blocked 2 shots and handed out 2 assists but turned it over 3 times.  

Jaylen Blakes (12:49) started the game but did not have his usual defensive impact on the game. He was 2-2 from the foul line without any shot attempts (other than the drive on which he was fouled). He made a steal, but committed 4 fouls in his short stint on the court.

Sean Stewart (11:09) continues to disappoint.  Sean failed to score, missing his only 2 free throws without attempting a shot.  He did grab 2 boards, the Blue Devils needed and need much more from Sean and his prodigious physical skills.

T.J. Power (3:41) scored 2 points on his first 2 point basket of the season.  T.J. has 9 3-pointers on the season but was 0-2 from deep for the game (1-3 from the field) with 2 rebounds in his cameo appearance.

Coach Scheyer and Duke fans are eager to see Jeremy and Mark back in uniform soon!

NEXT PLAY: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 7 pm v. Louisville Cardinals in Louisville. ACCN

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Duke Blue Devils 83 v. Louisville Cardinals 69 (Season 15; Issue 17; Game 17) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #17 at Louisville (January 23, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

While Duke had all their starters on the floor for the beginning of the game with Louisville, it was “five easy pieces” as they looked like a real contender – until they lost Roach to an ankle injury– and then they looked anything but. However, just when they were on the verge of blowing an 18 point lead (and Filipowski was having a rare off-shooting night), they managed a first—they found a way to get it done without their leader.  Filipowski, Proctor, McCain, Mitchell and even Stewart all made significant contributions down the stretch, as the Blue Devils took a licking, and for one of the first times this year, “kept on ticking”.  It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was rather impressive for a team that could easily have lost a third game to another bottom feeder.

In the beginning, especially Mitchell demonstrated how much the team needs him on the floor both offensively and defensively.  And Roach is the veteran they also need to make the youngsters formidable. The bottom line: while Duke’s players are too talented to play forty minutes of poor basketball, any opponent team can get hot and pull the upset making use of the three point line. 

ALANALYSIS

For the first 14:35 of the game, the Blue Devils looked like the team that Duke fans had hoped to see against a team with many losses like Louisville.  Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach had returned to the starting lineup. (Caleb Foster started, with Tyrese Proctor coming off the bench).  Duke led by 18 points and was cooking on both ends of the floor.  The defense had allowed only 22 points, mostly early in the period.  The offense had 38 points with 5:15 left in the half, led by Jeremy Roach’s 10, Tyrese Proctor’s 11, Mark Mitchell’s 9, and Kyle Filipowski’s 5.

Roach injured his ankle on his layup and foul shot for a 3-point play, with 5:25 left in the first half.  While Jeremy returned to the game twice (once with 2:10 left in the first half, and for less than 2 minutes in the closing stanza), he was in obvious pain with limited mobility and did not score in his 2 post-injury playing times.  Although the wheels did not come off completely then, the Cardinals did outscore Duke 14-7 for the remainder of the first half.  Duke scored a prodigious 45 first-half points and still led, by 45-34.

Duke’s second half was a mixed story.  In the first 4:40, Duke was outscored by Louisville 10-2. The Blue Devils were simply awful. The lead was chopped to 3 points (47-44), but the Cardinals never got closer.  The Blue Devil lead fluctuated between 5 and 8 points for the next four minutes.  Then the lead fluctuated between 5 and 10, with the Blue Devils leading by 7 points (70-63) with 5:18 remaining in the game. That is when Duke showed real grit, doubling the lead to 14 points, with 1:44 left to put the game away. 

Scheyer, “We’ve played through a pretty good amount of adversity these last three games. And you feel game pressure, you have to play with different lineups. For us to really step up, collectively, and get that win, I’m proud of the team. … that final 5-to-10 minute stretch, I thought we did a good job weathering the storm.”

In the second half, without Roach, the Blue Devil backcourt was dependent on Proctor to score.  Foster and Blakes alternated in Roach’s place for the first 9 minutes of the half without scoring (neither scored in the second half).  With 10:56 left and Duke leading by 5, Scheyer went with a bigger lineup, with Sean Stewart playing alongside Flip, Mark, Tyrese, and McCain. 

Sean contributed to Duke’s total of 14 second-half fouls with 4 (Duke had committed 5 fouls in the first 9 minutes of the second half, and went into the bonus with 9:44 left in the game and the double bonus with 8:15 remaining)!  Sean defended well, blocked 2 shots and corralled 2 rebounds.  When he entered the game, Duke led by only 5 points.  10:20 later, when Sean left the game, Duke was ahead by 12 (81-69) with only 36 seconds remaining in the game.  This was significant court time for Sean.

The Blue Devils allowed 69 points (34 in the first half; 35 in the closing period), which was less than stellar defense (it was stellar until Jeremy’s sprained ankle).  Coach Scheyer: “The whole game, it was all about defense. … I thought we let them live in our paint too easily.  We just had to have more resistance.  Some of the details went out the window there at the beginning of the second half. …  You wish you could’ve extended the lead, but for us to go through that, played with game pressure and also learn we have to get stops, I think it was a really important game for us. Especially in that second half.” 

Tyrese, who played his best game this season and maybe in his career at Duke (he is finally all the way back from his ankle sprain), took over the leadership (especially on defense) after Jeremy was hurt.  Post-game, he said, “our start of the second half was really poor, we huddled up and we just got on the same page with one another.  Coach did a great job of bringing us together and we just played confidently. … I think we got stops when we needed to.  Last game, against Pitt, we kept trading baskets, and then we started missing shots and they got the lead. I think tonight, we started trading baskets early and then we really locked in and got stops when we needed to.  And then, we took advantage of it and started scoring.” 

The Rotation:

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (36:19) did not have an absolutely fabulous shooting game, but he did score 17 points (6-16 from the field, including a disappointing 1-6 from deep, plus 4-6 from the free throw line) while collecting 15 rebounds.  Another double-double! Flip handed out 5 assists (3 turnovers) made a steal and blocked a shot.  He is special even when he doesn’t play his A+ game.

(5)Tyrese Proctor (35:17, including almost 19 second-half minutes) scored a career high 24 points to lead Duke in scoring (9-16 from the field including 4-10 from behind the arc, plus 2-5 from the foul line).   He was superb and saved the second-half day scoring 13 in that stanza, including 3-6 from 3land.  It was confidence building to see him defend again at high level and make acrobatic drives.  He finally looks all the way back from his injury.

(25) Mark Mitchell (34:15) reminded us in his return to the lineup after missing 2 games, of just how valuable he is to Duke on both ends of the floor.  He too looked fully recovered from his injury, scoring 20 points on only 11 shots (8-11, mostly dunks, from the field, plus 4-5 from the stripe).  He was an offensive force, who anchored the interior defense (with Flip and surprisingly Sean Stewart).  Mark had a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds.  He had an assist and a steal without a turnover.  His return is heartening.

(0) Jared McCain (28:00) did not have his usual deadly shooting night, but did score in double figures (10 points on 3-9 from the field, including 2-5 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  Jared hauled in 4 rebounds and made 2 steals, but 0 assists and 2 turnovers.  Scheyer said, “Jared passed up a bunch of open 3’s tonight, and we talked about taking the best shot, but the best shot can be after one pass. If you’re open, shoot it.” 

(1) Caleb Foster (26:21) did not score in all his time on the court (0-2 from the field) with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers.  He runs the team smoothly when he’s at the point guard position.

(3) Jeremy Roach (17:24) was having a simply Fantastic game on both ends of the floor until he was hurt after 14:35 had been played.  He scored 10 points (3-7 from the field including 2-4 from 3land, plus 2-2 from the foul line) to go with a rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals without a turnover.  His healthy presence in the lineup is essential for Duke’s effort this season!

(13) Sean Stewart (14:53, including 10:20 in the second half).  Sean played up front with Flip and Mark for much of the second half.  This is the first time this season that Sean’s play has met a Duke need. For the rest of this season, it will be interesting to see if Scheyer adds power up front with Sean instead of a third guard, perhaps to fill the hole left by D-Live’s departure.  Sean scored 2 points (0-1 from the field, plus 2-2 from the foul line) while grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.  Very encouraging, though his 4 second-half fouls is a continuing problem.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (5:48) may be reading his own press clippings (tiger on defense forcing turnovers) because his intensity may be too intense – no steals but 2 fouls in 2 first-half minutes.  Playing time shortens when the only statistic in the box score is fouls committed.

(15) Ryan Young (1:43, all in the first half).  There must be a story of why Sean played over 14 minutes and Ryan almost not at all.  I, however, do not know it, and it was not mentioned in the press conference.  Let’s hope it is not about an injury.  Ryan failed to score (0-1) with a rebound and a turnover.NEXT PLAY:

Next Play: Saturday, January 27, 2024, at 4 pm v. Clemson Tigers in Cameron Indoor Stadium. ESPN

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Duke Blue Devils 72 v. Clemson Tigers 71 (Season 15; Issue 18; Game 18) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #18 at Cameron (January 28, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Clemson had lost 20 games in a row in Cameron. Today, they found a way to make it 21. Truthfully, Duke played too inconsistently to win this one.  No team that shoots 21-33 (64%) from the free throw line and leaves a potential 10 or so points off the scoreboard deserves to win the game.  Of course, Clemson Coach Brad Brownell and his players will bitch about the officiating, but when you play as physically as Clemson you are not going to get all the calls on the road.  And I wish someone besides Corey Alexander would explain the difference between an offensive charge and a good defensive play in the post — except to say the offensive player is allowed one bump (but not two or more), no matter who initiates the contact.

It was amazing for Duke to win while Filipowski, until his last critical old fashion three-point play, looked as though he had pulled a week of all-nighters during exam week, and while Jeremy Roach played but probably shouldn’t have. For Duke to win under those circumstances says a lot about the development of Mitchell, Procter, and McCain, who collectively scored 52 of Duke’s 72 points. 

As Coach Scheyer praised McCain’s second half and mental attitude:

 “The last guy I want to touch on is Jared McCain. Jared just has a special belief about himself, and when things get tough, you just feel like Jared is going to make a play. You do, as a coach. It doesn’t matter if he’s a freshman. It doesn’t matter if he’s never been in a situation like this before. He just has a belief his team’s supposed to win, and I thought that stretch –  11 points in the final 12 minutes – but it’s more his spirit, just finding a way to win. Really proud. Clemson, I think they’re a really good team, and to find a way to win, sometimes that’s what it’s about. We have to move on quickly to get ready for Monday.”

Some things are meant to be.  Clemson is too talented and mature a team to be at the bottom of the ACC, but that is where they are. The basketball gods are tough customers.

It is getting late in the season not to have developed a reliable, deep rotation— Young and Stewart aren’t ready for prime floor time, and Filipowski is not holding up well for all that he is required to do. Will this game be considered “lucky” or will it be a catalyst for the Blue Devils to become a tougher, more consistent contender like the legendary “Flaming Five” of the late Fifties?

ALANALYSIS

This was a game that Duke deserved to lose.  While that is true, and we can explore that conclusion, let’s remember Duke’s astounding clutch performance at winning time.

Undeserving

One of Duke’s very best players, Kyle (Flip) Filipowski had a subpar game, shooting 2-8 from the field, including 0-3 from deep, plus a woeful 5-11 from the foul line (but he did make the crucial one on his last attempt.)  Flip was limited to scoring 2 points in the first half, while committing 2 fouls.  He picked up his 3^rd foul 2 minutes into the second half, and his 4^th with almost 12 minutes left in the game.  He fouled out with 7.4 seconds to go, and so was on the bench for Duke’s final play – Duke behind by a point with a last desperate chance to win it.  

Duke’s reliable, but clearly injured captain, Jeremy Roach, did not start, but entered the game early in the first period.  Scheyer, “Jeremy Roach hasn’t practiced, like literally has not practiced, since the game we had on Tuesday, and he just tried to will it out today.” Jeremy was clearly not 100%, but played 25 minutes, scoring 5 points (1-8 from the field, including 0-1 from deep).  He was 3-4 from the stripe when Duke needed the points.

Duke’s defense cracked.  For the first 18 minutes of the game, the Blue Devils played superb defense, holding Clemson to 20 points, while Duke took a 32-20 lead. Then the defense melted into almost non-existent.  In the next 20 minutes (from 2 minutes to go in the first half to 2 minutes to go in the game), Duke allowed Clemson to score 51 points. ( 6 points in the last 2 minutes of the first half and 45 points in the second half – a rate of 102 points per game).

Duke was badly beaten off the glass on both ends of the floor.  Clemson outrebounded the Blue Devils 42-33, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds.  The Tigers scored 15 second-chance points off those 11 offensive rebounds.  While Duke did get 4 offensive rebounds, the Blue Devils did not score a single second-chance point.

Duke got little scoring support from 4 of the 8 players who played in the game – Caleb Foster (5 points), Roach (5 points), Ryan Young (1 point), and Sean Stewart (0) provided little firepower. Because Caleb was a starter, the bench is credited with scoring only 6 points (Jeremy’s 5 + Ryan’s single point).  

Finally, Duke was abysmal from the foul line.  In the first half the Blue Devils only managed 50% (4-8). Flip was 0-2, and Roach 1-2 while Mark Mitchell was 3-4.  In the closing half, Duke was under 70% (17-25).  Flip was 5-9, Foster 0-2 and Ryan Young 1-2.  On the bright side however, after McCain went to the line with 8:56 to play and hit both of his shots, the Blue Devils didn’t miss from the line again.

Winning Time

With 3:41, Chase Hunter gave Clemson its first lead since early in the first period with a layup (65-63).  Flip was fouled and made them both (65-65)With 3 minutes to go, Girard III made a jumper to give Clemson the lead again (67-65).  Proctor and McCain both missed 3s.  Ryan fouled Hall, who made both shots with 2:15 left (69-65).  Flip was fouled but quite incredulously missed both free throws! with 2:06 left.  Then McCain, who scored 16 second-half points, including 11 in the final 12 minutes, stepped up to will Duke to victory.

First, with 2:03 left, McCain stole the ball, but Flip missed again at the rim with 1:54 remaining.  McCain stole the ball again with 1:35 remaining and made an acrobatic layup – in traffic – at the 1:32 mark (69-67). Miraculously, McCain stole the ball again! with 1:06 left in the game but then missed a 3-point attempt with 52 seconds left.  

This time it was Mark Mitchell who stole the ball with 24 seconds remaining.  Flip morphed back into Flip. He was fouled as he made a driving layup and converted the free throw.  Duke led 70-69 with only 15 seconds left in the game.  But Clemson’s star big man, P. J. Hall, took it to the basket over Flip, who fouled him but stopped the field goal.  Flip had fouled out. Hall made both free throws.  Clemson 71 v. Duke 70 – 7 seconds left in the game. 

Then Tyrese used a pick from Mark and drove to the basket.  With 1 second left, he was fouled, and made the 2 pressure-packed foul shots (72-71) with the same 1 second left on the clock. 

The replays show that Tyrese was clearly fouled.  He was the model of serene confidence sinking both foul shots to tie and then win the game.  Scheyer, “Both of them hardly touched the rim.”

Clemson players are still outraged at the referee’s call, instead of blaming themselves for turning the ball over 4 times (the Duke steals) in the last 2 minutes without their scoring.  If Clemson watches the tapes, the wailing should stop.  One can visibly see the Clemson player hit Tyrese’s right arm. 

With the same 1 second left, Clemson’s Hall threw a great full court pass. Players on both Duke and Clemson went up for it, and there was much contact, but no foul was called.  Clemson might be justified in believing Duke committed a foul with 1 second left.

Scheyer described the winning play, “We practice our end-of-game situations often.  We practiced them two days ago, just to go through, and to be honest, I don’t know if we’ve practiced it without Flip in with that first group.  Mark was in a position as the screener there.  And with seven seconds, we have a play that we go to with that time – I guess we’ll need to get a new play now – but for Tyrese, you just want to attack the basket. It’s enough time to attack the paint, and you surround him with shooting.  I thought Tyrese did a great job of playing through resistance and finding a way to get to the paint.” 

In the second half, Jared (16), Tyrese (9) and Flip (7) collectively scored 32 of Duke’s 40 points.

THE ROTATION

(5) Tyrese (Rese) Proctor (38:12) scored 18 points (9 in each half) on 5-10 from the field, including a gaudy 4-6 from behind the arc, plus 4-4, from the line, including the winning 2 with 1 second left.  He seems fully recovered from his early December ankle sprain and is again playing at the high level that  Duke needs!

(25) Mark Mitchell (37:17) scored 13 points – 10 in the first half – (3-6 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus 6-8 from the foul line) to go with 6 rebounds and that crucial steal at winning time.  Scheyer, “Mark is guarding everybody on the one end. He’s guarding Schieffelin. He’s guarding Hall. He’s switching. I thought he got us the lead there in that first half with his assertiveness.”

(0) Jared McCain (31:35) His amazing second half merits living in Duke basketball lore!  He scored 21 for the game (8-12 from the field, including 3-7 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe) to go with those 3 crucial steals at winning time!, 5 boards and 2 assists without a turnover.  The second half was remarkable for Jared’s 16 points, 11 in the last 4 minutes!!  Bill Miller quoted Scheyer’s assessment of Jared’s special mentality and performance.  Jared was just plain dazzling in the second half!

(3) Jeremy Roach (25:06) gutted it out for his team even though he was obviously injured and not playing anything like  he does when healthy.  His presence on the field is important for Duke on both ends of the court, both for his leadership and persona.  The senior co-captain scored 5 points (1-8 from the field, including 0-1 from deep, plus 3-4 from the stripe) to go with 2 rebounds and an assist. Scheyer added, “He didn’t have his best stuff, but he did enough just to help and make some plays.” Jeremy is a real team trooper!

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (24:04) did not play at all like the Pre-season ACC pick for player of the year (as he usually has this season).  He scored 9 points (2-8 from the field, a goose egg of 0-3 from behind the arc, plus an embarrassing 5-11 from the foul line). Flip blocked 4 Tiger shots and grabbed 4 rebounds.  He added a steal and an assist, but he committed 3 turnovers and fouled out with 7 seconds left in the game; so, he was not in the Duke lineup for the most important play of the game.

(1) Caleb Foster (20:03) scored 5 points (2-6 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land, plus 2 missed free throws at a crucial late game stage)  Caleb contributed 4 rebounds and 2 assists without a turnover.

(15) Ryan Young (16:38) scored a point (0-1 from the field plus 1-2 from the foul line).  Ryan had 4 rebounds, but his 2 offensive rebounds tell the story of his subpar outing.  On one offensive rebound, he missed a point-blank put back; on the other Clemson stole the ball from his hands.  Ryan had one defensive rebound, and committed a turnover and 3 fouls.

