Category: Playbook Posts

Preview 

After two non-televised exhibition games and the pre-season coach’s interviews  from Tobacco Road, we have some idea of the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s team. If you attended the annual Duke Oyster Roast on Hilton Head a few weeks ago, this may sound familiar, because Alan and I were the after dinner entertainment. Well, maybe “entertainment” is a bit of a stretch, but Alan and I had a very enjoyable time.

Austin Rivers will be missing from last year’s team but that is not necessarily all bad, because that means getting back to basic  Duke Basketball– wearing down their opponents with extra ball movement, find the open man on offense, and play forty minutes of overly-aggressive defense. In short, playing fundamentally sound basketball. As talented as Rivers was, he struggled, at times, in all of these categories and it affected team chemistry. As a matter of fact, because of the lack of proven post players, Miles Plumlee, who was a first round pick by Larry Bird for the Indiana Pacers, may be missed more.

As a reward for returning for his senior year Krzyzewski seems to really be committed make Mason Plumlee the team’s focal point. ‘My coaches aren’t coaching balance. They’re telling the perimeter players to feed Plumlee (which would be the first time in years Duke has run its offense from the inside-out.) I thought we were too balanced a year ago,” Krzyzewski said. “I’d rather not have it be as balanced. I don’t think you win if everyone on our team scores 12 points a game. I’d like Mason to score 25 a game.”

If Plumlee scores 25, Krzyzewski would like Kelly to score 20. The versatile Ryan Kelly has been more effective shooting from the perimeter than he has inside, spent the summer with Plumlee on the camp circuit. Both went to the Amare Stoudemire Skills Academy in Chicago, where they competed against fellow ACC big men Reggie Johnson of Miami and C.J. Leslie of N.C. State. Kelly and Plumlee performed well enough to earn invitations to the July LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas. There, Plumlee teamed up with Florida State’s Michael Snaer, another candidate for the title of best player in the ACC. “When he was on my team, we were killing it,” Snaer said. “We were killing it.”

Duke is hoping Plumlee and Kelly perform as well in the  ACC as they did on the summer circuit. Beyond their talent, they form a rare duo of two seniors in the one-and-done era. “Older, really good players are the best thing a coach can have in college right now,” Krzyzewski said. “You always want the young, great player, but if the seniors are outstanding and they have game experience and are 22 or 23 years old, which our guys are, it gives a different dimension to your team.”

We have heard this before, but it has more weight this year because Quinn Cook is the kind of pure point guard Duke has not had in several years. Back in the day,  Coach was a point guard for Bobby Knight at Army and he has a special affection for guards—especially point guards. Given his limited range (unlike say Laettner or Boozer), the key for Mason to average 20 points or more is Quinn and his ability to break down a defender, penetrate and get Mason the ball in his comfort zone. Remember how much MP2 scored when Kyrie Irving was healthy? So far the reports are mixed. Quinn was terrific in the Durham Pro-Am Summer League but so far has struggled in the two exhibition games. In contrast, the two freshman have been very impressive but Alex Murphy, the presumed starter at forward, has not. Curry has a mysterious leg injury, the source and seriousness of which is a better kept secret than who is responsible for the Benghazi disaster.

At this point, there are more questions than answers about this Duke team. However, if everyone stays healthy, Plumlee, Kelly, provide senior leadership, the defense improves, Curry hits his threes, the true freshmen Sulaimon, Jefferson, plus the red shirt freshmen Murphy, and MP3 mature into strong contributors, Thornton and Hairston accept their status as role players, and  Cooke regains his high school form, this team should be a contender for ACC and NCAA titles.

Alan Adds:

I did not see either game, but looked at the  box score for both (only short form for Western Washington), which revealed what I thought was some interesting stuff.  Of course, a box score can only tell you so much, and tells more about the offense than the defense.  It is now recognized that Duke’s main weakness last year was defense.  I thought Austin was better defensively (by year’s end) than Bill does.  [Also offensively, but that’s another story]  The losses of Gbinje and Miles will not improve the defense.  We haven’t heard much about his transfer, but I thought he’d be a key player this year.  Dawkins was simply a defensive liability.  Suliamon comes to Duke with a defensive reputation, and Jefferson has drawn praise for his defense and long wing span.  Defense remains a real litmus test for how this team will do this year.