(13) Sean Stewart (7:05, almost all in the first half) did not build on his good performance against Louisville last week. He failed to score or even to attempt a shot.  He claimed a rebound, but committed 2 fouls.  When he and Proctor got entangled, causing a turnover, Scheyer benched Sean.

Conference Standings and Hard Week Coming Up

With only a day between the Clemson game and Duke’s road trip to Virginia Tech on Monday, January 29, followed by a Saturday (February 3) game in Chapel Hill against the conference-leading UNC Tarheels, this will be a tough week. Both games are on the road.  Duke has not had much success in Blacksburg. The short turnaround, while common in postseason tournaments, is unusual and very difficult in the regular season.  

Duke is in second place in the ACC (6-2) 2.5 games behind UNC (9-0) and must beat Carolina to retain a reasonable chance at the ACC regular title.  And it is the most traditional rivalry – Duke-Carolina! The Hokies are on a 3-game winning streak (all ACC games). This makes the conference road game at Virginia Tech a classic “trap” game.

NEXT PLAY: Monday, January 29, 2024,  at 7 pm vs the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg. ESPN

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Duke Blue Devils 77 v. Virginia Tech Hokies 65 (Season 15; Issue 19; Game 19) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #19 at Blacksburg (January 29, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Duke recovered on a short turnaround, from an uneven but winning performance against Clemson Saturday, to get the monkey off their back about losing at Blacksburg for far too many times in recent years. Although starting sluggishly against Virginia Tech, the Blue Devils held an uncomfortable margin for most of the game and closed like the better team that they are.  It would have been more comfortable if they had not missed so many foul shots (6-10, all in the second half), which should be the least of their problems to solve.  But again, the maturing of Procter, McCain, and Mitchell has been a saving grace for this team.  And tonight, the constant hustle of Ryan Young off the bench was a shot of adrenaline. Also, Roach played! While not fully recovered from his injury, he hit several timely shots at key moments which helped keep the Hokies at bay.

Alan was unusually pessimistic that this was a classic “trap game” with the short turnaround and this Saturday’s much-hyped game with undefeated (in league play) Carolina looming. Statistics show that Blacksburg is a very tough venue for opposing teams, and Virginia Tech has a much better record at home (10-1 going into the game) than on the road (1-4). However, it was encouraging and impressive that Duke outrebounded Tech, outshot them by a surprising margin from the floor, and had fewer turnovers. 

ALANALYSIS

Duke combined excellent defense, passionate rebounding, and efficient shooting in a cohesive offense where the ball moved consistently.  The Blue Devils handed out  19 assists on 31 field goals.  And it wasn’t just the assists; the ball moved so well that the Hokies had a hard time staying connected defensively.  Duke started slowly (or rather, Virginia Tech got off to a blazing start). Duke did not take its first lead until 13 minutes of the first half had elapsed.  

The Blue Devils never gave the lead up, stretching it to 11 (32-21 with 3:29 left in the first half).  But the Hokies cut it to 3 (32-29) with under a minute left in the opening stanza.  Sean Stewart retrieved an offensive rebound and tipped it to Jeremy Roach for a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer for Duke’s 35-29 halftime lead.  That was a Big Shot!

The Hokies cut Duke’s lead to 3, twice in the second half, but never got closer.  Duke’s superb shooting kept the lead comfortable, reaching double figures with 4:26 remaining (69-59) and extending it to a game high 14 points with under 2 minutes to go in the game (75-61 with 1:21 left, and 77-63 with 1:02 left).  The Hokies scored 2 meaningless hoops in the last minute for the final score of 77-67.

The Offense

The Blue Devils shot 55% from the field for the game (31-56), including 60% in the second half (16-27).  Duke’s players were accurate marksmen from behind the arc (9-17 for 53%)!  That is high level shooting!  Seven Blue Devils scored 8 or more points, four scored 10 or more. The four double digit scorers were led by Roach’s 16.  Kyle (Flip) Filipowski scored 14,  Tyrese Proctor had 12, and Ryan Young scored 10.  Jared McCain added 9 points, while Mark Mitchell and Caleb Foster added 8 points apiece.  Balanced scoring is a key asset and put pressure on the Hokie defense. 

Duke’s only weakness was at the foul line.  Duke had 0 free throw attempts in the first half and was 6-10 (60%; Flip was 2-5 and Ryan 0-1) in the second half.  While shooting 60% from the field, as Duke did in the second half, is great shooting, shooting 60% from the free throw line is a disaster.

The Defense

The Blue Devil strategy was to stop Virginia Tech’s vaunted 3-point attack.  Duke succeeded, holding the Hokies to 6-22 from behind the arc (27%; 3-11 in each half).  Scheyer: “it was our defense – to hold this team to six 3s is not easy. …  Especially on one-day prep.  They run so many tough actions, misdirections.  You have to have great communication.  We did that. … They’re difficult to guard because of how well they shoot the three.  You have to pick your poison a little bit. Our thing was trying to take away 3s as much as possible.  Because of that, we gave up some drives, and they got to the paint a little easier. … I thought our communication for 40 minutes against these guys, with one-day prep, was terrific. Mark [Mitchell] switching onto everybody, Flip did a good job besides the fouls (4 in the second half) and our guards, they really bust their butts.”

Scheyer’s enthusiasm for the defense was echoed by his players.  Proctor,  “I think communication was the biggest thing.  Cattoor (Va. Tech high scorer) is a really good shooter. I did a good job last year.  I just tried to do the same thing this year and just tried to impact him as much as I could and just chase him over every screen.” Tyrese emphasized the team aspect of the defense was “just trusting one another.  Trusting the help was going to come.”  Capt. Jeremy, “I think the switching that we had kind of messed them up a little bit. It was a good overall effort tonight.”

Rebounding

After the disastrous rebounding game against Clemson last Saturday (Clemson had 15 second-chance points to 0 for the Blue Devils), Scheyer emphasized the need to protect Duke’s defensive backboard. “We had resistance at our basket. They only got four offensive rebounds.  To out-rebound them 38-20, I think that speaks to the level of fight and resistance that we played with.”  His players agreed.

Roach, “A shout out to Ryan Young.  Obviously, Jared had 10 rebounds too, but I mean, that’s been a big thing.  Wanting to rebound.  We’re not the biggest team out there, but rebounding is all about effort.  If we’re winning the rebound battle, we most likely should win the game. … That’s always the focus coming into a game, winning the turnover, rebound and free-throw battles.” 

Flip: “Yeah, we’ve been a little inconsistent with the rebounding the last few games.  Some we’re doing great, and some we’re not.  We just keep needing those reminders.  Every team is different, and there’s going to be some games where maybe me and Mark aren’t getting as many rebounds, or Ryan, where we’ve got to worry about boxing our guys out more and then the guards can come down and crash.” 

THE ROTATION

The Rotation is a window into Coach Scheyer’s evaluation of his players by demonstrating whom he has on the court for how many minutes.  It is also a way to show our readers who scored, rebounded, assisted, made steals, and blocked shots (or turned it over).   Duke won the game in the second half, scoring 42 points while holding the Hokies at bay, with double digit leads for much of the last 10 minutes of the game.  Because the second half Rotation was different from the first half, and much different from any other game – basically down to only 6 players, — it is included before the Game Rotation.

Second Half Rotation

(5) Tyrese Proctor (20:00) scored 7 points (3-5 from the field, including 1-2 from deep) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists and a turnover.

(0) Jared McCain (20:00) scored 7 points (2-5 from the field, including 1-4 from 3land, plus 2-2 from the stripe) to go with 5 crucial rebounds, 3 assists without a turnover.

(25) Mark Mitchell (17:01) scored 4 points on 2-2 field goals with 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

(3) Jeremy Roach (16:27) scored 8 points (2-6 from field, including 2-2 from deep, both of which were crucial, plus 2-2 from the stripe) to go with 3 assists (2 turnovers).

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (12:10) had his playing time reduced because, although he was foul free in the first half, he picked up his 4^th foul with over 9 minutes to go in the game.  However, he made the most of his 12 minutes, scoring 8 points (3-4 from the field without a 3-point attempt, but a disappointing 2-5 from the free throw line).  He added 3 rebounds but committed 2 turnovers.

(15) Ryan Young (10:49) gets our ‘game ball’ for a truly amazing second half.  He scored 8 points (4-4 from the field), grabbed 3 rebounds, handed out an assist (a beautiful interior pass) and blocked a shot.  His superb play minimized the damage done by Flip’s 4 second-half fouls.  Ryan also committed 4 game fouls (2 in the closing stanza)

(1) Caleb Foster (3:33) missed his only shot from the field, failing to score in the closing stanza and turning it over once.  He played for such a short time that Duke’s second half rotation was only 6 for practical purposes.

Game Rotation

(0 )Jared McCain (38:28) scored 9 points while not shooting as well as he has in  recent games (3-10 from the field, including a woeful 1-6 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the foul line).  He led Duke in rebounding with 10 (amazing for a 6’3” guard) and handed out 3 assists without a turnover.

(5) Tyrese Proctor (37:37) scored 12 points on 8 shots (5-8 from the field, including 2-3 from 3land) to go with 3 rebounds and 5 assists (2 turnovers). He controlled the game for Duke.  He’s really back.

(25) Mark Mitchell (31:07) scored 8 points (4-6 from the field) while grabbing 8 boards, blocking a pair of Hokie shots, and handing out an assist.  He, uncharacteristically, committed 6 turnovers.  His defense is critical for Duke.

(30) Kyle Filipowski (30:38) scored 14 points (6-9 from the field, including 0-1 from behind the arc, plus 2-5 from the foul line) to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.  But he committed 3 turnovers and 4 fouls, all in the second half.

(3) Jeremy Roach (29:05) did not start the game (replacing Caleb Foster with 12:38 remaining in the first half0.  Even so, he was still Duke’s high scorer with 16 points (5-11 from the field, including a gaudy 4-5 from deep, plus 2-2 from the stripe).  Jeremy handed out 4 assists while committing a pair of turnovers.  Our co-captain was not less than gallant, playing with grit and guts when obviously still limited by his injury.

(0)Caleb Foster (14:50) was in the starting lineup and scored 8 points on his first 3 shots, all in the first 6:30 of the game, but did not score again. He handed out a pair of assists against only 1 turnover.

(15) Ryan Young (14:30) scored 10 points (5-6 from the field, 0-1 from the free throw line) to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot without a turnover.  A simply great performance.

(13) Sean Stewart (3:45, all in the first half).  Sean’s only statistic was his rebound, tapping the ball to Roach for the co-captain’s 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.  He was unfairly denied an official assist on that tap.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 7pm  v. North Carolina Tarheels (17-4 for the season and 9-1 leading the ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. [Duke is 15-4 for the season and in second place in the ACC, 2 games behind at 7-2]. UNC will not be overconfident, losing on the road to Georgia Tech on the last possession. A Duke loss would leave the Blue Devils two and a half behind, and, as a practical matter, out of contention for the regular ACC title. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 84 v. UNC Tarheels 93 (Season 15; Issue 20; Game 20) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #20 at Chapel Hill (February 3, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

When a team shoots 50% from the floor, has about the same percentage of rebounds, and still loses, they must have played poor defense, and/or one or two of the opposing players must have “career” games.  Well, Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot indeed had career games, making the difference with 46 points and 23 rebounds between them.  They also combined to shoot 18-25 from the field.  Ingram, the transfer from Stanford, was particularly adept in the first half, hitting five consecutive threes and making the defensive play of the game, while lying flat on the floor, sparking the Tar Heels to a double-digit lead that they rarely relinquished.

Duke’s guards pretty much held R J Davis, so far the POY in the ACC, in check but the truth is that Carolina is deeper in the front court than Duke, and basically Proctor and Mitchell were offensively missing in action.  In addition, the game was in Chapel Hill and any road win is tough to win in the ACC, especially at the Dean Dome.

Truly, Carolina gave the Blue Devils an offensive, and defensive, tutorial in execution and intensity that Duke must learn and adopt to be a contender not a pretender.  But so far, North Carolina has shown that they are the best, deepest, and most mature team in the ACC;  Duke is not as deep with complementary players but is working to develop them.  

OTHER COMMENTS: 

• • Free agency: Forward Cormac Ryan is 25 years old, and UNC is the third school for which he has played NCAA basketball. He must be working on his PhD.

• • Harrison Ingram’s sister is a freshman volleyball player at Duke.

ALANALYSIS

The Blue Devils Admit A Failure To Compete

Jay Bilas famously repeats, “Duke-Carolina never disappoints.”  Last night’s Duke performance made the word “never” debatable.  Not only were Duke fans disappointed, but the Blue Devil players and their coach engaged in post-game “mea culpas” about not competing in a manner that would honor the tradition of this hallowed rivalry.

Coach Scheyer: I just wasn’t happy with the way we competed. That’s disappointing for me.  … we didn’t compete to the level that you need to, to have a chance to beat this team tonight. That’s what I’m disappointed about. … You have to compete.  You still have to bring it. … I know the teams I’ve played on, coached on, the team last year and a half – we compete.  We show up.  Tonight wasn’t the level that it should be. …  The main story for me was the loose balls. As you look throughout the game, they were hungrier to get them.  And it turned into – I’ll have to go back and watch the film to see – but I bet close to 15, maybe even 20, points.” 

 Co-Captain Jeremy Roach: “We just got out-competed, out-toughed.  It’s very tough, especially in the rivalry.  We’ve got to come back Wednesday and get the win.”

Jared McCain: “They outcompeted us, for sure.  They got those 50-50 balls and it translated.  Ryan hit the three in the corner, it felt like they hit a three every time we didn’t get a loose ball.  We didn’t compete.  That’s what it came down to. … This is the game, when you commit to Duke, it’s the big game you look forward to.  It’s crazy to think that we don’t come out with energy and go play as hard as we can.  So, it sucks.” 

One play, at the end of the game, epitomized Duke’s inability to compete.  Duke 

trailed by 9 with 43 seconds left.   Roach missed a 3-pointer from the corner, but R.J. Davis was flagged for a “hook and hold” foul on Flip.  That gave Flip a pair of foul shots, and Duke keeps the ball — opportunity for as many as 5 points on the possession if Flip makes both, and Duke can hit a 3.  Flip missed the first foul shot.  Then, Proctor’s inbound pass was off target, and UNC stole it.  Duke’s opportunity resulted in only a single point.   

The Defense

What can you say about a defense that gives up 93 points (45 in the first half and 48 in the second half) and cannot efficiently resist the interior offense of Armando Bacot (25 points on 10-13 from the field and 5-7 from the foul line)?  Bacot, who had a double-double with 10 rebounds, 4 offensive, made a shambles of the Duke interior defense.  Harrison Ingram torched the defense from both deep (5-9 from deep) and on the interior for a total of 21 points to go with 13 boards.  UNC scored 27 points (9 successful shots on 24 attempts) from deep. Duke scored 12 fewer points from deep (5-19).

The Offense

Duke trailed by 10 at the half, after the game had been tied at 22 with 8:42 left in the opening stanza.  With 3:10 left in that period, the Tarheels took their first double digit lead 38-28.  Duke had scored only 6 points in 5 and half minutes. The Blue Devils scored 49 second- half points but could not substantially dent the Tarheel lead.  

In the second half, UNC led by double figures most of the way – its biggest lead was 15 points.  The Blue Devils trimmed the Carolina lead to 8 and 9 points several times (to 7 with 16 seconds left), but never made the game close enough for fans to believe Duke would win.

THE ROTATION 

We again (as we did with the Virginia Tech game last week) inserted the second half rotation ahead of the usual full game rotation because the second half rotation gives an accurate glimpse into the Coach’s evaluation of the game as it proceeded.  Only four Duke players scored in the closing period where the Blue Devils scored 49 points.  Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster, and Ryan Young failed to score a single point.  Flip led the second half scoring with 16 points.  McCain scored 14 second half points, while Jeremy added 10 and Mark scored 9.

Second-Half Rotation

Jared McCain (20:00) was dazzling in his effort, scoring 14 points (5-12, including 1-4 from behind the arc, plus 3-3 from the foul line) to go with 4 rebounds and a steal.  

Jeremy Roach (19:20) scored 10 second-half points (5-8, including 0-2 from deep, without a free throw attempt.)  The co-captain had 2 boards, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers.

Mark Mitchell (18:43) scored 9 points, corralled 5 rebounds, and blocked a shot.  He was 3-4 from the field, his only miss was from deep. 

Kyle Filipowski (18:00) led Duke’s second-half scoring with 16 points (6-10 from the field, including 1-4 from deep, plus 3-5 from the stripe.  He only had a single rebound, blocked a shot and committed a turnover….. and 3 fouls.

Tyrese Proctor (15:02) grabbed 3 defensive rebounds, handed out an assist and committed a turnover….but without scoring a single point.  He missed his only shot (from inside the arc).

Caleb Foster (5:38) had a second half-steal while committing 4 second-half fouls, fouling out with 5 total.  He did not score a point – or even take a shot –  in the second half.

Ryan Young (3:17) did not score or even attempt a shot in his brief second-half cameo, where he spelled Flip and Mark when each was given a short rest.  He had a steal, committed a foul and a turnover.

Rotation for the Full Game

(0) Jared McCain (38:08) was Duke’s high scorer with 23 points (9-18 from the field, including 2-6 from deep, plus 3-3 from the stripe.)  Astoundingly, Jared, a 6’3” guard corralled a team high 11 rebounds. For perspective, Duke’s bigs, Mark and Flip, got a combined 12 rebounds; Bacot (at 6’11”) had 10.  Jared also had a pair of steals, an assist, and a turnover.  

His coach had high praise for Jared’s competitive spirit (made even higher by his assessment of the team’s lack of competitive spirit in this game), “Jared McCain competes every single play. … He leads us in rebounding, leads us in scoring, which is great.  For me, it’s not about the scoring, though.  It’s about his competitive nature.  It’s about how he’s always talking.  He’s always upbeat and  trying to make plays. … Jared laid it on the line tonight, and that’s what you want.”

(3) Jeremy Roach (36:40) scored an efficient 20 points (9-16, including 2-5 from behind the arc) to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of turnovers.  He appears fully recovered from his ankle sprain.

(25) Mark Mitchell (36:34) scored 11 points (4-6 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land, plus 3-3 from the foul line) to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots without a turnover.