Duke started the same lineup in both games: MP2, Ryan Kelly, Alex Murphy, Quinn Cook and Rashid Suliamon.  Jefferson was the best reserve.  Mason has been terrific and Suliamon the best of the rest.  Cook has not morphed into the point guard we need yet.  Kelly had one great game statistically and one where his other stats were good, but an 0-7 shooting game against Winston-Salem State was not impressive.  Curry is hurt (but hopefully recovering) while Alex Murphy, Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton have been statistical disappointments.

Duke 69 Winston-Salem State 45

Curry did not play in the first game; but played 17 minutes in the Winston-Salem game (1-9 from the field including 0-4 from 3 point land).  He’s legitimately rusty.  Of the rest of the bench, only Amile Jefferson had an impressive stat line.  The two juniors, Tyler and Josh Hairston played sparingly and did not have a field goal between them.  Tyler played 14 minutes and picked up 4 fouls in that time without even taking a shot.  He had an assist and a turnover with two boards and 2 steals.  He was also 4-4 from the line.  Josh played 15 minutes and was 0-3 from the field, but had 6 boards, an assist and a block.  He was 1-2 from the line with no turnovers.  That’s is less than hoped for, especially against the likes of Winston-Salem State.  Amile played 22 minutes (starters minutes — more than Alex Murphy, who only played 14 minutes.   The big minute guys were Mason (33 minutes); Suliamon (31), Ryan (29), Cook (25) and Jefferson (22).  Mason had an excellent stat line (except foul shooting, which was 6-8 in the opener).  He was 7-7 from the field and 5-9 from the line.  He had 10 boards, 2 blocks, an assist and a steal (with no turnovers).  Heady stuff; but no one else followed suit.

Bad shooting: Duke was 1-17 from behind the arc (that is not a misprint).  Overall 25 – 64, which is under 40%.  Cook (1-4 from behind the arc) made Duke’s only 3 pointer.  Kelly was 0-2; Murphy 0-2; Suliamon 0-5; and Seth 0-4.  I thought the players who took Duke’s shots was revealing: Suliamon took 13 (team high), Jefferson 10, Seth 9 and Quinn Cook 9.  Kelly was 0-7 from the field and 5-5 from the line.  He did have 8 boards, 3 assists (good stat), 2 blocks and 2 steals without a turnover.  Murphy didn’t play much for a starter and his stat line may reveal why.  He was 1-6 from the field without getting to the line.  He had 2 turnovers against an assist and 2 steals.  Suliamon seems the find of the pre-season.  Throw out his 0-5 from behind the arc and he was 6-8 from inside the arc.  Two turnovers and 2 assists and 3 boards.  One missed free throw.  Quinn Cook, upon whom I believe Duke has to rely, is not delivering as hoped for.  He was 4-9 — 3-5 inside the arc, but with no free throw attempts.  Only 1 assist with 3 turnovers and no steals.  Duke had 11 assists and 9 turnovers — against Winston–Salem State.  The assist turnover ration was a bad harbinger last year and continues to warn of a major Duke weakness.  This was not a box score that breeds optimism for the formidable tasks which lie ahead (Kentucky on November 13 for example), but it is still very early.

Duke 105 Western Washington 87  (written the day after the game)

All raved about Sulaimon’s debut (he started in place of Curry, who did not play).   He had 18 points in the first half — 20 for the game — on 6-9 from the field and 6-7 from the line (2 of his field goals were 3 pointers).  [Duke was 6-14 from 3.]  A stat that jumped out at me was Mason going 6-8 from the line.  If he can shoot 75% for the year, it would be big.  He had 22 points on 8-14 shooting.  He took the most shots of any Duke player; the only other player with double figure attempts from the field was Quinn Cook, who played the most minutes (32) and had 13 points on 4-10 from the field and 4-5 from the line for 13 points (meaning he made one 3; but I couldn’t tell how many of Duke’s 14 attempts from 3, he actually took).  However, he had 6 turnovers to only 3 assists.  This needs to change if he is going to be the “point”.  Note Cook’s 5 rebounds was good (picking up the slack for the absent Curry?)  Duke shot distribution told something.  After Mason (14) and Cook (10), it was fairly evenly distributed: Kelly 9; Rashid 9; Amile Jefferson 7; Alex Murphy 5; Hairston 3 and Thornton 2.  Tyler hit a 3.  Josh was 4-4 from the line with one field goal and 5 boards.

Kelly led Duke in assists with 4.  As a team, Duke had 16 assists against 18 turnovers — troubling shades of last year.  Of the 18 turnovers, Mason with 5 and Cook combined for 11 of them.  Suliamon had 3 assists.  WWU had 14 steals to Duke’s 8.  Suliamon and Thornton had 2 steals each.  WWU had 15 turnovers against 10 assists.  Early in the season for everyone, even Division II National champions returning a full complement of starters.

Duke won easily because of a vast height advantage, which allowed easy baskets inside (Kelly and Mason were a combined 14 for 23 (add 13 for 15 from the line, meaning Kelly was 7-7), a rebounding superiority (41-34) and fouled out WWU’s best inside players.  Kelly had a stellar stat line: 6-9 from the floor and 7-7 form the line for 22 points, meaning he had the remaining 3 Duke 3 pointers.  He had 6 boards to go with 22 points on 9 field goal attempts.  That is efficiency!

Amile Jefferson turned some heads and got a bit of press.  He was 5-7 from the field and 3-6 form the line for 13 points.  He drew kudos for his interior defense (7’1″ wing span; though very thin).  He and Hairston got the Marshall Plumlee’s minutes.  Duke played only 8 (if you include Todd Zafirovski’s cameo, 9).  DBR gave kudos to Alex Murphy’s all around game; 3-5 (0-2 from the line) for 6 points.

The Season Starts

Most teams are optimistic about their fortunes at this time of the year.  I believe this will be an interesting season, where Duke has a chance to become a really good team.  The exhibition games throw some cold water on that optimism, but to remember they are exhibition games and it is a long season where players develop.  Duke has the coach who can develop players and a team.  I do think there will be some disappointments early in the year until this team begins to jell and grow.

Duke 68 – Clemson 40  

If you just saw the 25-10 halftime score, you might have thought it was just another bowl game. Actually, the Clemson Bricklayers played Duke last night in Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Blue Devils were up two touchdowns and a two point conversion. Duke also started slowly going OH for eight and it was ten minutes into the game before they got a double digit working margin. As we know, tough defense has been the key to every good team Coach K has had because it keeps the game close whenever the shots aren’t falling. Fortunately, tonight it was the defense plus a poor shooting team shooting terribly. It was so bad that Ryan Kelly actually outscored the entire Clemson team 12-10.

Unfortunately, Ryan “tweaked” his ankle at the end of the first twenty minutes and did not play (but was on the bench) in the second half. Hold your breath folks because this is the same right foot that he injured at the end of last year—and we all know what happened to the team in the last four games without him. Tonight it didn’t matter as Quinn Cook (may I remind you before he does that Alan was the first non-professional scout to predict his greatness) picked up the slack in the second half. Saturday’s game in Raleigh against State will be another matter. Hairston, Murphy, and Jefferson filled in for Kelly. Both freshmen again showed flashes of a skill upside that, candidly, Hairston has never shown.  What Hairston does have, however, is experience and tenacity, and toughness.

Coach K commented on playing time:

“With a senior really good player there is major separation, especially when the other guys are freshmen.  There is separation of talent and experience.  Whereas, when you have a team that doesn’t have that there is more of a chance of equal minutes, stuff like that.  You just have to manage the game differently.  I do that with every team that I’ve had, including the Olympic team.  Not everyone got equal minutes there either.  There was separation between LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], Carmelo [Anthony], Chris [Paul], [Kevin] Durant.  So they played a lot of minutes.  I think any coach, to be successful, he is going to play his best players the most minutes.  The neat thing is that our guys are practicing well and had really good minutes tonight.  I’m not sure of the status of Ryan for Saturday so that means there isn’t separation, so they will have opportunity.  The experience they got tonight will be helpful.”