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (31:14) scored 22 points (9-17 from the field, including a frustrating 1-6 from behind the arc, and a disappointing 3-5 from the foul line –where he has been missing regularly lately) to go with 5 rebounds (versus his average of 9 rebounds per game) and a blocked shot.  2 turnovers.

(5) Tyrese Proctor (26:33) did not have a productive game.  Tyrese scored only 2 points (1-6, all inside the arc, without a free throw attempt), grabbed 3 boards and handed out a pair of assists with a turnover.  Coach Scheyer, “He didn’t have his best game tonight. … knowing Tyrese, he’s going to bounce back on Wednesday. That’s what he’s made out of.  It’s what he’s shown for a year-and-a-half.” 

(1) Caleb Foster (18:56) had a better first half, where he scored 4 points on 2-4 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land.  He had 2 boards, an assist, and a steal, with 2 turnovers.

(15) Ryan Young (6:46) scored 2 on 1-2 from the field to go with 2 rebounds, and a turnover.

(13) Sean Stewart (1:52, all in the first half) without a statistic.

Do Not Despair

Coach Scheyer emphasized that this group has been resilient and  has always bounced back from a bad performance with good play, “I really believe in this team.  The thing that I’ve said, throughout this year, this group hasn’t gotten it perfect all the time.  The core group is back from last year, they always respond. They always respond.  I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond on Monday. Practice on Tuesday.  And then, getting ready for our game on Wednesday.  That’s what this is about for me.” 

We are rooting for a bounce back for the rest of the season and look forward to hosting the Tarheels in Cameron on March 3, 2024.  But for now, we concentrate on the… 

NEXT PLAY: Wednesday, February 7 at 9 pm v. Notre Dame at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  ACCN.

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Duke Blue Devils 71 v. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 53 (Season 15; Issue 21; Game 21) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #21 at Cameron (February 7, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

While a Duke-North Carolina basketball game takes a lot out of both the winner and loser, Duke bounced back better than the Tar Heels, which, in case you have not heard, LOST TO CLEMSON AT HOME.! Granted Duke had an easier opponent in Notre Dame, but what the hell, a win is a win and not a loss, like UNC was handed.

Coach Scheyer used some old school Coach K verbal humiliation to inspire and motivate his players—even going deeper into his bench.  The usual suspects were not as offensively productive as usual, but the points were more evenly distributed than usual—not necessarily a bad thing.  

And what’s up with Filipowski?  Flip has lost his accuracy at the foul line (from 80% to 60%) and the three-point land.  Is he injured?  I noticed that he is wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm, or is he feeling the pressure of having to do too much and missing Lively as a complementary player?

On the other hand, it is a pleasure to see the development of – especially — Jared McCain (and to a lesser extent Mark Mitchell, and Caleb Foster). Sean Stewart may be getting it.  His block at one end followed by hustling the length of the court for a dunk shows he was paying attention to the Carolina fast break system. That’s the good news, but Duke shooting 43% FG, 22% 3’s, and 60%FT, will not beat the better teams outside of Cameron.

It’s a long season and is only about half over!

ALANALYSIS

Duke’s opponent is having a rough year.  The Fighting Irish are last in the ACC (2-10 after the Duke beat down) and 7-16 overall.  After Duke’s loss in Chapel Hill, and Scheyer’s public indictment that the Blue Devils did not compete, the cognoscenti opined that Duke would be on-fire intense and blow Notre Dame out – making the Irish pay. The score might suggest that’s what happened, but it is not what really happened. 

Duke did start with Scheyer’s desired intensity, opening up a 15 point lead (20-5) with 10:20 remaining in the first half.  And then the intensity seemed to evaporate.  Notre Dame outscored Duke 18 – 8 in the second 10 minutes of the opening stanza.  Duke was unable to re-establish its 15 point margin until there was only 10:15 left in the game.  The margin stretched to 19 before the game ended, and the Duke margin was never less than 14 in the last 10 minutes of the game.

The Defense

It is hard to find fault with a defense that holds its opponent to 53 points (28 in the second half), but it is accurate to point out that it wasn’t all the Duke defense.  Notre Dame players missed a boatload of wide open shots;  The Blue Devils out rebounded ND 43-35; made 10 steals, forced 15 turnovers, and blocked 6 shots.    

The Offense

The best aspect of the offense was the Blue Devils’ balanced scoring.  Mitchell and Foster led the scoring with 13 points, while McCain was also in double figures with 11 points.  Tyrese scored 9, Flip had 8, while Jeremy contributed 7 points.  The bench contributed also ( a much needed development) : Ryan scored 6 and Sean 4.  Everyone (almost) got into the act.

Duke did not shoot well from behind the arc (4-18) or from the foul line (15-25).  For the game, the Blue Devils were 26-60 (43%).  Duke had assists on half of its baskets contrasted with only 9 turnovers.

THE ROTATION

(25) Mark Mitchell (31:47) scored 13 points (4-8 from the field, including 0-2 from 3land, plus a disappointing 5-9 from the foul line) to go with 10 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a blocked shot, without a turnover.  That’s double double for the stalwart defender.

(5) Tyrese Proctor (29:18) scored 9 points (3-7 from the field, including 1-5 from deep, plus 2-2 from the foul line), grabbed 3 boards and handed out a pair of assists with 2 turnovers.  Coach Scheyer played him more than the other guards to help him get his confidence back after his subpar effort against the Tarheels. 

(3) Jeremy Roach (27:18) scored 7 points (3-10 including 1-5 from behind the arc) to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot, without a turnover.  Duke did not need the co-captain to score, but he defends hard as well, as his steal and blocked shot demonstrate.

(0) Jared McCain (25:36) scored 11 points (5-9 from the field, including 1-2 from deep, plus 0-2 from the stripe.)  Jared corralled 3 rebounds, had a pair of assists, and a steal, without a turnover.  He is becoming a star.

(1) Caleb Foster (25:24) played one of his best games of the season, scoring 13 points (4-8 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land, plus a gaudy 4-4 from the stripe).  He had 2 assists, and a steal, and a rebound, with 1 turnover.

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (21:13) scored 8 points, 0 in the first half. Flip was 2-9 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land, plus 4-6 from the foul line, to go with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.  3 turnovers.  Kyle knows he has been struggling and getting into early foul trouble. When asked what coach said to him after he picked up his 4^th foul, Flip said, “He was just trying to make sure I was doing good mentally, just because he knows I was struggling out there, just with the foul calls.  He was just checking on me.  I was trying not to overreact.” It seems to me Flip is slightly injured and playing through it.  He did not run full out when he was out in front of the defense going for a dunk.  Noteworthy that Flip was still only 2 points and a rebound from yet another double-double.

(15) Ryan Young (15:57) scored 6 points on 3-4 from the field to go with 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, an assist, and a turnover.  He led the valuable bench in this game.

(13) Sean Stewart (10:54) played his best game of the season, scoring 4 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.  He had 3 steals and a blocked shot.  The block was sensational! Sean ran the floor and was rewarded with a high flying dunk.  He was 2-3 from the field, missing his only 2 free throws.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (8:53) made his return to the court, making a steal, but missing both of his shots from the field. He failed to score.

(12) T.J. Power (3:33) failed to add any statistics in his short appearance.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 2 pm vs. Boston College in Cameron Indoor Stadium. ACCN.

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Duke Blue Devils 80 v. Boston College Eagles 65 (Season 15; Issue 22; Game 22) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #22 at Cameron (February 10, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Duke played well enough to generally dominate Boston College in the friendly confines of Cameron, but they failed in several opportunities to put the Eagles away early like a top team should. However, the last few minutes of the first half and the entire second half were more encouraging. The good news is that it was a generally solid team effort that had an equal distribution of offense and effective defense – but you have to consider the opponent. 

Filipowski and Proctor played in (for them) an offensive funk. On the other hand, McCain and Mitchell are assuming a more aggressive mode and even Stewart is showing a better feel for the game.

The Blue Devils will play tougher teams on the road very soon. It will be a better test of how much better and tougher they actually have become.

ALANALYSIS

Was this the game where Scheyer’s charges would compete with the passion that he seeks?  Sort of yes and, for a lot of the first half, sort of no. Rather, the first half felt like a replay of the Notre Dame game.  Duke had no free throw attempts in the first half, same as against the Irish..  The Blue Devils displayed an early intensity and great defense, racing out to a 22-14 lead with 9:36 left in the first half.  Then BC outscored Duke 14-5 to take a 1 point lead (28-27) with 4:52 remaining in the half.  While Duke forged a 36-32 halftime lead, B.C. had outscored Duke 18-14 over the final 9:36 of the first half.

However, the second half was different – the Blue Devils played cohesively on offense (scoring 44 second-half points) and intense team defense (B.C. held to 33 second half points).  Flip: “We did a good job getting the lead, coming out strong in the first half, but then we kind of were letting up a little bit. We gave them the lead back and then the last three minutes, we did a good job – we worked on that in practice – of just not letting up those last three minutes of the first half, putting ourselves in a good position going into the second half. We did that, but we can still do a much better job from what we showed today. Coming out [strong] in the first four minutes of the second half really gives your team a big boost for the rest of the game, so that’s what we tried to do.” 

The Defense

Scheyer: “Our defense was terrific throughout.”  B.C. shot 40% from the field for the game.  BC has been a 3-point shooting team, so Duke’s defensive emphasis was to keep B.C. from unguarded 3-point attempts, and to hold Quentin Post, (B.C.’s 7 foot import from the Netherlands, who averaged 16 points, 3 assists, and 8 rebounds per game this season) in check.  Post was able to attempt only 5 shots because of the aggressive double teaming Duke brought.  Post was 2-5 from the field and 4-6 from the stripe for 8 points.  That is Superior Defense.

The Offense

Duke handed out 19 assists on 30 made field goals. Scheyer, “I thought we really had some great sharing today, where guys are making the right play and it turned into points.”  The Coach pointed to the foul shooting attempts – 0 in the first half, 13 in the second – as demonstrating Duke’s second-half offensive aggressiveness: “Just the way we’re attacking the basket. Sometimes it goes that way though. We’ve been at our best when we’re not just settling for jump shots. I thought in the second half we did a better job. I think they had four fouls right away, just because we were more persistent in fighting for the rim and attacking the paint.” 

In the second half the Blue Devils assisted on 10 of the 14 made baskets (14-27, 52%), shot 6-14 from deep, with only 4 turnovers.  44 points!

THE ROTATION

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (35:06) scored 16 points, as his shooting eye returned. Flip was 7-15 from the field, including 2-4 from 3land, but missed his only free throw.  Kyle contributed 3 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.  Strangely, Flip corralled only a single rebound.  Scheyer: “I thought [Kyle Filipowski] had a different bounce to his step today.”

(0) Jared McCain (33:02) scored 11 points but did not have his usual accurate shooting (5-15 from the field, including 1-8 from deep, without an attempt from the stripe).  Jared, corralled 10 rebounds for a double double, had 5 assists, and no turnovers.  He is a star even when he doesn’t shoot well!

(3) Jeremy Roach (31:55) scored an efficient 16 points on 10 shots (5-10 including 2-6 from behind the arc, plus a perfect 4-4 from the foul line), to go with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and only a single turnover.  He maintains a calm control over this team whether on offense or defense.  There is no player who contributes more to this team’s success. 

(25) Mark Mitchell (28:23) played one of his best games, leading Duke in scoring with 17 points (15 in the second half). Mark was a gaudy 6-7 from the field ( including 2-2 from 3land, plus  3-4 from the foul line) to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a turnover.  Scheyer appreciating Mark: “Mark is special. He’s guarding Post, BC’s high scoring Big, on one end. We cross-matched a little bit. We did something a little bit different in some of Mark’s posts, switching on the guards. On offense, a lot of our offense runs through him. … the burst that he came out with right away in the second half, he’s the one that got us separation! We’re at our best when he’s attacking. I just love how assertive he was.”

(5) Tyrese Proctor (26:27) is starting to find his form again.  He scored 10 points (4-8 from the field, including 2-6 from deep, without an attempt from the foul line).  Tyrese grabbed 5 boards and handed out a pair of assists, with a single steal and a single turnover.

(1) Caleb Foster (24:46) scored 5 points (1-3 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land, plus 2-2 from the line).  He had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, with 1 turnover.

(13) Sean Stewart (11:37) who had played his best game of the season against Notre Dame last week, topped himself by again playing his “best game”, scoring 5 points (2-3 from the field, plus 1-2 from the foul line.)  He had 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Sean has supplied valuable bench minutes in his last two games.  Scheyer: “Sean Stewart’s minutes were key today. He had some key minutes at the end of the first half when we got the lead, coming back in the second half, he’s just growing every single game.”

(15) Ryan Young (4:54) failed to score (0-1 from the field) with a rebound. He was needed less because of Sean’s strong outing.

(12) T.J. Power (2:17) missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt, his only statistic.  

(2) Jaylen Blakes (1:33) also missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt, his only statistic.  

ACC Standings and Byes for the Tournament

The Men’s ACC tournament begins on March 12 at the Capital One Arena with all 15 teams competing in Washington D.C., with the finals on March 16.  The first night has 3 games in which the bottom 6 teams from the regular season participate.  On March 13, the winners of the first three games play against the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th seeds.  The winners of those three games go on to the quarterfinals.

The teams that finish in the top 4 places in the regular season get byes into the quarterfinals on March 14.  Semi-Finals on March 15.  Therefore, finishing in the top 4 of the regular season ACC is a valuable goal!

UNC sits atop the ACC with an 11-2 record (nipped Miami last night).  UVA is next with 10-3 (beat Florida State on the road last night), followed by Duke at 9-3, and Wake Forest (Duke’s next opponent, beat N.C. State last night) at 8-4.  The others still in contention for one of the top 4 tournament seeds are Florida State (7-5, lost to Virginia at home last night), N.C.State (7-6, lost to Wake last night), and Clemson (6-6, beat Syracuse last night).

Duke has 7 ACC games after Wake Forest: road games including at Florida State, at Wake, at Miami and at N.C. State; and home games against Louisville, Virginia and UNC.  Winning one of the top 4 seeds will not be easy…is this iteration of the Blue Devils up to it?

NEXT PLAY: Monday, February 12, 2024, at 7 pm vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Cameron Indoor Stadium. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 77 v. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 69 (Season 15; Issue 23; Game 23) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #23 at Cameron (February 12, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Although Wake Forest has not won in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1997, this year’s version of the Demon Deacons is a dangerous team. It features a deep squad of talented players, two of whom have NBA talent– Gonzaga transfers 6’ 6”guard Hunter Sallis and 7’ 0” center Efton Reid III.

Playing Wake Forest is like playing a team of helter-skelter high school all-stars trying to impress scouts. Fortunately, their center Elton Reid was called for three fouls quicker than you can spell Filipowski, so their height advantage was diminished the rest of the first half, and Wake was not hitting their shots. However, Duke, despite playing at home, could not take advantage, and only led by two points at the break. 

Reid apparently failed to learn anything in the first half, so he was quickly called for his fourth foul by the refs, who had many questionable calls against both teams.  

Anyhow, the good news is that tonight the Blue Devils played winning basketball down the stretch by hitting their free throws, while the Demon Deacons played as if there were no clock. The good news:  Flip appears to be getting his mojo back, Mitchell is attacking the boards,  McCain is a pleasure to watch, improving in all areas, and you can always count on Roach to make big, timely baskets.

OTHER COMMENTS: 

• • The Transfer Portal and NIL money makes every college player susceptible to free agency transfer every year. This is Elton Reid’s third college: LSU, Gonzaga, and Wake Forest.

• • The games get tougher, and away from Cameron, as the regular season ends.

• • BTW,  I wish someone would explain to me the change in the rules that has only blocks and not charges called.  [there was a change in the “interpretation” of the rules after last season. The defensive player must now be set before the offensive player starts to elevate.  That’s what is new and resulting in more blocks and fewer charges being called  ~Alan]

ALANALYSIS

While Duke is not dominating by establishing huge leads, there is a kind of domination when Duke’s opponent does not ever lead in the game for the full 40 minutes.  While the game was tied  twice in the first half and twice again in the second half, Duke maintained at least a 2-possession lead (high as 9 points) for the last 17:30 of the game. Impressive.   

Scheyer: “For us not to give them the lead for 40 minutes, I think that’s a big- time thing.  I thought Mark and Flip were men.  I thought they were really tough tonight.  And these guys, anybody who doubts their toughness, what they’re about, they don’t know Mark Mitchell, they don’t know Kyle Filipowski!”  

The Defense

Flip praised the team defense, “We didn’t have the best offensive first half, but our defense was really good. [Wake Forest] is one of the top offenses in our league too, so we made it a priority that getting stops was key.  Just down the stretch in the second half, we’ve been doing a really good job of staying close as a team on the court, even when things are getting a little rough.  We may have some stupid turnovers. We’re still helping each other – we’re not yelling at one another to bring each other down.”

Wake has averaged over 80 points per game so far this season; the Blue Devils held them to 69, 11 points under their season average .  However, Duke gave up 42 second-half points to Wake.  The Duke defense in the first half may not have been the major reason why the Demon Deacons scored only 27 first-half  points.  It was jaw-dropping how many wide open 3s Wake missed (0-11 before making their final 4 first-half 3-point attempts).

The Offense

Duke handed out 14 assists on 26 made field goals in the game. The Blue Devils scored 48 second-half points on 11- 13 inside the arc (4-11 from deep, plus 83% foul shooting 14-17).  

Duke’s explosive second-half scoring was produced by only 4 Blue Devils.  Only 6 played in the second half.  Proctor did not score in his 11 minutes, while Caleb scored only 2 points in his 13 minutes.  The explosiveness came from Mark (16 points, while playing all 20 minutes). In the second half, he was 6-7 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus 3-5 from the stripe.  Flip played all 20 minutes scoring 11 points (4-6, missing his only two 3-point attempts, plus 3-4 from the stripe).  McCain also played all 20 minutes, scoring 12 points (2-4 from deep, and a deeply appreciated 6-6 from the foul line).  Duke’s senior co-captain (Mr. Reliable), Jeremy Roach, scored 7 points on only 4 shots (3-4 from the field, including 1-1 from behind the arc).

Duke’s lack of punch off the bench against elite teams could be a postseason problem.

THE ROTATION

(25) Mark Mitchell (38:12) again played one of his best games, leading Duke in scoring with 23 points (16 in the second half). Mark was 9-14 from the field, (including 1-2 from 3land, plus  4-8 from the foul line) to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a turnover.  Mark: “We’re growing up and growing together. I think that really matters, especially at this point in the season. When you get close in these late games, conference games and it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s not really X’s and O’s – it’s just who’s going to fight and who’s going to compete, and I think tonight we did that.” 