Some comments: 

• The season may hang in the balance as the physical health of Kelly and Curry become more apparent. This is a team where the whole is more than the sum of the parts. Granted Mason Plumlee, Quinn Cook, and Seth Curry are the obvious cornerstones, but I have contended for about as long as Alan has talked about Cook that Ryan Kelly is the difference maker on this team. While Mason’s defense, defensive rebounding, and passing are POY quality, the rest of his offense and free throw shooting have returned to last year’s level. For Booker the Younger to play you to a statistical draw is not a good omen. To be sure, some of that has to do to how Duke is being defended but that is to be expected as the season progresses and teams figure how to try to  beat you. Really good, versatile teams make adjustments to various defensive schemes—and Duke is versatile. Sulaimon has hit the freshman wall offensively and he has to break through it pretty quickly—especially if Kelly is not 100% because Ryan is the matchup from hell. Between he Cook, good spacing, good three point shooting, and MP2 down low, how do you defend this team?
• Curry made the play of the game when driving left as the clock was winding down, he whipped a left handed shovel pass all the way across the lane to Cook in the right corner for a touchdown or, if you prefer, uncontested three. Quinn was a close second with a drive and hesitation fake that turned the foot taller Booker into a frozen statue as Quinn finished with a dipsy-doodle layup. Impressive, but we have seen that move before. I have never seen a pass like Curry’s before—just hope he wasn’t aiming at MP2.
• Just when I commented on Duke being such a good free throw shooting team, they become very ordinary.
• Saturday’s game against North Carolina State, the pre-season favorite to win the conference, worries me.

Alan Adds:

1. In the second half of the game, this team morphed from “Mason’s team” (in the early going); to almost Kelly’s team (as his subtle and valuable contributions became more visible) into Quinn Cook’s team.  With Kelly out for the second half; Mason being offensively thwarted; Seth not reaching double figures; Tyler hitting only one shot (but it was a big one) and Rasheed continuing his shooting slump (but great defense and 7 boards), Quinn took over the Duke offense in the second half, stabilizing it and providing the scoring punch.  He had 20 points just in the second half on an array of jaw dropping moves to the basket where he finished dexterously (I dissent from Bill’s selection of play of the game, opting instead for Quinn’s drive where he beat two Clemson defenders — one with a crossover and the other faking the crossover — for the layup), solid outside shooting, and superb ball handling which controlled the game.  In that half alone he was 9-12 from the field including 2-3 from behind the arc.  Overall, he scored 27 points with 5 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals.  Only 1 turnover in 35 minutes.  While his offense drew superlatives from the announcers, Quinn’s defense was superb and galvanizes the whole team on defense.  Duke played superior defense all night, with smooth switching and allowing Clemson very few open looks (which they were consistently missing).

1. Is it just me, or has Mason’s game lost some of the fluidity and effectiveness of his early season play, which had the media describing him as a Player of the Year candidate.  To me, he has not looked like a POY in the last three games.  His early season foul shooting success has declined, as has his post effectiveness.  He is still a phenomenal rebounder and adequate defender, though I think his defense has also regressed a bit in the last three games.  He is playing a lot of minutes (36 last night; the most of any Duke player) and running hard all the time.  If Kelly misses significant time, Mason is all Duke really has in the front court.