(0) Jared McCain (37:56) scored 17 points (4-10 from the field, including 3-7 from deep, plus a gaudy clutch 6-6 from the stripe.)  Jared corralled 10 rebounds for another double double, had 4 assists, and a steal, but also had 3 turnovers.  Scheyer on his freshman star, “Jared, it’s four out of five games he’s had double-digit rebounds.  He’s a warrior. … his defense has just come such a long way too.  And for freshmen, that’s the hardest adjustment.  How to be physical without fouling.  How to move as the ball moves, different rotations, different things.  It’s just different.  And it’s at a faster speed.  He’s embraced all of that. …. and, he can really guard.” 

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (37:52) scored 21 points, (Flip was 8-14 from the 

field, including a frustrating 1-6 from 3land, plus 4-7 from the foul line to go with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots. But, 4 turnovers).   Scheyer: praising Flip (and Mark’s) toughness. “Those guys were just men tonight.… Flip just had a different burst to him tonight.”

(3) Jeremy Roach (29:49) scored an efficient 12 points on 8 shots. (5-8 including 2-4 from behind the arc, without a foul shot) to go with 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal, but with 3 turnovers.   Jeremy provided steadiness on both ends of the court.  The senior captain is close to Duke’s most important player!

(5) Tyrese Proctor (25:30) was again scoreless from the field (0-5 from the field, including 0-4 from deep, without an attempt from the foul line).  Tyrese grabbed 4 boards and handed out 2  assists with a steal and a turnover.  Tyrese got banged up again, which may have contributed to his scoreless game.

(1) Caleb Foster (25:47) scored 4 points (0-4 from the field, including 0-2 from 3land, plus 4–4 from the line).  He had an assist and a steal.  Caleb runs the team with aplomb, but his inconsistent shooting limits his offensive effectiveness.  He is an excellent defender.

(13) Sean Stewart (1:39 ) regressed in his short cameo on the court.  He immediately committed 2 fouls and turned it over.  He had a rebound before he was pulled  from the game and did not return.  Young players need to learn consistency.

(15) Ryan Young (2:08) failed to score (0 shots from the field) with a rebound. The Coach is restricting his rotation

(2) Jaylen Blakes (:58) did not earn a statistic

(12) T.J. Power (:09) did not earn a statistic

The bench, besides Caleb’s 4 points —  Ryan, Sean, T.J. Power and Jaylen Blakes — all failed to score.  Scheyer has trust in his starters only, it seems.  Duke will need an effective bench for post-season success.

The ACC Is a Tougher Conference than the Cognoscenti Believe

The ACC is disrespected in the polls, with only 3 ranked teams: UNC (11-3 in the conference; 7th in the AP and 5th in the Coaches’ poll); Duke (10-3 in the conference; 9th in the AP and 8th in the Coaches’ poll); and UVA, (10-4 in the conference; 21st in each of the polls). However, the ACC has some unranked teams with impressive wins over the ranked teams.

Syracuse (7-7) and Georgia Tech (3-10) each beat UNC on their home courts and Clemson (6-6) won in the Dean Dome.  UVA lost to Pitt (7-6) at home last night, and has lost to Notre Dame (3-10), Wake Forest (8-5) and N.C. State (7-6) on the road.  And, of course, Duke has lost to Pitt and Georgia Tech.

Fabulous regular season race for the title (Duke was the preseason favorite, but hasn’t looked like a contender until now) and for the four double byes in the ACC tournament. 

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 2 pm vs. Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, Florida. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 76 v. Florida State Seminoles 67 (Season 15; Issue 24; Game 24) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #24 at Tallahassee (February 17, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

This was a very interesting and important win for a young Duke team.  Analytics and logic told us that Duke would have a difficult time securing a victory against Florida State in Tallahassee.  The Blue Devils always have a tough time beating the Seminoles on their home court.  The Seminoles are tall (four players 6’10’ & over, most of their guards  6”5”); Coach Leonard Hamilton recruits tall, athletic players, often pressing an opponent all over the floor, and rotating at least eleven or so players.  In addition, because of concussion protocol, point guard Tyrese Proctor remained at home, unable to travel and unavailable to play.

The game looked like a rout when the Seminoles immediately went up 14-8 while not missing a shot.  Then Duke hit four threes – three by Jared McCain, one by Jeremy Roach – and Kyle Filipowski converted two consecutive free throws, in what seems like the first time all season – to put the Blue Devils up 22-16.  Duke didn’t blow Florida State out, but they never let them back in the lead either as the McCain show was just beginning.

Truthfully, I expected McCain to cool off and the rest of the players to tire out, but Duke played tough, and the subs—Jaylen Blakes, Sean Stewart, and Ryan Young—helped hold the lead at various times by diving for loose balls and outrebounding the Seminoles.

When all was said and done, McCain had scored as many points in a single game as any freshman not named Zion Williamson.  He also made eight 3-pointers, just one shy of the all-time Blue Devil record!

While Jared was most impressive—his offensive explosion was not totally unexpected; you could see it developing, the important story of the game was a critical win, in which the entire team demonstrated the determination and toughness to defend and rebound beyond their size and weight.  This team might just finish the season on a high note.

ALANALYSIS

Duke came out of the blocks slowly, trailing Florida State 16-11 after the first five minutes of play. But, in the next seven minutes, the Blue Devils reeled off 11 straight points! – beginning with a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer, 2 free throws by Kyle Filipowski (that he actually made), and a pair of back to back 3-pointers by Duke’s freshman star, Jared McCain.  22-16.  

Florida State never led or tied the game again.  The Seminoles reduced the Duke lead to 2 once and to 3 once, but the Duke lead for the remainder of the game fluctuated between 5 and 11 points.

At the end of the first half, Duke led by 10  ( 44-34). McCain’s amazing 25 points in the first half left the Seminoles gasping in frustration, unable to defend him.    Jared sank his first 9 shots, 7 of them from deep.  He capped off the performance of his career with 7 seconds left in the first half when he intercepted a Seminole pass and headed for a layup, stopped just over the arc, stepped back behind the 3-point line and sank the 3-pointer at the half-time buzzer.!  A Sports Center highlight to be treasured!!

Tyrese Proctor Did Not Play

Tyrese did not make the Florida trip because of a concussion he suffered in the Wake Forest game.  Duke’s season will be impacted negatively if Proctor will miss significant time to recover, but Tyrese’s replacement in the starting lineup, Caleb Foster, and the backcourt reserve, Jaylen Blakes, played so well, Tyrese was hardly missed at either end of the court against the Seminoles.  Duke’s bench will be crucial for the postseason, giving starters a rest without offense or defense diminishing in effectiveness.

Duke Played With Intensity

Coach Scheyer was pleased : “I think we were just tough.  We were really tough throughout.  We weren’t perfect, and very rarely can you be perfect on the road. Especially here.  You have to be able to turn the page quickly when you make a mistake, when they turn you over, because you’re not going to walk out of here with zero turnovers.  It’s not going to happen.  There were a couple of key plays, that’s why I mentioned Jaylen and Sean, because they got loose balls for us.  Our guys were all over the floor.  To out- rebound them [Seminoles] by nine and have 15 offensive rebounds, I think that’s a big step. … Sean, in the second half, what he did.  He got a few loose balls, those were critical.  Caleb Foster, for a freshman to handle the ball for 35 minutes and have three assists and one turnover, again you’re not going to necessarily see it in the box score, but it was key to the win today what those three guys did.”

On one possession in the second half, the Seminoles lost composure and allowed Duke to lock up the game.   Florida State tried everything to cool McCain off (he was 3-10 in the second half) but stepped over the line 9:58 left in the game, having reduced the Duke lead to 6 (55-49).  McCain fouled De’Ante Green, who only played 3 minutes in the game (non-shooting), who reacted by throwing the ball at Jared.  Technical foul and 2 free throws, and Duke retains the ball.   McCain made both free throws and then garnered an offensive rebound from a Flip miss and sank a 3-pointer.  Duke scored five points on that possession out of a bad emotional action that drew a technical foul – for an 11 point lead! (60-49) with 9:12 left.  For the remainder of the game, the Duke lead never dipped under 7 points and was mostly in double figures.

The Defense

Duke outrebounded the much taller Seminoles 36-27, and held them to 9 offensive rebounds (Duke grabbed 15).   The key was shutting down the Florida State 3-point attack (4-14; 12 points on 28% shooting).  

The Offense

Duke was 10-16 from behind the arc 62% (mostly Jared’s 8-11) for 30 points.  You can see what made the difference in the game.  However, The Blue Devils must do better than turning it over 17 times while handing out only 10 assists, as was their record was against Florida State.

THE ROTATION

(0) Jared McCain (39:02) tied Zion’s freshman scoring record!! with 35 points (25 in the first half). For the game, Jared was 12-20 from the field, including 8-11 from behind the arc, plus 3-4 from the foul line. Jared corralled 4 rebounds and had an assist.  He played excellent defense, having 3 steals, but had 5 turnovers.  

Scheyer on his freshman star, “I didn’t think we came out with the right defensive mentality at first, and Jared steadied us with his scoring.  And then to close the half, he had a couple big three’s as well. That moment in the second half, he hits the two free throws and the three, I don’t know what that stretched the lead to but that was a critical moment.”  Scheyer is referring to the 5 point possession that came from the stupid technical foul called on the Seminoles. When Jared hit the 3-pointer to make a 5 point possession it gave Duke, an 11 point lead with 9:38 left in the game.

(3) Jeremy Roach (36:05) was the only other Duke double figure scorer with 17 points. (5-12 including 2-4 from behind the arc, plus an important 5-6 from the stripe) to go with 2 rebounds and 4 assists.  Despite 4 turnovers, Jeremy provided steadiness on both ends of the court.  He is such an asset!

(1) Caleb Foster (34:50) ran the Duke offense in Tyrese Proctor’s absence, handing out 3 assists, but importantly committing only a single turnover, when other Blue Devils were turning it over consistently.  Caleb scored 4 points (2-7 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land, without a free throw attempt). Simply, he ran the team with aplomb.  He is also an excellent defender who did a wonderful job replacing Proctor.

(25) Mark Mitchell (33:48) scored 7 points (3-7 from the field without an attempt from 3land, plus  a disappointing 1-5 from the foul line) to go with 4 rebounds, and a turnover.  Mark is a terrific defender, who was needed against the Seminoles huge front line.  

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (27:32) did not have his usual, high scoring game.  He scored 8 points (Flip was 3-7 from the field, without a 3-point attempt,  plus 2-2 from the foul line) to go with 8 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. But he had 6 turnovers. 

(15) Ryan Young (7:21) failed to score (0-1 where the referee failed to call an obvious goal tend) with a rebound, an assist on a beautiful interior pass, and a blocked shot.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (10:33) had 5 first-half points on 1-1 from the field, plus 3-3 from the stripe, to go with great defense and a steal.  He helped cover the loss of Proctor in the backcourt.

(13) Sean Stewart (4:18) had 4 rebounds and a steal, all in his 3:02 second-half minutes.  He was valuable in his cameo. The bench played well and contributed to this critical win.

As we keep repeating, Coach Scheyer’s efforts to create a reliable bench have been an ongoing challenge this season.  The bench’s performance against the Seminoles gives cause for optimism .

Miami is the Next Opponent

Miami has had great runs in the postseason for the last 2 years (Elite 8 in 2022 and Final Four last year), but this year has been a surprising disaster (6-9 in the ACC with 4 straight losses). The Hurricanes have the personnel to beat Duke, but not the record to instill fear of losing in the Blue Devils, a potentially dangerous situation in a conference road game. 

NEXT PLAY: Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 7 pm vs. Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Florida. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 84 v. Miami Hurricanes 55 (Season 15; Issue 25; Game 25) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #25 at Miami (February 21, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Duke went to Miami, a Final Four team last year (which is now without two key players) and played like a good team should, blowing out the Hurricanes in an impressive win. While away games are generally a tough ticket for most ACC teams this year, this was an encouraging outing for the Blue Devils, but real validation must come Saturday at Wake Forest.

What I liked most was the balance in scoring and the confidence in shooting.  No longer are the Blue Devils reliant on Filipowski for a disproportionate number of points, but he is better integrated into a balanced offense which is more team centric.  Whom does an opponent double team?  Everyone can score.  Pick your poison—McCain, Roach, Mitchell, Procter, Foster, and Flip.

And the substitutes are contributing. Young was all over the floor, even breaking up a 4 on 1 fast break. Stewart is showing progress. And Blakes is always a wild card. 

Stay tuned. This could get interesting!

Other Comments:

• • Jay Bilas was an announcer for this game.  For my taste, he is the best in college basketball.
    • • McCain demonstrates a rare maturity for a freshman.  He is not a gunner.  He is team centric.  He just supplies as is needed.

• • Procter was back with limited minutes.  He did not look impaired from his concussion.

ALANALYSIS

Once again Duke never trailed in this game, scoring the first 4 points, while maintaining a small lead through the first 10 minutes of the opening period.  The Blue Devils took their first double digit lead (24-14) with 8:15 left in the first period.  Duke led by 20 (38-18 when Jeremy Roach made back to back 3-pointers!) with only 2:26 remaining in the opening stanza.

 Duke totally dominated the game on both offense and defense with a lead in the second half that was never less than 17 points (48-31) at its lowest early in the second half.  The Blue Devils led by as much as 31 points (84-53 with 46 seconds left in the game). 

Tyrese Proctor Returned to Play

Tyrese did not make the trip to Florida State because of concussion-like symptoms from an injury he suffered in the Wake Forest game.  The Australian returned to the game AND to form, against Miami, scoring 12 points (9 in the second half).  Proctor also garnered 3 boards, handed out 5 assists and made a steal, with only a single turnover.  Coach Scheyer – “I was really happy with Tyrese.  We didn’t know how many minutes he could play tonight.  He’s done about 10 minutes of contact since the last game he played against Wake Forest.  I thought he had great minutes, played at a great pace.” 

The Defense

The Blue Devils switching flummoxed the Hurricanes who could not beat the Duke defenders one on one.  Duke held Miami to 55 points in the game    The Hurricanes scored only 23 first-half points. (29% shooting in the first half and 31% in the second half). Duke played beautiful defense!

The Offense

Duke shot the lights out! (60% in the second half to score 44 points; 52% for the game.)  Balanced scoring has been a feature of Duke’s offense.  Roach scored 16, Flip and Mark each notched 15 points.  Tyrese scored 12 and Caleb 11.  McCain had 7 and Ryan Young notched 4 points.  Duke had 19 assists on 28 field goals. Duke played beautiful offense!

THE ROTATION

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (31:00) scored 15 points, (Flip was 5-7 from the field, including 2-3 from 3land,  plus 3-4 from the foul line) to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocked shots (a single turnover).  Scheyer, “it was one of Filipowski’s best games.  It’s not going to show in the box score, but he played with great poise.  He was really strong.  He played great defense.  He makes the game so much easier for everybody else on the floor.“

(0) Jared McCain (30:54) unusually scored only 7 points (3-9 from the field, including 1-6 from behind the arc, without a free throw attempt). Jared corralled 5 rebounds and had an assist and a pair of turnovers, as he returned to human form (after a god-like outing against Florida State).  Jared played excellent defense.  

(1) Caleb Foster (27:59) scored an efficient 11 points on 7 shots from the field (4-7,  including 3-5 from 3land, without a free throw attempt).  Caleb has been running the team with aplomb.  He is an excellent defender who did a wonderful job replacing Proctor, and now contributes in the rotation.  Foster handed out a pair of assists and committed a turnover.

(25) Mark Mitchell (26:41) scored 15 points (5-7 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus  a 4-8 from the foul line) to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a blocked shot, and a steal with 2 turnovers.  Mark is a terrific defender; he enabled Duke to switch every time Miami set a screen.

(3) Jeremy Roach (24:27) was Duke’s best player, leading the Blue Devils in scoring with 16 points (4-8 from the field including 2-4 from behind the arc, plus an important 4-5 from the stripe) to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.  Jeremy provided steadiness on both ends of the court.  He is such an asset!

(5) Tyrese Proctor (23:16) scored 12 key points in his return to the court.  He showed no signs of rust (4-9 from the field, including 2-6 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the free throw line) to go with 5 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal.  Tyrese committed only a single turnover.

(13) Sean Stewart (10:56) led Duke in rebounding with 7, and made a steal.  Sean scored 2 points on 1-3 from the field.  He played well and contributed to this critical win.

(15) Ryan Young (9:51) played a great game, scoring 4 points on 2-2 from the field, grabbing 9 rebounds, and handing out 2 assists without committing a turnover.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (7:51) failed to score, but played great energizing defense.  

(12) T.J. Power (4:01) missed his only field goal attempt, a 3-pointer.

The bench did its job, especially Ryan with 9 rebounds.

ACC Regular Season Climax Approaches

Duke and UNC are tied for the ACC Regular season lead at 12-3.  UVa is 11-5 and  Wake Forest is 9-6.  Four teams have 7 losses: Clemson, Pittsburgh, N.C.State, and Florida State.  Syracuse is 8-8.  Saturday is a big day with Duke visiting a red hot Wake, while the Tarheels visit UVa.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 2 pm vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston Salem, N.C. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 79 v. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 83 (Season 15; Issue 26; Game 26) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #26 at Wake Forest (February 24, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Wake Forest had not lost a game at home this basketball season, and they deserved to win this one as Duke played as poorly, in critical spots, as they have all year.  At the end of the first half,  Blakes pointlessly fouled a Wake guard just past half court with virtually no time on the clock. Had Wake not had those points, the game and the strategy would have been entirely different at the end.  Duke had several opportunities in the first half to go up double digits, but they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity—or Wake didn’t let them.

However, the Demon Deacons played a terrific game and deserved the win that they probably had to have to remain viable for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Duke lost their poise in the last minutes, when they could have extended or won the game: Roach, of all players, lost the ball twice, and Proctor threw a poor pass which went out of bounds off an unsuspecting Filipowski.

In their first game, at Cameron, which Duke won, Wake’s big men got in foul trouble early, and Duke was more poised at winning time.  This time Mitchell, Young, Filipowski and Roach were in foul trouble early.  But make no mistake, Wake Forest played better, with more poise, and deserved to win.

Objectively, it was a terrific college basketball game that featured 14 lead changes and 7 ties. The loss snaps what was previously a five-game winning streak for the Blue Devils and topples the squad from the top spot in the ACC standings with just four games to play in the regular season.  For Wake Forest, the marquee win means new life in the pursuit of an NCAA tournament berth. 