1. Bill is so right about Kelly’s  being so valuable for the many things that he does, and the amazingly complete player that he is.  Unfortunately he is also so valuable because — contrary to Coach K’s pep talk evaluation — Duke has inadequate bench strength in the forecourt.  Hairston can take a charge, but so far has contributed very little else.  On the perimeter, he cannot stay in front of anybody (embarrassing, actually), he is not a consistent rebounder (0 defensive rebounds), and he has been (so far) a poor shooter from outside of 8 feet, and seems to be without a go to move.  He played 16 minutes with only a single board and 1 point (0-1 on a jump shot).  He is not developing, and is an upper clansman.  Jefferson, on the other hand, looked agile, energetic, and athletic in his 9 minutes (5 points, 3 boards and a steal).  I anticipate that he will begin to take Hairston’s minutes.  Murphy had a put back (but missed the free throw) in his 5 minutes.  Marshall missed both free throws awarded to him in his cameo (2 minutes in garbage time).  The redshirt freshmen have yet to make a significant contribution.  If Kelly is hurt, Duke will have a serious problem.

1. NC State is a BIG GAME!  As pre-season favorites (but with a bad loss to Oklahoma State; and a Big Ten Challenge loss to Michigan) the Wolfpack will be sky high for the game in Raleigh.  Even with Kelly, this will be a tough game.  State’s TJ Warren is a 6’8″ freshman who is shooting lights out, and is the leading candidate, at this stage of the season, for ACC freshman of the year).  They have scoring and power inside (CJ Leslie and Richard Howel) and scoring with outside shooting on the perimeter (Lorenzo Brown, Scott Wood and freshman phenom Rodney Purvis).  Bill should be worried about this game.  I would not be surprised if the betting line were even or Duke an underdog.  A win would be a significant accomplishment — on a par with Duke’s November triumphs.

DUKE  – WAKE FOREST 

Living in  the beautiful Lowcountry  has many advantages, but it is SEC territory so last night the South Carolina-Florida game had television precedence over the Duke-Wake game. From the box score, the highlights on goduke.com, and talking to Alan, it is obvious that the seniors Plumlee (32 pts, 9 rebs) and Curry (21 pts) put the team on their backs (with an assist from Cook).A win is a win, and Wake plays better at home (win over N.C. State) they have been a .500 team. While experienced seniors played like we have become accustomed,  the lack of defense and the inconsistent play of Jefferson and Sulaimon are disappointing developments and must improve. The blunt truth is that so far without Kelly, Duke is not a top team.

If you analyze the numbers, it is easy to see that the Blue Devils could  have lost this game. Duke is not going to go 2-14 from three point land every game but Plumlee is also not going to go 8-10 from the line.

Other comments:

• “I don’t know if Mason Plumlee is the best player in the league, but there’s no player who’s more important to his team” , coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “There is no substitute for him.

• Amile Jefferson and combined for six rebounds and two points on 1-of-3 shooting. But Hairston turned in some big hustle plays down the stretch. He blocked Harris’ jumper with the score tied at 66 with three minutes left, then came up with rebound of Plumlee’s block of Harris in the closing seconds.

Alan adds:

Is the glass half full or half empty?  Always among life’s tantalizing questions, and certainly apt when applied to a discussion of last night’s Duke victory.  Half full:  Duke won its first ACC road game (0-2 against NC State and Miami) in an arena where Wake had not lost an ACC home game this season.  Half empty: Duke was pushed to the limit by a team that is 158th in scoring; 154 in field goal percentage; 232 in rebounding and 276 in assists per game, with a 10-10 record (now 3-5 in ACC).  Wake has lost to: Iona and Richmond, with its last game being an 18 point loss to Georgia Tech (Tech’s only ACC win).  On statistics, Wake should have been pounded by Duke, as on January 5 when Duke won by 18 in Cameron.

Half full: Mason had the offensive game of his life scoring 32 points on 12-15 from the floor; 8-10 from the line with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks (one was at the most crucial time) in 36 minutes.  Half empty: 7 turnovers.  Half full: Mason and Seth carried the team (Seth scored 21, playing 37 minutes).  Seth was 6-11 from inside the arc and 6-7 from the line.  Half empty: 1-6 from behind the arc.  Half full: Quinn had 12 points, 7 assists, 4 boards and a steal.  Half empty: 1-5 from behind the arc and 3 turnovers.