Deacon Sallis was the star of the game, leading both teams in scoring with 29 points and shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.  Down two points at halftime, Sallis — a Gonzaga transfer and the ACC’s fourth-leading scorer at 18.3 points per game — hit three 3-pointers almost immediately out of the locker room in the second half to seize a 51-46 lead for the Demon Deacons. Sallis and Miller led the way for Wake Forest, but the home team also got a boost from Hildreth and senior forward Andrew Carr. The pair helped the Demon Deacons keep parity in a fast paced second half and finished with 12 and 18 points, respectively.  And like a lot of college games, the outcome came down to which team has more poise and executes most efficiently in the last minutes. Today it was Wake Forest.

To add injury to insult and institutional ineptness, a sold out Joel Arena (the first time in seven years) stormed the court and in the ensuing chaos, Filipowski was apparently injured so badly, he had to be assisted to the dressing room.  That should never have happened!

OTHER COMMENTS:

• • Storming the court is just a fantasy of students and fans thinking they are crucial participants of a sporting event—when, in fact, they are not!  They are there to witness—live—the event.  They are not participants. Television cameras—and getting seen on TV are probably the cause of it all. Too many people want to be seen on TV—to be CELEBRITIES—when, in fact, they merely look like fools—often, drunken fools.

• • Protection of opposing players is the responsibility of the host school.  This sort of thing should never happen!  The Big Ten and SEC solved the problem (with financial penalties on schools who do not prevent it).  The ACC should as well.

ALANALYSIS

What a great college basketball game!  Wake Forest played terrific offensive basketball; Duke did too (until the last few minutes of “winning time”).  Duke gave up 47 second-half points, but kept the game close by scoring 41 of its own second-half points.  It was an amazing second half, which requires that the second half rotation be set out fully after the individual statistics for the entire game.

The Defense

Pretty hard to praise a defense that gave up 83 points in the game and an outrageous 47 points in the closing period.  For perspective, UNC beat UVa 54-44.  The Demon Deacons scored 3 more points in the second half against Duke than UVa did in the entire game against the Tarheels.  Scheyer’s accurate analysis, “They came out right away and went inside on us, and we didn’t have an answer. We’ve doubled the post at times, other times we’ve played one-on-one.  When we went one-on-one, they scored.  When we doubled, they kicked it out for 3’s. …’  He added (also accurately) “I think on some of those [shots], you have to tip your hat.  The Demon Deacons shot 70% from the field in the second half, including a gaudy 5-5 from behind the arc (53% from deep for the game (9-17 for 27 points).    

The Offense

Duke shot the lights out (60% in the second half to score 41 points; 53% for the game.)  Balanced scoring has been a feature of Duke’s offense in recent games and was again against Wake Forest.  Flip scored 17,  Roach scored 16,  McCain had 15, and Tyrese scored 14. Caleb added 8 points, all in the first half.  Jeremy committed 2 quick fouls in the first half and only played 8 first half minutes, scoring just 2 points.   Duke missed Mark Mitchell’s scoring.  He added only 6 points (3 in each half) on 2-5 from the field and 2-5 from the foul line.  One play is worth describing.  Duke trailed 53-30 when Flip missed a jumper and Wake’s Hildreth got the rebound.  Jared came from behind and made a swift steal and in almost the same motion whipped it ahead to Jeremy.  Jeremy drove on the basket, bringing the defense to him as he pinpointed Tyrese for an open 3.  53-53.  The ball barely hit the floor and the passes were beautiful.

Turnovers at “Winning Time”

With 6:23 left in the game, Roach hit a layup but got fouled and converted the free throw for a 3-point play– and a 69-67 Duke lead.  Wake responded with a 3-pointer, for a 70-69 lead that the Demon Deacons never relinquished.  But Duke had chances.  Wake’s lead fluctuated between a single point and 5 points.  

With 1:37 left in the game, Duke trailed by 3 (79-76), after McCain made 2 foul shots.  With the Blue Devils trailing by a single possession, Roach had the ball stolen! from him, which became a Wake layup with 1:06 left in the game (81-76).  

With just 43 seconds remaining, Flip hit a clutch 3 to bring the Blue Devils within 2 points (81-79).  When Wake missed, Duke had the ball, down 2 with 12 seconds remaining.  With one last glaring turnover – Proctor’s uncontested pass went off Flip’s hand and out of bounds – Duke’s chance to win was extinguished.

Scheyer on turnovers at “winning time” – “when you play a really high-level team like this, it’s not about who wants it more.  They want it just as bad as you do and vice versa.  It comes down to not just playing hard, but execution.  We call it winning the details. You have to win the details. So, if it’s one block out, it’s not fouling at the end of the half, it’s taking care of the ball and getting a shot up, that’s the difference.  I know our team; I love our team.  We’re going to learn from this and bounce back.” (Emphasis added)

Roach: I think we just made too many careless mistakes.  Scouting report mistakes, knowing your personnel mistakes, leaving wide-open shooters, jumping off people who don’t shoot the ball.  Just careless mistakes and I put it on myself, as well.” 

Scheyer is Upbeat about the Remainder of the Season

“They shoot 70-percent from the field.  For me, the fact that they shot 70-percent from the field in the second half, and we put ourselves in a position to win, I think that says a lot about us.  I think that says a lot about our team.  We’ve come off a stretch where we’ve played three road games in a row.  We have four more games to go in the season and we’re right there.  We’re right there.  A lot to play for!” 

THE ROTATION FOR GAME AND SECOND HALF

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (37:58) was Duke’s high-scorer with 17 points (6-13 from the field, with a disappointing 1-6 from 3land) — but the single three-pointer was crucial with 43 seconds left in the game —  plus 4-4 from the foul line) to go with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a single turnover. Flip played all 20 minutes of the second half, scoring 10 points. 

(0) Jared McCain (36:21) scored 15 points (4-7 from the field, including 3-4 from behind the arc, plus a perfect 4-4 from the stripe). Jared corralled 5 rebounds and had an assist, plus a steal and a block without a turnover.  Jared also played excellent defense.  

(5) Tyrese Proctor (31:05) scored 14 points (5-10 from the field, including 2-6 from behind the arc, without a free throw attempt) to go with 3 assists and a rebound.  Tyrese committed only a single turnover.

(3) Jeremy Roach (28:19) was Duke’s best player in the second half when he scored 14 of his 16 points (6-8 from the field including 1-1 from behind the arc, plus an important 3-3 from the stripe) to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Jeremy committed 3 turnovers, the final two being devastating. Nevertheless, Jeremy provides steadiness on both ends of the court.  He is such an asset.

(25) Mark Mitchell (27:28) scored only 6 points (2-5 from the field including 0-1 from 3land, plus  2-5 from the foul line) to go with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, a blocked shot, and 2 turnovers.  Mark had foul trouble, which curtailed his aggressiveness on defense and had Scheyer playing Ryan Young defending in his stead.

(1) Caleb Foster (22:04) scored an efficient 8 first-half points (3-5 from the field, including 2-4 from 3land) without a free throw attempt. Caleb played only 4 second-half minutes with a turnover as his only second-half statistic. 

(15) Ryan Young (11:27) scored 3 points on 3-4 from the foul line while grabbing 3 rebounds and a steal while committing a turnover before he fouled out. Like Mitchell, he was unable to stop Deacon Big Man Andrew Carr without resorting to fouling (Carr was 7-8 in the second half).

(2) Jaylen Blakes (3:32) failed to score, missing his only shot badly and committing a bad foul at the end of the first half.

(13) Sean Stewart (2:17 ) without a statistic.

Second Half

Jeremy (14 points), Jared (10 points), and Flip (7 points), each played all 20 minutes of the second half.  Roach was a gaudy 5-6 from the field, including 1-1 from deep, plus 3-3 from the stripe.  Alas, those two turnovers in the last minute!  McCain did not miss in the second half:  3-3 from the field, including 2-2 from 3land, plus 2-2 from the foul line. McCain had 2 rebounds, a steal, and a blocked shot.  Flip was 2-6 from the field, including 1-3 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe.

Tyrese played 15:28 scoring 6 points on 2-4 from deep.  He had an assist and a turnover.  Ryan played 5:56 with a point (1-2), 3 boards and a blocked shot.  Caleb played only 4:32.

ACC Regular Season Climax Approaches

Duke lost to Wake while UNC beat UVa. UNC now leads at 13-3. Duke is 12-4, UVa is 11-6, and Wake Forest is 10-6.  After them,there are 3 teams with seven losses: Clemson (9-7), Pittsburgh (9-7), and  N.C. State (9-7).  Duke still has N.C. State in Raleigh plus UNC and UVa at Cameron.

NEXT PLAY: Wednesday , February 28, 2024, at 7 pm vs. Louisville Cardinals in Cameron Indoor Stadium. ACCN.

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MOST RECENT GAME

 

Duke Blue Devils 84 v. Louisville Cardinals 59 (Season 15; Issue 27; Game 27) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #27 at Cameron (February 28, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

The most important aspect of the game was that Filipowski started, won the tip (but didn’t have his “A” game tonight). However, Duke didn’t need it against Louisville, as Roach, McCain, and Mitchell did bring their “A” games. The bad news is that Caleb Foster did not play because of a foot injured in the Wake Forest game. 

Coach Jon Scheyer used the game to give freshmen Sean Stewart and T.J. Power some playing time, undoubtedly with the ACC and NCAA Tournaments in mind. The athletically gifted Stewart was the most impressive.  Fellow classmate guard Jared McCain commented: “The freshmen, we’re so close, so anytime I see Sean doing well, it just warms my heart.  He almost had a double-double, so for him to do well, it’s like, I love seeing it.  It literally makes my day seeing my boys playing and doing well.”

These two freshmen, who do not ever start, combined for 12 points, including two crowd-pleasing dunks by Stewart and a three by Power.

Unfortunately, the journey gets more difficult with games against Virginia, North Carolina State, and UNC coming up prior to the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

OTHER COMMENTS:

·      The best play was probably a Kyle Filipowski behind the back pass under the basket to Sean Stewart that no one saw coming, including Stewart.

·       Sign of the times: Duke QB Riley Leonard is rumored to be getting $3,000,000 in NIL money to transfer to Notre Dame, and Jared McCain is said to be making about the same amount on Tik Tok social media.

ALANALYSIS

The Good

With this victory, Duke clinched the double bye for the ACC tournament. The double bye was the first regular season goal for the Blue Devils. This puts them in the quarterfinals for their first tournament game which will be on the third day of the tournament. [It is a five day tournament.  Last 8 teams play in the first round on the first day.  The winners of those 4 games play the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th seeds on the second day.  The winners of those 4 games play the top 4 seeds (who have yet to play) on Day 3.  Semi-finals on day 4; championship game on day 5.]

The Bad

The Duke bench was thin against Louisville, manned by players without substantial playing time during the season.  Sean Stewart and T.J. Power saw extra minutes.  Jaylen Blakes logged only 3 minutes without contributing.  Ryan Young was his usual stout-hearted bench player.

The Ugly

What went unpublicized in the aftermath of the Wake Forest floor rush,was that Caleb Foster was badly injured early in the second half of that game.  He did not dress for the Louisville game (on the bench in street clothes with his foot in a boot).  Coach Scheyer lamented, “We have to adjust without Caleb.  My heart breaks for him that he couldn’t play today; he has had such a good year, and he impacts winning in so many ways besides just the box score and the stats. We’re going to be without him for some time.  I do not know what that time is, but we have to adjust. 

The Defense

Duke played great defense in the first half, limiting the Cardinals to 29% shooting  (including 1-11 from behind the arc).  Scheyer: “Overall, our defense was really good.  Besides [allowing] a few transition baskets in the first half, I thought we did a really good job.”  Duke led by 26 early in the second half and maintained a substantial double digit lead throughout, with the intensity of the defense waning slightly (human nature).

The Offense

The offense was humming, and the ball was moving in a wondrous fashion.  For the game, Duke had 23 assists on 32 field goals (10 assists on 13 baskets in the first half; 13 assists on 19 field goals in the closing period).  Proctor led by handing out 7 assists.  As a result of such ball-sharing, the Blue Devils shot 56% for the game.

THE ROTATION 

(3) Jeremy Roach (34:38) was Duke’s best player!! scoring 19 points (11 in the second half) to lead  the Blue Devils in scoring  (8-11 from the field including 3-4 from behind the arc) to go with 6 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist.  Scheyer: “He could have had 30 tonight. I don’t think any of you guys would disagree with me. He played within himself; he played both sides of the ball. … he plays his best when the moment is the biggest.  He’s not afraid of anything.  I think that gives our team a lot of confidence when he’s out there.  You can tell he’s not fazed.  Does that mean he never makes mistakes?  No, of course, everybody makes mistakes.  For me, what Jeremy has done and his approach, being a team guy, being a Duke guy, his legacy is going to be felt in a big way.  It’s different doing it in 2024, no offense to guys who have done it in 2010 and other times.  It’s a different age; to have a four-year senior like Jeremy, that’s a special thing.” 

(5) Tyrese Proctor (32:38) scored 8 points (3-7 from the field, including 1-5 from behind the arc, plus 1-2 from the stripe) to go with a team high 7 assists, a steal and a rebound.  Tyrese committed only a single turnover.

(0) Jared McCain (32:23) scored 14 points, 12 of them from behind the arc (4-9 from the field) plus a perfect 2-2 from the stripe.  He corralled 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal, but also committed 3 turnovers.  On top of that, what excellent defense Jared played! 

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (29:24) scored with 9 points, (4-8 from the field, without an attempt from 3land, plus 1-2 from the foul line) to go with 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and a blocked shot.  But, Flip was back to his foul trouble, committing 4 fouls (3 in the closing stanza) and 4 turnovers.  Flip still made it to the game after being moshed by the Wake fans, who stormed the floor after the game ended,  and was only a point from a double double (10 rebounds and 9 points) with 6 assists and the amazing! behind the back pass that shocked Sean (as Bill describes above).  Flip had an astounding +31 in the +/- category; that means that in the 29:24 that Flip was on the court, Duke scored 31 more points than Louisville.

(25) Mark Mitchell (29:22) played a complete game for Duke on both ends of the floor.  He scored 17 points (7-10 from the field including 1-1 from 3land, plus 2-5 from the foul line) to go with 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and a blocked shot, but with 4 turnovers.  He made a huge difference in this game for Duke.

(13) Sean Stewart (11:13 ) played one of his best games.  With Caleb unavailable, Duke used a bigger bench lineup some of the time to replace Caleb’s valuable minutes, with 3 bigs (2 plus Sean) instead of the usual 3 guards.  In his 11 minutes, Sean scored 9 points!! (3-3 from the field, plus 3-4 from the stripe) to go with 9 rebounds and a pair of assists.  One turnover.  Sean could become the bench force that Duke needs.

(15) Ryan Young (10:36) scored 2 points on 1-3 from the field,while grabbing 3 rebounds and an assist.  

(12) T.J. Power (14:41) scored 3 points (1-5 from the field, including 1-4 from 3land) with an assist.  He committed 3 fouls.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (3:09) failed to score, and is ….without a statistic.

(55) Spencer Hubbard (1:46) 3 points (1-1 from the field, including 1-1 from behind the arc), 2 fouls, and several excellent dishes that didn’t happen to convert to baskets. The Crazies raised the roof right off Cameron, setting off Taylor Swift-level Richters, when Hubbard took the floor and made a 3 pointer.

ACC Regular Season Climax Approaches

UNC (14-3) is a game ahead of Duke (13-4) for the regular season title.  Each team has 3 games left.  The 2 teams meet in Cameron on March 9 in the season finale.  Obviously, Duke must win that game to have a chance for the title – but even if Duke wins, the regular season title is a stretch.  

UNC will have an easier time with the other two games (both being at home in the Dean Dome).  Each team plays N.C. State, but Duke plays them in Raleigh.  Duke’s other game is against Virginia (a team likely to win a double bye for the tournament)…. while the Tarheels play Notre Dame, a team with a losing record in the conference, and for the season.

The Tarheels play N.C. State (Saturday, March 2) and Notre Dame (Tuesday, March 5) in the Dean Dome before their game with Duke.  The Wolfpack are 17-11 for the season and 9-8 in the ACC.  The Fighting Irish are 11-17 for the season and 6-11 in conference play.  

On Saturday (March 2), Duke at Cameron plays UVa  (21-8 for the season; 12-6 for 3^rd place in the conference, with a chance to catch the Blue Devils for second place).  Then comes N.C. State in Raleigh on March 4, with just a day in between the UVa game and the UNC game.  

UNC has an obvious advantage in schedule and record.  

If Duke were to win its last 3 games and tie UNC for the best regular season conference record, the tie is broken by whether Duke or UNC has a better won/loss record against the next highest finisher. (The score is not a factor.) For example, If Duke beats UVa, (as the Blue Devils must in order to tie UNC), both Duke and Carolina would have the same record against UVa.  Thus, it would be the Duke-UNC records against the next highest finisher.  If that were, for example Wake Forest, UNC would win the title by having beaten Wake in their only game, while Duke split its two games with the Demon Deacons. .  Only if Clemson ends up being the next highest finisher, would Duke win the ACC regular season title.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 6 pm vs. UVa Cavaliers in Cameron Indoor Stadium. ESPN.

EDITORS AND PRODUCERS NOTE: thank you Coach Scheyer for highlighting just one of Jeremy’s major accomplishments – he stayed in school to accomplish his senior year – and get a great education, not only on the court! Congratulations Jeremy! (and we wonder what is next for him!)  (btw, we will miss you)

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Duke Blue Devils 73 v. Virginia Cavaliers 48 (Season 15; Issue 28; Game 28) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #28 Cameron Indoor Arena (March 2, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Kyle Filipowski had his “A” game in the first half (as well as Sean Stewart, who never looked better in this time, as a substitution for Mark Mitchell).  A Tony Bennett Virginia team never played as poorly as they did tonight against the Blue Devils; the Cavaliers were never in the game.  It appears that Coach Bennett’s (who is among the best coaches not only in the ACC but in the country) slow, retro offense is not a draw to get today’s blue-chip players to commit to Virginia. UVa does not play uptempo offense; but does play grinding defense – usually producing low scoring games.  The highly rated recruits seem to prefer an uptempo beat.  The most highly-recruited high school prospects have never flocked to Bennett’s game style anyway, which has given him four years to mold those who committed to Virginia into really solid players. What he has accomplished is very admirable.