Half full: Duke as a team was 26-40 from inside the arc and 17-22 from the foul line.  Half empty: everything else.

The worst of half empty:  Duke was a sieve on defense.  Wake shredded Duke from everywhere except the bonus sphere (3-11).  Subtracting the 3s, Wake shot over 50% (22-41), with way too many being obscenely open looks and layups.  Duke was 2-14 from behind the arc; had 15 turnovers (2 more than the 13 assists); got no scoring from the bench; worse, got regressive games from Rasheed and Amile after both had shown signs of emerging as consistent and productive players to pick up the slack from Kelly’s absence.   After the Big 3’s 38, 37, and 36 minutes, Coach K was searching for (and not finding) productive players.  Amile: 19 minutes, 0 points 4 fouls.  Rasheed: 24 minutes, 6 points, and 3 fouls (limited his minutes).  Tyler: 22 minutes with 2 points.  Josh: 14 minutes with 2 points.  Alex: 6 minutes with 0 points.  Marshall: 4 minutes with 0 points.

Half full is difficult to sustain.  The promise of the Maryland game was eroded.  Saturday at Florida State (2pm; ESPN) is the next play.

North Carolina State 85 

For Duke to have any chance to win the ACC regular season championship, they had to beat N.C. State tonight. For the second game in a row the Blue Devils came out focused and aggressive t as Sulaimon set the tone with an aggressive and  powerful drive, dunk, foul,  free throw, then a three on the next possession. The State players seemed stunned as the threes kept falling (10 in 20 minutes) and the Blue Devils played their best half of the year, ending  up 58-37. The only concerns were that Duke was shorthanded (Josh Hairston was out with an infected arm);Cook, Curry, and Jefferson each had two fouls; Duke could not sustain that level of three point shooting; and the Wolfpack was too talented to continue to be beaten so badly.

Predictably, in the next twenty minutes, Howell put the Pack on his back, Duke’s stopped falling, and the Wolfpack kept chipping away at the big lead. Fortunately for Duke, Howell got in foul trouble then fouled out with a few minutes to go on an unintentional flagrant foul as he hit Mason in the chin with an elbow as he tried to clear space for a drive. And we know Duke knows how to close out games—put the ball in the hands of Curry and Cook.

Mason Plumlee had 30 & 9 ( 12-16 free throws) and played the best game of his career—especially in the second half when State made their sustained charge.  He dunked, he defended, he drove and he simply dominated. Curry checked in with 26 as he continued his improbable and amazing injury plagued play. And Cook was again the straw that stirred the drink. He even hit an incredible basket while  on the floor after almost losing the ball under the basket. When it is going you way, everything seems to go in.

The team continues to adjust to the loss of lost Ryan Kelly.  Jefferson continued his high energy and feisty immersion and education into Big Boy Basketball.. With Hairston out, Murphy played significant minutes of solid defense, had a high light dunk, but was only 2-4 from the line and a bagel from the field.

Some thoughts:

• An amazing stat: Duke has been ranked number 1 in one of every five games during Coach K’s tenure.

• The win gives Duke record of 20-2. This is the Blue Devils 48th 20-win season, the 17th straight and the 29th for Krzyzewski.

• Plumlee’s free throws defy the scientific laws of physics, geometry, and shooting technique.  How can a basketball maintain a flat trajectory for 15 feet without falling of its own weight?

• I had to buy the DirecTV Full Court Package to watch the game, which was telecast by Raycom not ESPN. It was like a throwback telecast from the sixties: small picture, fuzzy analog not high definition, third tier announcers, and only the same dumb ESPN commercials repeatedly looped over and over and over again. If it wasn’t Duke playing, I never would have watched a minute of the game.