Ironically, the last decade of the Duke-Virginia rivalry has featured mostly close games. The Blue Devils’ 25-point win Saturday was the series’ largest margin of victory since 2009 (plus-25) and just its third double-digit spread game since 2012.  Duke broke another notable streak by becoming the first team in the series to win two games in a row since the Zion Williamson-led Blue Devils swept the 2018-19 series.

Anyway, Flip outscored the Cavaliers for most of the first half as the Blue Devil’s offense was made easier by the Cavalier’s inability to score and set up their defense.

In a sense though, the best thing about this game was the play of Sean Stewart and TJ Power.  Stewart played 15 minutes and had 6 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.  Power hit 2 long threes and played with a lot of aggression and confidence. Both can be a valuable presence off the bench in March and hopefully in next year’s Blue Devil campaigns as well.

Virginia finished the game shooting 30.9% overall, making 5 of 17 3-pointers (29.4%).  The Cavaliers scored 0.8 points per possession for the game. That’s compared to Duke’s 1.2 points per possession.

Hopefully, like last year’s Duke team, this year’s team is also peaking at the right time.

ALANALYSIS

Duke simply crushed UVa in the first half 40-18, in perhaps the Blue Devils’ most impressive half of the season!  It took Duke just 4:51 to establish its first double digit lead (14-4).  By the time 12:41 had elapsed in the game, Duke led by 20 (31-11).  The largest lead in the first half was 25 points.  The Blue Devils largest lead of the game was 29 points, and the lead never shrunk below 19 points.  It was a rout!  While UVa has not had its best year, the Cavaliers are still in 3^rd place in the conference and will likely win one of the 4 double byes.

As senior co-captain Jeremy summed up, “That’s probably one of the best ones we’ve had, just that killer instinct that Coach is always talking about.  We extend the lead to like 10, 15 then we want to extend it to 20 or 30.  Obviously, we did that tonight.  We’re just learning.  This is a great step in the right direction.  We’ve got two [regular season] games left, and we just want to keep getting better each and every game.” 

The Defense

The Cavaliers were held to 6 first-half field goals (6-26; 23%). I cannot recall a more efficient defensive half of basketball from any Duke team.    There were minimal, if any, uncontested UVa field goal attempts –almost all of their 26 first-half shots were hotly guarded.  The Blue Devils forced one more turnover (7) than UVa scored field goals.  

Also in the first half, the Duke defense held UVa without a field goal for 10 minutes (12:41 to 2:47)!  During that period, UVa scored 8 points, all on free throws.  Duke’s  intense switching defense prevented penetration.  Flip, Mark Mitchell, and Sean Stewart defended the interior and protected the rim.  Scheyer, “the defense was terrific!”  It was simply glorious to watch.

The Offense

Scheyer: “To score 40 points on Virginia, that’s a heck of a thing to do in the first half.  I just thought our guys came out really ready to play. … I thought we did such a good job of flowing into offense, and driving downhill, making the right reads.  And then good things happened from that, and we just kept our foot on the gas.  It definitely started with the downhill drives.  It sounds simple, but they do a great job guarding one-on-one.  They do a good job making you play through resistance.  And you have to – when you have opportunities, after movement or in transition or from closeouts – when you have the opportunity, you’ve got to drive downhill.  And [Kyle Filipowski] probably did the best job right away. Tyrese [Proctor] had a few drives.”  

Duke’s passing this season is becoming breathtaking.  The ball never seems to stick with one player anymore.  The ball moves faster than defenders can, and eventually the Blue Devils were rewarded with wide open shots, which allowed the Blue Devils to sink 59% of its first-half shots (17-29, including 3-9 from 3land) with 9 assists.

The Bench is Becoming More Effective

Coach Scheyer recognized the growing contribution of the bench, which is needed even more because of Caleb Foster’s injury.  First, the coach’s report on Caleb’s condition, “There’s no way for him [to play] on Monday.  And I think it’s highly unlikely any time soon.  We’re going to keep taking it week-to-week and continue to evaluate, but he’s not out of that boot ,and he’s not able to do anything.  It’s going to be some time still.”  

Then, the coach praised the efforts of  T.J Power, Sean Stewart, Ryan Young, and Jaylen Blakes, “both those guys [T.J. and Sean] just gave us a great lift.  So, it puts Tyrese and Jeremy, Jared – all those guys, our main guys who we want the ball in their hands – I think they [the bench] make those guys [the starters] better.  Ryan [Young] obviously does that, Jaylen [Blakes] has done that.  Those guys off the bench have done a great job of just playing to their strengths.” 

THE ROTATION 

(3) Jeremy Roach (34:55) does not score big when Duke leads comfortably, but he always controls the game, organizing the perimeter defense and keeping the ball moving until the open player has the uncontested shot.  While Jeremy scored only 6 points (3-9 from the field including 0-4 from behind the arc), Duke did not need his scoring.  Duke did, however, need his superb overall floor game…and Jeremy delivered! (5 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal). Our Senior Captain leads this team whether or not he is scoring big.

(0) Jared McCain (30:34) also had a quiet offensive game, but he was a dynamo defending the perimeter.  He scored only 7 points (3-8 from the field, including 0-3 from behind the arc, plus 1-1 from the stripe). Jared corralled 6 rebounds and had 2 steals, but 3 turnovers.  also great news – Jared is a candidate for ACC Freshman of the Year! 

(5) Tyrese Proctor (29:00) had one of his best games of the season, scoring 15 points (6-8 from the field, including 3-4 from behind the arc) to go with a team high 5 assists (tied with Jeremy), and 4 rebounds.  Tyrese committed only 2 turnovers.  He ran the Duke offense with aplomb and was part of the amazing defense.

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (28:51) played his best game in a while and perhaps of the season, scoring an efficient 21 points on 14 shots (9-14 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land), plus 2-2 from the foul line, to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot.  Flip stayed out of foul trouble (committed only 1 foul.)  He was unstoppable in the post, if UVa did not double team him.  If UVa brought a second defender, Flip demonstrated what a great passer he is.  He played a wonderful all-around game.

(25) Mark Mitchell (25:22) played a complete game for Duke on both ends of the floor.  He scored 10 points (3-5 from the field without an attempt from 3land, plus  a 4-7 from the foul line) to go with 5 rebounds, an assist, and 2 blocked shots, with only 1 turnover.  He made a huge difference in this game for Duke.

(13) Sean Stewart (14:38 ) for the second straight game, played one of his best games.  Duke used a bigger lineup some of the time, with Sean plus 2 bigs instead of the usual 3 guards.  Guess who led Duke in rebounding?  Right! Sean with 8 in less than 15 minutes! Sean also scored 6 points (3-6 from the field) to go with a steal, a blocked shot,and an assist.  One turnover.  Sean’s athleticism was demonstrated when he had left his man for too long and had to race half the court to try and contest the shot.  While he was late (the shot went in), he leapt completely over the standing shooter to avoid fouling him.  The dude has wings! 

(12) T.J. Power (13:24) scored 6 points (2-5 from the field, including 2-5 from 3land) He drew praise from his coach: “TJ has just been the same every day.  He works every single day.  He has a routine he does with our strength coach after practice.  He has a routine he does with Coach [Emanuel] Dildy every day. 

And so, for TJ, when he’s in, he spaces, he doesn’t over dribble, he competes on defense, he’s an active body. And those other guys are better because of him.”

(15) Ryan Young (9:45) scored 2 points on 1-2 from the field, while grabbing a rebound and handing out 3 assists.  Ryan is a reliable player to spell Flip and Mark.  

(2) Jaylen Blakes (8:23) failed to score (0-3 from the field, including 0-1 from deep) to go with 2 boards and a dazzling steal. While he didn’t contribute in points, he was still a substantial part of the valuable role played by the Duke bench.

(55) Spencer Hubbard  (3:44) brought out cheers from the Cameron Crazies even though he missed his only shot, a 3 point attempt.

ACC Regular Season Climax 

With 2 games left, UNC (15-3) is a game ahead of Duke (14-4) for the regular season title.  The two meet in Cameron on March 9 in the season finale.  Even if Duke wins, the regular season title is a stretch.  

Before their game with Duke,, the Tarheels play Notre Dame (Tuesday, March 5) in the Dean Dome  On Monday, March 4, Duke plays N.C. State in Raleigh. This makes the lads have to play with just a day in between this UVa game and the N.C. State game.  UNC has an obvious advantage in schedule and record.  

UVa is now 21-9 on the season; 12-7 for 3^rd place in the conference. In the battle for the 4^th double bye, Syracuse (11-8) leads by half a game over Clemson (10-8), Pittsburgh (10-8), and Wake Forest (10-8).  Florida State (9-9) and N.C. State (9-9) still lurk. 

On Tuesday, March 5, Syracuse plays Clemson, while Pittsburgh plays Florida State.  Wake Forest plays Georgia Tech.  On the final day of the season (Saturday, March 9), Clemson travels to Wake Forest, NC State to Pittsburgh, Miami to Florida State and UNC to Duke.  The 4th double bye might not be determined until then.

If Duke were to win both of their next games) and tie UNC for the best regular season conference record, the tie is broken by the team’s best record against the next highest finisher.  Duke and UNC have identical records against UVa and Syracuse, and will against N.C. State if Duke wins tomorrow.  UNC has a better record against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.  Only if Clemson is the next higher finisher, would Duke win the regular season ACC crown.

NEXT PLAY: Monday, March 4, 2024, vs. N.C. State at 7pm in Raleigh at the PNC Arena. ESPN.

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Duke Blue Devils 79 v. N.C. State Wolfpack 64 (Season 15; Issue 29; Game 29) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #29 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. (March 4, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

What initially looked like a “Trap Game” by Duke spotting State a 9-0 lead, turned into a “Coming of Age” blowout game for both the Duke players and Coach Scheyer, with freshmen making significant contributions.  Filipowski was limited by fouls to four minutes in the first half and 9 points for the game.  By coincidence or not, since Jaylen Blakes inopportune foul on an improbable three-point attempt just before the half, at half court, in the Louisville game, his minutes as the first guard substitute have been replaced by T.J. Power, giving Duke another real three-point threat on offense and more size on defense.  And the continuing maturation and productivity of the athletically gifted freshman Sean Stewart, as defensive and offense presence in the front court, combined with the energy of Ryan Young and the lethality of three starting guards, the Duke team has become deeper, more imposing, and less Filipowski centric than it was at the beginning of the season.

Not to be overlooked is the transition of Jeremy Roach, from a point guard to a shooting guard, and whose senior leadership and timely scoring gives the Blue Devils a much needed stability when so many players leave for the NBA early, and many opponents have transfers who are mature men not boys.

Also, Duke’s back court of three guards have become the solid, dependable backbone of the team.  McCain has matured into a very complete guard, who among other things, hits more big threes than anyone not named JJ Redick.  And Proctor, when healthy, is a tower of stability and efficiency who is a solid threat from deep or in the lane.

Coach Scheyer has differed from his mentor Mike Krzyzewski in how he brings along freshmen who are not yet complete basketball players.  He always mentions how hard a young player works when that player gets more court time, and plays well, and Scheyer does not seem hesitant to go beyond six or seven deep for significant playing time. 

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but so far, surprisingly good!  This Saturday’s game will confirm a lot—or not! 

ALANALYSIS

There are a plethora of good things for Duke to take away from this game:

1. After a start reminiscent of last year’s early game debacle against N.C. State, the Blue Devil bench – Sean Stewart, Ryan Young and T.J. Power stemmed the NC State tide and put Duke back in the lead; 
2. The Duke starters then took over in the second half, scoring 46 points on 63% shooting; 
3. Duke defended brilliantly, based on Coach Scheyer’s effective strategy of denying the Wolfpack their patented (league-leading) fast break and vaunted 3 point offense; 
4. N.C. State pressured Duke’s back court, but could not force turnovers (Duke limited its turnovers to a paltry 5 for the game; 
5. The Blue Devils closed out the game efficiently at “winning time”.

Duke’s 3 guards – Tyrese, Jeremy, and Jared each played all 20 minutes of the second half.  Sean played more than 15 minutes (8 points), while Flip logged almost 18 minutes (9 points) after 2 early fouls limited him to 4 first-half minutes on the court with 0 points.

Scheyer: “We showed poise, which you have to show against these guys. A lot of toughness. The story of the game for me was – against them you have five turnovers against their pressure all game.  Tyrese, Jeremy, Jared [all] did a terrific job handling the pressure. … They only score[d] four fast-break points, which is important. … We took away their 3’s, [but] you’re giving up DJ Burns. ” 

The Defense

The Wolfpack offense for the year has been 35% accuracy on over 7 attempts per game from 3land; and creating live ball turnovers leading to a lethal transition attack with many fast break layups.  Coach Scheyer’s strategy was to leave defending the Wolfpack’s huge (6’10” 270 lb) big man, D.J. Burns, to a single defender (Flip, Mark and Sean at different times).   While none of the Duke defenders had much success (D.J. scored 27 points, 15 in the first half), the Blue Devil defense gave up only 4 fast break points and only 6, 3-point attempts (2-6) by not doubling up on D.J.  When the game was very much on the line, Duke allowed the Wolfpack only 5 points in the last 5:09 of the game – an offensive rebound put back, a D.J. dunk, and a meaningless foul shot with only 43 seconds and Duke leading by 16. This was championship defense.

The Offense

After Duke’s bench had restored order in the latter part of the first half, the Blue Devils simply exploded in the second half, scoring 46 points (20-32 from the field, including 5-14 from behind the arc, plus just 1-2 from the stripe).  Roach was 5-6 from inside the arc (13 second-half points).  Jared was 3-5 from behind the arc (14 second-half points).  Flip scored 9 in the closing stanza, and Sean notched 8 points (that’s 44 of Duke’s 46; the other 2 points were scored by Mark, who played only 4 second-half minutes because of Sean’s strong performance).  46 points in a half is a championship offense.

Winning Time

Duke closed out this win in championship style!  Duke led 66-59 with 5:04 left in the game.  In those critical last 5 minutes, Duke scored 13 points: Roach hit a 3-pointer; Sean stole the ball.  After Roach missed, Sean grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Jared for Duke’s second consecutive 3- pointer, plus a foul shot,for a 4 point play and a 14 point lead.  The Wolfpack made another put back to cut the lead to 12; then Roach made a driving layup, Sean made another steal, and fed Flip for another layup (79-63 with 53 seconds left).  Championship play at “winning time”! 

THE ROTATION 

(5) Tyrese Proctor (40:00) played every minute of the game, handling the NC State defensive pressure in one of his best games of the season, scoring 11 points – all in the first half — (4-10 from the field, including 3-8 from behind the arc) to go with 4 assists and 4 rebounds.  Tyrese committed only 3 turnovers (all in the first half) but ran the offense so smoothly — especially in the second half, – that the entire team committed only 5 turnovers for the whole game.  He not only ran the Duke offense with aplomb but was also part of the amazing defense that contained the Wolfpack transition game and 3-point attack.

(3) Jeremy Roach (36:18) led the Blue Devils in scoring with 21 points (13 in the closing half).  The Senior co-Captain sliced his way through the Wolfpack defense when his deep shot deserted him (9-17 from the field, including 1-7 from behind the arc.)  Jeremy was 2-3 from the stripe and contributed 4 boards, 2 assists and a steal without a turnover.  He was simply terrific!  

(0) Jared McCain (34:11) scored 16 points (14 in the closing half).  After a quiet first half where he shot 1-7 from the field, including 0-4 from behind the arc,  in the closing stanza, Jared was 5-7 from the field including 3-5 from deep.  Thus, Jared finished with 6-14  from the field, including 3-9 from behind the arc, plus 1-1 from the stripe. He corralled 5 rebounds, an assist, and a 2 steal. 0 turnovers.  

(13) Sean Stewart (26:09) for the third straight game, played one of his best games at Duke, logging more court time than either Flip or Mark for the first time.  The freshman scored 12 points (5-7 from the field, plus 2-3 from the foul line) to go with 5 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 2 assists, and 2 steals, all without a turnover.  

Scheyer: “Sean provides something that we don’t have.  He’s our best athlete.  His versatility on defense.  His touch around the basket. He’s a lob threat. And his skill is going to continue to get better and better. …. We’re better when he’s out there. He just did a terrific job.  He competed at the highest level. That’s something, sometimes as a freshman, you’re adjusting to. He’s helped us in a lot more games than just this one, but tonight, obviously, with the amount of minutes he played, hit his free throws, he was great.  Really proud of him.” 

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (21:43) played only 4 first-half minutes because of committing 2 early fouls – without scoring (0-2, including 0-1 from deep).  Then, he played an excellent second half!, finishing the game with 9 points, going 4-4 from the field, including 1-1 from deep.  He collected 2 rebounds and made a steal. And a blocked shot.  Flip demonstrated what a great passer he is by handing out 2 second-half assists.  

(25) Mark Mitchell (18:19) scored 5 points (2-7 from the field including 0-1 from 3land, plus a 1-2 from the foul line) to go with 6 rebounds.  His playing time was diminished by Sean’s play and his own early misses.

(15) Ryan Young (13:06) scored 2 points on 1-2 from the field, while grabbing 5 rebounds and providing excellent first-half minutes spelling Flip.  Ryan and the bench were praised by Coach Scheyer, “the development of our bench, just providing toughness – they were just really, really good.” 

(12) T.J. Power (10:14) scored 3 points (1-5 from the field, including 1-3 from 3land) He drew praise from his coach: “T.J. had some big-time plays. He had that one pass to Sean. T.J. did it [contributed to the team’s win] without making shots, which I know he’s going to do.”

ACC Regular Season Climax (After March 5 Games)

With only the game against each other left in the regular season, UNC (16-3) is one game ahead of Duke (15-4) for the regular season title.  If Duke wins and each team finishes with 16-4 records, it is unclear which team will win the tiebreaker.  The tie is broken by the team’s best record against the next highest finisher. Duke and UNC have identical records against UVa. UNC has a better record against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. Duke has a better record against Clemson and Syracuse.  

The tie would not be broken until Saturday when Clemson (11-8) travels to Wake Forest (10-9), NC State to Pittsburgh (11-8), UVa (12-7) to Virginia Tech, and UNC to Duke. It is possible that all teams will end up 11-9, which should make a mess. Of course there are no issues if the Tarheels prevail.

NEXT PLAY: Saturday, March 9, 2024, vs. U.N.C. at 6:30 pm in CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM; ESPN

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Duke Blue Devils 79 v. U.N.C. Tarheels 84 (Season 15; Issue 30; Game 30) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #30 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, N.C. (March 9, 2024)

Bill’s CliffNotes:

Once again North Carolina’s men beat Duke’s boys.  Let’s face the facts. This year, North Carolina has more talented, mature players with more size who compete more consistently than Duke. Duke can contain Davis and Bacot ,but Ingram (playing with his second team in three years) or Ryan (playing with his third team in six years and apparently working on his PhD) can step up and have career games.  It’s tough to be outrebounded 39-29, outshot 50%-43%, and expect to win. Of course, missing 6 free throws to Carolina’s 3 just puts another exclamation point on the difference, and spotting the Tar Heels as many as 15 points at home to begin the game is just a script for losing against a team as good as Carolina.

Despite all those shortcomings, the Tar Heels needed an improbable prayer of a toe-barely-on-the-three-point line with the shot clock expiring by Elliot Cadeau (it probably would not have gone in if McCain hadn’t stepped on his foot and helped redirected the shot) to cement the game from another improbable comeback by the Blue Devils. nHowever, Duke cannot give away so many points by slow starts and expect to beat good teams, especially when Filipowski, Mitchell, and,nRoach, of all players, have subpar first halves.

Two more tournaments to go! Then, wait for next year.

OTHER COMMENTS:

Neither the post-game taunting of the North Carolina players, nor the antics of the Cameron crowd, added to the reputation of the two institutions.

ALANALYSIS

The game was not as close as the score indicates.  Duke was dominated by UNC for the whole game.  Duke never led for a single second in the game, and only had a single possession with a chance to tie or take the lead.  With over 17 minutes to go in the game, Jeremy Roach hit a 3-point shot to cut the UNC lead to a single point (43-42).  R.J. Davis missed a UNC jump shot and Jared McCain grabbed the rebound.  Jeremy’s layup attempt was for the lead, but he missed with 16:31 to go in the game.  

Less than 2 minutes later, the Blue Devils trailed by 9 (52-43 with 14:34 to go).  UNC extended the lead to double digits, for the first time, with 11:20 left in the game (56-46), and then again with 10 minutes left (61-51), with 9:02 left (63-53).  The lead was as much as 12, with 8:33 left.  UNC led by double digits again with 6:36 remaining (68-58) and won by 9, even though Duke made a stirring last gasp comeback.  

UNC led by 9, with 1:38 left when T.J. Power made a 3 off an offensive rebound by Ryan (78-72 with 1:13 left). Cadeau made a desperation 3 as the shot clock expired that was a dagger (80-72 with 40 seconds left).  Proctor made a layup, and Power scored again on a layup to cut the lead to 4 (80-76 with 23 seconds to go).  

Duke had to foul, and Cormac Ryan made both to ice the game (82-76 with 16 seconds left).  Jeremy’s 3 with 5 seconds left made it a one possession game (82-79 with 5 seconds left).  Cormac Ryan’s foul shooting in the last seconds provided the final margin.  Bottom line: UNC led for the entire game: Duke had one chance at the lead, with the ball, at the 13:23 mark.  It’s fair to say UNC dominated the game.

Scheyer’s take “they beat us to loose balls. That’s what veteran players do.  I felt we’ve been playing like veteran players, but tonight, we were slow to the ball. And that’s what these games come down to. You’ve got to get loose balls, you’ve got to hit, and we didn’t do that to the level we needed.” 

The Defense

What can you say about a defense that gives up 84 points (40 in the first half and 44 in the second half), and allows the opponents to shoot 50 % from the field and 60% from behind the arc?  Scheyer’s defensive plan was to put Proctor on Davis, to the exclusion of his helping others.  It worked so well that the league’s leading scorer was held to single digit scoring (9 points) and most of that scoring was late in the game.  Scheyer’s defense also held Armando Bacot in check (9 points). What Scheyer did not account for was Cormac Ryan, going 6-8 from behind the arc to score a game high 31 points, including 21 in the second half.  The Tarheels dominated the glass (39-28)  grabbing 12 offensive rebounds, which were converted into second chance UNC baskets at the worst times for Duke.  It’s fair to conclude that Duke’s vaunted defense was a failure against UNC.

The Offense

While the opening period was disastrous (Flip scored only 4 points and committed 2 fouls), McCain and Proctor kept the game close after Duke had fallen behind by 15 points (30-15 at the 8:04 mark).  McCain scored 11 first-half points, and Proctor had 9.  In the second half, the Blue Devils poured in 48 points, led by Flip’s 19 and Jeremy’s 11.  Duke shot 7-12 from behind the arc in the second half (Roach 2-2; Flip 2-4; Proctor 1-2; Power 1-1; and McCain 1-3) and 50% from the field.  The Blue Devils had 7 assists on 15 baskets.  Hard to find fault with the second half offense. 

Scheyer: “we took some tough shots, and the tough shots led to their runouts in transition. … it all started from bad possessions on offense. Not being strong with the ball or taking some weak shot, and it’s disappointing. … we didn’t play like we’ve been playing. The connectivity on offense, and you’ve got to get some of those loose balls. … We scored 79 points – I want to go back through the film – I bet there’s 15 or 20 shots, I think, were just not the right shots for us. … I thought our offense hurt our defense.”

The Bench

Only T.J. Power scored (7 points; 5 in his 1:21 second-half minutes.  Sean Stewart and Ryan Murphy were scoreless in a combined 26 minutes.  All 3 starting guards played almost the full game.  For the Duke team to be at full strength, especially bench strength, the Blue Devils need Caleb Foster to return to playing as well as he was before his injury.  Information about Caleb’s recovery had been sparse or non-existent.

THE ROTATION 

(5) Tyrese Proctor (40:00) in Caleb’s absence, played every minute of the game for the second straight game, doing a phenomenal defensive job on the ACC’s leading scorer, R.J. Davis (who he held to 9 points).  Tyrese scored 14 (6-11 from the field, including 2-6 from behind the arc, without a free throw attempt) to go with 3 assists, 2 boards, 2 steals with only a single turnover.     

(3) Jeremy Roach (38:45) had a subpar game (for him) despite good statistics.  The senior co-captain scored 13 points (3-12 from the field, including 2-4 from deep — the last one with 5 seconds to go took a dramatic bounce to go in and cut the lead to 3 – plus 5-6 from the foul line) to go with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.  Both the play by play, and my eyes, had Jeremy with more than 2 turnovers.  He knew he did not play well: “It’s a bad feeling, just to lose like this on your home floor and know that I could’ve played so much better. That’s really it. This one’s on me for sure.  If I’m me, then I think we put ourselves in a better position.  We just came out flat. We came out settling. I took a step-back [jumper] the first play of the game and that kind of was a snowball effect on the whole team.  We kind of settled, and they were out in transition, getting open buckets, easy baskets, and the rest is history.”  

(0) Jared McCain (38:12) scored 19 points (11 in the first half) on 6-12 from the field including 2-5 from 3land, plus 5-5 from the foul line.  He added 7 rebounds (tied for team high with Flip), 2 assists and a steal.  He did turn it over 3 times. 

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (33:41) was heroic in the second half, scoring 19, of his team-high 23 points, in the closing stanza.  For the game, Flip was  8-18 from the field, including 2-6 from behind the arc, plus 5-8 from the stripe.  He collected 7 rebounds, blocked 3 shots, had 2 steals, and 2 assists without a turnover.  And he made a steal, and a blocked shot.  In the second half, Flip was 6-11, including 2-2 from 3land.  Scheyer has been frustrated by Flip’s having only 1 good half in past games.  Duke needs Flip for 40 minutes.

(15) Ryan Young (19:13) failed to score in his longer than usual outing (0-2), but grabbed 6 rebounds and made a steal (one turnover).  Ryan was on the court much of the time with Flip, replacing Mark Mitchell.  

(25) Mark Mitchell (18:37) scored only 3 points (1-3 from the field including 0-1 from 3land, plus  a 1-2 from the foul line) to go with 4 rebounds and a blocked shot.  His playing time was diminished by Ryan’s play and his own early misses.

(13) Sean Stewart (6:58) contributed a rebound and a blocked shot (and also 4 fouls) in an outing more reminiscent of his early season games rather than his last 3, where he was a substantial contributor.  Sean, who just turned 19 in February,  was obviously overmatched against the far more mature and elite Tarheels (Cormac Ryan is 25; Bacot is 24.).  

(12) T.J. Power (4:24) scored 7 points (2-2 from the field, including 1-1 from 3land, plus 2-3 from the stripe). He had a clutch second-half contribution where he scored 5 points, with only 1:21 remaining. He scored the only Duke bench points.  Duke will not flourish in the postseason without a much more productive bench.

ACC TOURNAMENT 

Flip expressed the Duke mindset for the tournament, “We’re still one of the best teams in the country.  Our season’s not defined by UNC.  Obviously, this rivalry means a lot more, but now it’s tournament time, and we’re just trying to put ourselves in the best position to succeed still.  Next- play mentality and we’re going to move forward from this.  It’s not the end of the world.  Obviously, it’s a hard loss, but it’s not the end of the world. This postseason can definitely be ours if we take the right approach.  

Duke is the #2 seed and will therefore not play until Thursday, March 14 at in the quarterfinals.

FIRST ROUND, Tuesday, March 12

Game 1: No. 12 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 13 seed Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. ET

Game 2: No. 10 seed NC State vs. No. 15 seed Louisville, 4:30 p.m. ET

Game 3: No. 11 seed Boston College vs. No. 14 seed Miami, 7 p.m. ET

SECOND ROUND, Wednesday, March 13

Game 4: No. 8 seed Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 seed Florida State, Noon ET

Game 5: No. 5 seed Wake Forest vs. Winner of Game 1, 2:30 p.m. ET

Game 6: No. 7 seed Syracuse vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. ET

Game 7: No. 6 seed Clemson vs. Winner of Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET

QUARTERFINALS, Thursday, March 14

Game 8: No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. Winner of Game 4, Noon ET

Game 9: No. 4 seed Pitt vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:30 p.m. ET

Game 10: No. 2 seed Duke vs. Winner of Game 6, 7 p.m. ET

Game 11: No. 3 seed Virginia vs. Winner of Game 7, 9:30 p.m. ET

SEMI-FINALS, Friday, March 15

Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9, 7 p.m. ET

Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11, 9:30 p.m. ET

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS, Saturday, March 16

Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13, 8:30 p.m.

The odds favor a Duke-UNC rematch in the finals.  Wouldn’t that be nice!

NEXT PLAY: Thursday, March 14, 2024, vs. U.N.C. at 7 pm in Washington D.C. at the Capitol One Arena; v. the winner of Syracuse (7th seed) v. either N.C. State or Louisville. ESPN

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Duke Blue Devils 69 v. North Carolina State Wolfpack 74 (Season 15; Issue 31; Game 31 – ACC Tournament Edition) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 Game #31 (ACC TOURNAMENT, QUARTERFINALS ) at Capital One Arena, Washington D.C. (March 14, 2024)

Bill’s CliffsNotes:

Duke came out flat, as they have all too often this year, and rarely posed a sustained threat to N.C. State, who led most of the entire game. N.C. State answered every challenge and consistently played better basketball. Filipowski was terrific but the guard play, offensively and defensively, was not what it needed to be. And the lightly bet on Wolf Pack – playing solid, winning basketball – deserved the win. While it turned out the Wolf Pack was a team of destiny,  the Blue Devils will have a disappointing end to the season if they repeat this performance in the NCAA tournament. 

Other Comments:

In the beginning, there was Everett Case at North Carolina State (by way of Indiana) who set the standard for Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski to develop big time national basketball programs, and who was, among other things, the godfather of the ACC Tournament. So it is fitting that, decades later, his beloved North Carolina State Wolf Pack achieved the historic feat of winning the ACC Tournament by sweeping five straight games on five straight nights to deny Case’s bitter rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, the tournament Crown.

Originally,  the ACC Tournament determined not only the ACC champion but also the only ACC entrant in the NCAA tournament.  The rules allowed only one team per conference.   In 1974, N.C. State beat Maryland in overtime to win the ACC tournament 103-100.  Because Maryland was the next best team, many thought that ACC game was the Wolf Pack’s toughest game, even though N.C. State also won the 1974 (32-team) NCAA tournament, which was later expanded to what is now known as MARCH MADNESS.

ALANALYSIS

After UNC beat Duke in Cameron to win the regular season ACC title, Flip expressed the Duke mindset for the ACC tournament, “We’re still one of the best teams in the country. Our season’s not defined by UNC. Obviously, this rivalry means a lot more, but now it’s tournament time, and we’re just trying to put ourselves in the best position to succeed still. Next- play mentality and we’re going to move forward from this. It’s not the end of the world. Obviously, it’s a hard loss but it’s not the end of the world. This postseason can definitely be ours if we take the right approach.”  

Duke did not take the “right approach”!  After destroying the Wolfpack by 15 points (79-64) in Raleigh on March 4, in one of the best Blue Devil performances of the year, the Blue Devils were dominated by the Wolfpack in the most important game of the year (so far).  Duke was beaten far worse than the final 5 point margin indicates.  

N.C. State pulled off what the cognoscenti call a minor miracle by beating UVa in overtime in the semifinals and thoroughly beating UNC to win the ACC Tournament.  The Wolf Pack had to win 5 games in 5 days, which had never been done in the history of the ACC tournament.  There are those who feel as if the N.C. State magic took some of the sting out of the Duke loss.

First Half

The Blue Devils led only twice in the entire game – for 3 minutes – in the first half.  Duke tied the score at 24 with 6:33 left in the opening stanza and pushed the lead to 4 (28-24) before relinquishing the lead for the penultimate time with 4:12 to go, when Mohamed Diarra hit a 3-pointer to put the Wolfpack in front 29-28.  Mitchell and McCain scored for Duke’s final lead 32-30 with 1:29 remaining.  N.C. State scored the last 5 points in the final minute of the first half to lead 35-32 at the break.  Flip led Duke’s first half scoring with 12 points (a brilliant 6-7 from the field) to go with 5 rebounds and 3 steals, but he did not get much help – Mark Mitchell scored 6 (3-7, 0-2 from the stripe), Jared McCain notched 6 points (2-4, including 0-1 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe) and Tyrese Proctor also scored 6 points (2-8, including 2-5 from 3land).  Jeremy Roach scored 2 points (0-3 from the field, including 0-2 from deep, plus 2-2 from the foul line).     

Second Half

The Wolfpack stretched the lead to 7 (39-32) in the first minute of the second half and to 9 with more than 17 minutes left in the game (41-32). Duke had 32 points for 4:29 spanning the end of the first half and the early part of the second half. The N.C. State lead fluctuated between 2 and 9 points until the Wolfpack pushed the lead to double digits for the first time (62-52) with 6:20 to go in the game and again with 5:27 left (64-54).  The Wolfpack led by 7 points (71-64) with 1:23 left in the game when the Blue Devils made a run.  

A Flip put back at the rim, and a technical foul shot by McCain brought Duke within 4 points; 30 seconds remaining.  Duke had to foul and did.  Diarra missed both free throws, leaving the door slightly ajar.  Flip made another driving layup bringing the Blue Devils within 2 points (71-69) with 15 seconds remaining.  Thereafter, Duke never got the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.  Flip fouled N.C. State high scorer, D. J. Horn (Flip’s  fifth), who made both shots (73-69).  Tyrese missed a driving layup, and Diarra made one of two free throws with 7 seconds remaining for the Wolfpack’s final margin.

Jeremy (3 points), Tyrese (4 points) played all 20 minutes of the second half.  McCain (2 points) played 18:04.  The 3 Blue Devil starting guards scored a combined 9 points in 58 collective minutes of court time. A disaster!  Duke did better up front, where Mark played the full 20 minutes of the closing half, scoring 12 points on 5-6 shooting, including 2-2 from behind the arc.  Flip was also brilliant in his almost 20 minutes (19:44), scoring 16 second half points (7-13 from the field including 0-1 from 3land, plus 2-3 from the foul line). 

The Defense

In the March 4 game against N.C. State, Scheyer employed a brilliant defensive strategy.  He ran the Wolfpack off the 3 point line and stifled their fast break.  That left D.J. Burns, their mammoth center free of double teams.  While Burns scored 27 points, the defense was superb in disrupting the Wolfpack.  In the quarterfinals, Scheyer switched defenses and doubled Burns in the post, holding him to 10 points.  But, the Wolfpack was torrid from behind the arc (7-16 or 21 points on 16 shots), and Duke did not take sufficient care of the ball to again eliminate N.C. State’s fast break.  The Wolfpack shot 46% (44% from behind the arc).

The Offense

Flip (28 points) and Mark (18 points) accounted for 46 of Duke’s 69 points.  Tyrese also reached double figures (10 points) on an inefficient 16 shots (4-16, including 2-7 from deep).  McCain’s 8 points (4-5 from the free throw line, 2-6 from the field, including 0-3 from 3land) and Jeremy’s 5 points (1-6 from the field, including 1-4 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe) were the only other Blue Devils to score. Duke was 5-20 from deep, which simply will not cut it.

The Bench

The Duke bench was scoreless!!  The starting backcourt had no relief.  The Blue Devils missed Caleb Foster badly.  We have never heard what his specific injury is or how his rehab is progressing.  We speculate from such non-information that Caleb will not play in the NCAA tournament.  His injury has really marred the Duke season.

T.J. Power played 8:05 off the bench and missed all three of his 3-point attempts, but did garner 2 boards.  Ryan Young played 6:08, blocked a shot and had 2 turnovers while committing a foul.  Sean Stewart played a disappointing 4 minutes (0-1 from the field) with a turnover and a rebound.  The bench was stalwart against the Wolfpack on March 4, but contributed very little in the quarterfinals.

THE ROTATION

(5) Tyrese Proctor (40:00) in Caleb’s absence, played every minute of the game for the third straight game.  Tyrese scored 10 (4-16 from the field, including 2-7 from behind the arc, without a free throw attempt) to go with 5 assists and 7 boards, without a single turnover.  His defense was less impactful than we are used to (D.J. Horn scored 18 points to lead the Wolfpack).  The good news for Duke is that Tyrese does not appear NBA ready yet.   

(3) Jeremy Roach (37:49) had another subpar game.  The senior co-captain scored only 5 points (1-6 from the field, including 1-4 from deep, plus 2-2 from the foul line) to go with 4 assists and 3 turnovers.  He played as though he was a little nicked up.  He has not been the Jeremy of this season in his last two games.

(25) Mark Mitchell (35:11) played one of his best games of the season, especially in the second half.  Mark scored 18 points (12 in the second half) on 13 shots. (8-13 including 2-2 from behind the arc, but an abysmal 0-4 from the foul line).  Mark defended well, grabbed 8 boards with an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.  He appeared to be interviewed after the game with Flip and Coach Scheyer.  His play deserved the post-game appearance.

(30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (34:18) had perhaps his best game of the season, trying to will Duke to the ACC Semi-Finals.  He couldn’t do it, but what a game he had.  Flip scored 28 points (13-20 from the field, including 0-1 from behind the arc, including 2-3 from the foul line) to go with 14 rebounds (yet another double double) , an assist and 3 steals. Flip is one of five finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, as announced by The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

(0) Jared McCain (34:07) scored only 8 points (2-6 from the field including 0-3 from 3land, plus 4-5 from the foul line).  He added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.  He did turn it over once.  In warmups, McCain and Jaylen Blakes bumped heads, with McCain getting cut badly enough to require 3 stitches.  This incident could have impacted his performance. 

(12) T.J. Power (8:05) was the only substitute for McCain and Roach.  He failed to score (0-3 from behind the arc) to go with 2 rebounds. 

(15) Ryan Young (6:08) failed to score in his time on the court spelling Flip. He did not attempt a shot or score a point but did record an assist, but had 2 turnovers.  Scheyer rushed Flip back into action as Duke fell behind further while Ryan was in the game.

(13) Sean Stewart (4:08) contributed a rebound and a turnover in an outing more reminiscent of his early season games. Sean seems overmatched against elite adversaries. 

(1) Caleb Foster (0:00)  has not played since he was injured on February 25, 2024 early in the second half against Wake Forest.  Duke has not posted any medical information about Caleb’s injury (lower leg is as close to identifying the injury as Duke has come).  No mention has ever been made about when he might return, although it was reported “not soon”.  Caleb’s absence for the NCAA tournament is a problem for Duke.  If there were even a chance Caleb could play, would not Duke announce it? 

NCAA Tournament – Duke is the 4th seed in the South Region. Other high Seeds: 1) Houston; 2) Marquette; 3) Kentucky; and 5) Wisconsin

Duke will play 13th seeded University of Vermont on Friday, March 22 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn.  The winner of that game will play the winner of the Wisconsin v. James Madison (12th seed) on Sunday, March 24, 2024.

NEXT PLAY: Friday, March 22, 2024, vs. Vermont Catamounts in Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. at a time to be announced later. 

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Duke Basketball Playbook (DBP) 2023-2024 (Season 15; Issue 32; Game #32 and #33) Alan Silber’s “Alanalysis” and Bill Miller’s “CliffsNotes”

NCAA FIRST ROUND 

Duke Blue Devils 64 v Vermont Catamounts 47 at Barclay Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. on Friday, March 22, 2024

Bill’s CliffsNotes: 

Duke avoided some of their most frustrating faults of the season— slow starts, Filipowski’s early foul troubles, poor defense. Similar  transgressions by other heavily favored teams contributed to upsets by Yale, James Madison, Duquesne, Grand Canyon – and N.C. State, who is celebrating the latest NCAA Championship version of “The Little Engine That Could”. 

Vermont gave it a good try with two of the most incredible shots I’ve seen this side of games of H-O-R-S-E on the courts of Turkey Thicket in Southeast D.C.—a left-handed three-point shot by a right-handed forward and an off balanced scoop shot from the top of the lane, both well defended as the shot clock was expiring. But, although they closed Duke’s margin to five points, there was a Slim and No Chance that Vermont’s players could duplicate these type of shots again tonight–and Slim had left the building! 

Fortunately, Mitchell 2.0 showed up early and aggressively, taking advantage of the size and talent disparity between the squads as well as the double teaming of Filipowski which forced Vermont to give Mitchell more space. Flip, meanwhile, showed the maturity, savviness, and skill—much to the chagrin of the halftime ex-jock talking heads—to demonstrate his passing prowess, which is exceptional for a seven-foot center.

Other than defense, accurate three point and free throw shooting are often the determining factors of today’s basketball games. It was good to see McCain hitting what might have been the most important shots of the game– three pointers when Vermont briefly cut the Blue Devil’s lead to two points. It always gives me confidence when McCain or Roach go to the free throw line. And speaking of Roach, it is reassuring when he controls the ball with the game on the line–good things often happen.

All these factors (and other attention to detail,) led to balanced scoring and total participation (which will be important if Duke is to continue winning) in an impressive team fashion.

A characteristic of Coach K’s better, more mature teams was the ability to make unanswered, exciting runs that gave them a comfortable working margin. This team, for whatever reason, rarely accomplishes that. Maybe, it will come in time. In the meantime, games are usually closer, and the wins are more difficult.

ALANALYSIS

It took the Blue Devils 15 minutes to finally take the lead 11-10 for the first time, and to take it for the remainder of the game with 14:48 remaining in the first half.  

Duke led for the vast majority  of the game (largest lead with 16 seconds to go was 17 points –64-45).  But Duke fans were insecure until the Blue Devils put the game away in the final 5 minutes.  Vermont got no closer than closing the Duke lead to 6 (50-44) with 7:26 remaining but could score only a single basket after that – a 3-pointer with 4:46 left in the game.  

The Defense

Vermont scored only 18 second half-points.  Duke held Vermont to 3 points in the last 7:26 of the game as the Blue Devil lead ballooned to 17 points with 16 seconds to go in the game. Duke held the Catamounts to 28% shooting in the closing half (7-25) including 17% from deep (2-12).  While the Catamounts scored 29 first-half points on 48% shooting, the score and percentage were skewed higher because of the circus shots that Vermont players hit at the shot clock buzzer for other worldly baskets, as Bill described so well above.

The Offense

Duke’s 3 guards – McCain (15), Roach (14), and  Proctor (13) – and Mitchell (15) scored 57 of the Blue Devils’ 64 points.  Filipowski (3), Jaylen Blakes (2), Sean Stewart (1) and Ryan Young (1) added the remaining 7 points.  Duke missed many open shots, several of which were wide open because of superb passes out of the post from Flip, who was double-teamed whenever he got the ball.  Duke frequently initiated the offense through Flip (he got the ball a lot), and in this game he delivered excellent passes that led to wide open shots.  The 3 starting guards were a combined 12-33 from the field (6-17 from deep).  Mark was aggressive at the rim, putting down layups and dunks for his 15 points.

THE ROTATION

(3) Jeremy Roach (39:30) The senior co-captain scored 14 points (3-10 from the field, including 1-2 from deep, plus 7-9 from the foul line) to go with 4 assists and 3 turnovers.  Jeremy also contributed a steal and a blocked shot.  He led the scoring in the second half with 10 of his 14 points and kept Duke’s lead comfortable.  

30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (36:40) attempted only a single field goal (0-1 from the field) and scored only 3 points in the game (3-4 from the free throw line).  The press acted as if Flip had a bad game.  Nothing could be further from what happened.  Flip was THE guy who made the defense so effective and delivered for the offense in other ways. Scheyer, “he’s our leading scorer, and he led us in assists during conference. He led us in rebounding. He does so much for our team. But for him to be such a willing passer, and we have so much shooting on the floor, I thought it was just a big-time game by him to be honest with you.”  Mark understood Flip’s value, “his passing and rebounding was great. Just did what it took to win. He played good defense … and just affected the game every way. And we ran our offense through him, and we got good looks and open shots and that’s all you can ask for.”

(5) Tyrese Proctor (36:37). Tyrese played some excellent defense while scoring 13 points (5-14 from the field, including 3-9 from behind the arc, without a free throw attempt) to go with 4 boards, without a single assist, steal, or turnover.  Scheyer, “I don’t think Tyrese necessarily gets the attention he deserves for his defense. Like he’s a big-time defender.”

(25) Mark Mitchell (34:59) scored 15 points (11 in the first half) on 13 shots. (6-9 from the field, plus 3-6 from the foul line).  Mark defended well, grabbed 5 boards, a steal and had a blocked shot.  Mark tied with Jared McCain as Duke’s high scorer.

(0) Jared McCain (34:27) scored 15 points (4-9 from the field including 2-6 from 3land, plus 5-6 from the foul line).  He added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.  He did turn it over twice.  Both of his 3-pointers were critical because Vermont had closed to within 2 points twice, once in each half.  Each time, Jared answered with a 3 to move the Duke lead back to 5.  Scheyer remembered, “The one, I think they cut it to two and he hit the three to go up five, and that was maybe the biggest shot of the game, and he’s not fazed by it. He’s not fazed by anything.”

(2) Jaylen Blakes (8:26) was injected into the lineup to infuse energy.  He did that with 3 superb steals.  The first produced his only 2 points on a breakaway layup.  Jaylen seemed to lose the dribble on the other two steals after he seemed headed to uncontested layups.  One lost dribble was a turnover; on the other, Jaylen committed a foul trying to retrieve his turnover.  He is going to be Caleb’s replacement to spell Duke’s 3 backcourt starters.  He has to play better if he is to be valuable, but his energy shows his potential.

(13) Sean Stewart (4:52) scored a point (1-2 from the stripe) and contributed a rebound in his brief time on the court.  Scheyer was playing his starters all the way.

(15) Ryan Young (2:29) scored a point (1-2 from the stripe) in his time on the court spelling Flip. It was a short time because Flip was playing so well and committed only 2 fouls. 

NCAA SECOND ROUND

Duke “Blue Devils” 93 v James Madison “Dukes” 55 at Barclay Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday, March 24, 2024

Bill’s CliffsNotes: 

Duke played a game like their fans had been waiting to see the entire season. You could sense this coming.  JMU had an outstanding win against favored Wisconsin, and it is difficult to duplicate two successive upset games in the NCAA Tournament. The ACC teams recruit hard in the region —and get the best players. Duke has recruited a few, and they have played against (and beaten) most of the JMU players in high school or AAU teams, who are, pardon the expression, leftovers in the recruiting wars. 

So, essentially, this was a trap game for JMU.  Duke was undoubtedly forewarned and primed by their coaches. You could see teamwork developing in the game against Vermont.  You knew that McCain was working his way to shooting and playing like an upperclassman—maybe not 9 threes, but something like it.  Listen to Kentucky Coach Calipari explain – after another first round loss – how difficult it is to get young players to play against grown, experienced men at tournament time.

Credit the Duke coaches for the continued support and encouragement of their charges, to work together and play even one game like this, and hope it is a springboard to similar efforts.  After this game, the Blue Devils won’t sneak up on any team.

ALANALYSIS

Duke played its best game of the year (so far) in beating JMU by a whopping 37 points.  JMU did not have the lead for a single second in this game.  The Blue Devils led by double figures after just 7 minutes had elapsed (18-8), had increased their lead to 21 points (40-19) with 4 minutes left in the first half and closed out the opening period with a 22 point lead 47-25.  That’s just an old fashioned blow out!

Duke started on fire and simply crushed JMU’s spirit and competitive juices. Jared scored 22 first-half points (7-11 from the field, including a preposterous 6-8 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe).  JJ Redick would have approved.  Duke shot 50% from the field (17-34) and shared the ball brilliantly, with 11 assists on 17 made field goals.  It was a first half for the ages, considering this was a game where the winner gained the Sweet Sixteen.

Duke fans were beyond delighted when the Blue Devils did not sit on their huge lead.  Instead, Duke continued to torch helpless JMU, extending the Blue Devil lead to 29 after only 3:17 of the second half had elapsed.  Duke’s lead never shrank below 22, and hit the 30 point mark after a bit more than 11 minutes of the second half had gone by (76-46 with 8:49 remaining in the game).  The lead stretched to 37 with a little over 3 minutes left in the game when Scheyer mercifully called off the dogs and put the practice players into the game.

Competitiveness

Duke remembered getting physically whipped last year in the second round by Tennessee, and it left a motivating taste in the collective Blue Devil mouth.  Scheyer: “Our guys came out with such a great competitiveness, and they were obviously ready to play.  Not just ready to play.  You have to be ready to compete in these games, and everybody that was on the floor I felt had that.”

Flip: “I think that just added a little bit more fire to us, to the returning guys, and we knew it was going to be a similar type of game.  I think we learned our lesson playing last year.  We didn’t want to repeat that at all.”

Jared: “I was watching that game last year, so we’ve been talking about all year how in the Tournament, people get more physical and just try to punk you, and we were not going to let that happen.  I wanted to win for all these guys, especially after what happened last year.”  

The Defense

The high scoring JMU (average 83.2 ppg) were held to 55 points (25 in the first half that decided the game).  The Blue Devils limited JMU to 38% shooting, including 22% from deep (4-18), including 17% in the first half from behind the arc (1-6).  Duke forced 14 JMU turnovers and scored 24 points off the turnovers.  JMU scored 4 points off Duke’s 6 turnovers.  The guards – Jeremy, Jared, and Tyrese prevented JMU penetration while Flip, Mark, Ryan and Sean defended the rim.

The bench also played tough defense.  Jaylen Blakes made 3 great steals (unfortunately, while one produced a layup, the other two produced a turnover and a Blakes foul).  Sean Stewart and Ryan Young were stalwart when spelling Flip and Mark.  

Flip: “Watching the game against Wisconsin, they [JMU] had 14 of their first 17 points off of turnovers and in transition, so just not letting them get in the flow early on in the game [was our goal].  Just we won that game a lot with our defense, and I know we had guys that were on fire tonight, too. 

The Offense

Coach Scheyer talked about the two consecutive losses prior to the NCAA tournament.  “For us, our defense was actually pretty good, but our offense hurt our defense in both games that we lost. And so, for us, we just spend more time working on what’s next … You’re not going to score 93 points every game, but I do think our offense was a lot better in these two games. And then just getting back to how you need each other. I thought we had great connectivity and great practice habits.” 

The Blue Devils’ balanced scoring was impressive.  Duke scored 47 first-half points and 46 in the closing stanza (where practice players were on the court for more than 3 minutes).  The Duke passing was simply magic.  The beauty of the Duke long range game was the way the ball moved before the wide open shot.  The ball was passed until a Duke player had a good look; then the ball kept moving until one of the sharpshooters was so wide open that there was no JMU player in the picture. Duke shot 50% from behind the arc.  Duke handed out an amazing 22 assists on 33 made field goals.

Duke’s 3 guards – McCain (30), Roach (15), and  Proctor (18) – and Flip (14) scored 77 of the Blue Devil’s 93 points.  Mark played well, but scored only 2 points (1-6).  Jaylen Blakes (2), Sean Stewart (5), Ryan Young (3), T.J. Power (3), and Spencer Hubbard (1) added the remaining 14 points.  

McCain solidified his role as a media star with his performance on NCAA Tournament television.  His smile is infectious.  

THE ROTATION

(3) Jeremy Roach (34:22) The senior co-captain scored 15 points (5-8 from the field, including 1-2 from deep, plus 4-4 from the foul line) to go with 6 assists, 2 steals, and a blocked shot.  He led the scoring in the second half with 11 of his 15 points.  He was again Duke’s leading scorer in the closing stanza.

Early in the game, Jeremy injured the fingers on his left hand and was in obvious pain.  He was taped and did not let the injury bother his performance. He leads by example.

(25) Mark Mitchell (31:54) scored only 2 points. (1-6 from the field, without a 3-point attempt or foul shot).  Mark played a superb all around floor game.  He defended well, handed out 4 assists without a turnover, grabbed 5 boards, and had 3 steals and a blocked shot.  Mark is valuable even when he doesn’t score, which is why he logged the second most  playing time of all Duke players in this game.

(5) Tyrese Proctor (30:55). Tyrese played superbly on both ends of the floor, with excellent defense, while scoring 18 points (7-15 from the field, including 4-10 from behind the arc, plus 0-1 from the stripe) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, and a turnover.  Duke’s backcourt played its best game of the year.  Excellent time to do so.

(0) Jared McCain (30:31) became a national media star in this game with his ever-present fan-  winning smile, not to mention his painted nail polished (in multiple Duke colors) fingernails.  He sank his first 6, 3-point attempts, leaving the announcers breathless.  He scored 30 points (22 in the first half) to lead the Blue Devils (10-15 from the field, including 8-11 from behind the arc, plus 2-2 from the stripe).   He added 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal without a turnover.  

30) Kyle (Flip) Filipowski (21:21) played a great game, but had his playing time limited by his foul trouble (again).  He committed 2 in the first half, and his fourth with 10:55 remaining in the game.  Nevertheless, Flip was THE guy who made the defense effective and delivered for the offense when he was on the floor.  Flip scored 14 points (6-8 from the field, including 0-1 from 3land, plus 2-3 from the foul line.  Flip grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 4 assists, made 2 steals and blocked a shot, while committing 3 of Duke’s only 6 turnovers.

(13) Sean Stewart (15:18)  excelled off the bench, providing surprisingly strong support in every facet of the game.  Sean scored 5 points (2-2 from the field, plus 1-2 from the foul line) and contributed 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.  Sean had a turnover, but that did not take away from his valuable effort.

(15) Ryan Young (14:50) also provided strong bench support, although he committed 4 fouls while he did it.  Ryan scored 3 points (1-2 from the field and the stripe).  Ryan grabbed 6 rebounds, had a steal and a blocked shot.  One turnover.  Valuable.

(12) T.J. Power (8:29) scored 3 points (1-4 from the field, including 1-3 from deep) to go with 2 boards, a steal, and a blocked shot.  Not bad for just a little over 8 minutes.

(2) Jaylen Blakes (5:16) scored 2 points, but was injured after he made a steal and drove for a layup.  He was fouled (called a flagrant one) and landed in such awkward fashion that a hush descended on the arena.  Jaylen could not continue playing but, after a while was he at least able to walk to the locker room.  We will be forced to wait for a bit before learning if Jaylen was badly injured.   

(55) Spencer Hubbard (3:32) played more than usual because of Duke’s gigantic lead.  He missed his only shot from the field, but was 1-2 from the stripe to score.  His teammates made sure he was dribbling the ball as the game ended, with defeaning fan applause.  A damned good moment to be standing on the court as a player in a Duke uniform.

An excruciating moment. Photo Credit: Ethan Hyman | News & Observer

The Sweet Sixteen

In the Sweet 16, Duke will face the Houston Cougars (seeded # 1 in the South Region) on Friday, March 29 at 9:39 in Dallas Texas – to be televised on CBS.  The Cougars survived in overtime against Texas A & M. Houston has achieved top rating twice during the season and has been projected as a number 1 seed by the ubiquitous Joe Lunardi throughout the year.  It should be a close thrilling game.

NEXT PLAY: Sweet 16 game vs. Houston Cougars in Dallas, Texas on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:39 pm.  CBS.