Alan Adds:

While watching one of Duke’s most spectacular  offensive explosions, it was hard to ignore Duke’s lack of defense in the second half.  True, the Pack (especially Richard Howell) shot extremely well, even with a hand in the shooter’s face.  But that hand wasn’t there very often, and State had an out-of body-shooting night in the second half (maybe poetic justice after Duke’s first half out-of-body shooting).  For the first twelve minutes of that half, the Pack shot 85.7%!  State scored 48 points in spite of a power outage at the end after both Howell and CJ Leslie had fouled out.  Duke simply did not defend with any efficiency, allowing clear drives to the hoop, open shots, and put backs underneath.  With 4 and 1/2 minutes to go, State had cut the lead to single digits.  The game turned on two plays — Howell’s unintentional flagrant foul followed by Mason’s amazing block on a CJ Leslie lay up as State was charging .  With 3’41 to go, State had the ball, trailing by 11 with Howell, who had scored 7 of the last 9 State points, in position to do damage.  Instead of damage, Howell fouled out, giving Duke a deuce on Mason’s two free throws and the ball.  Big play!  Still State wouldn’t die and clawed back to a single digit game.  Even after Howell fouled out, Leslie torched the Duke interior.  With a minute and 20 to go, Leslie had a point blank put back when Mason rose for a gorgeous block. Cook came up with the ball.  Game over.

Duke’s offensive first half was spectacularly efficient, shooting over 60 % with 10 3s (Seth and Quinn had 8 of the 10).  Seth had 18 points in the first half; Mason 15 and Cook 12.  Offensively, the second half was different.  Duke failed to make a single 3 pointer in the second half (finished 10-24), but made the crucial foul shots in a foul plagued second half.  Critically, Duke had 18 assists and only 7 turnovers (Thornton had 6 in only 18 minutes). Both teams were missing key players and struggled with mounting foul trouble.  State had only 7 scholarship players (played with 6 until Leslie fouled out in the last minute) and Duke only 8 (played with 7; Marshall made a less than a minute cameo).  Duke was 31-42 from the line and really won the game there in the second half.  Mason led Duke in that stanza with some wonderful offensive moves and dropped in another 15 for his 30 (9-11 from the field and 12-16 from the line).  Pretty impressive, and those points went along with 9 boards, 2 blocks and an imposing presence.  He played 40 minutes.  Wow!  Curry, Sulaimon and Cook all played 35 very productive minutes, though Sulaimon was quiet after his game opening outburst.  Cook had a gaudy game with a hummer of a stat line: 21 points on only 8 shots (6-8 from the field including 4-5 from behind the arc and 5-6 at the line).  Add 4 boards, 4 assists and a block against 1 turnover and you have a wonderful game from your point guard.

Still the lack of defense has to give pause.  State was missing its point guard and had to play with a (touted) freshman, who has not logged many minutes this year.  But Tyler Lewis played 39 minutes yesterday with 6 assists and no turnovers.  State made 10 straight baskets from the field to start the second half, and began to punish Duke near the rim.  Josh Hairston isn’t getting much love this year, but his interior defense and toughness were sorely missed yesterday, especially in the second half.  He should be ready for Boston College on Sunday.  It was a great game to watch and a significant win for Duke.

Duke 62 – Boston College 61 

THE MAESTERO (plus Cook, Plumlee & Sulaimon) STEAL ONE.

Don Henson, a tennis pro in Winchester, taught me a lot about the game and the game within the game. One of his truisms was that good, well coached players make more “lucky shots” than average players. The same holds true for basketball teams. Over the years, Duke and Carolina have won more close games than other teams they play. Tonight was a good example. If I told you that BC only scored 27 first half points, how many points would you think Duke, which has been averaging 40 first half points, was ahead? O, nada, none. UNBELIEVEABLE!

I kept waiting for a Duke run that never came. Oh, they had a mini-run in the second half but went colder than the Boston weather before for Coach K gave Mason and Cook gave the opportunity to steal a win in a situation that seemed hopeless. With a few minutes left, I had noted “out fought and  out played, an inexplicably discouraging loss”.

When Duke opened a 6 point lead in the second half, I thought that the Devils would put the game away. But then they went cold again, scoring just one free throw over a 4:30 minutes span while allowing BC to get hot and surge to 5 point lead with 2:15 to go—as the students went wild in anticipation of storming the court after the anticipated upset.

Now pay attention boys and girls and you will again learn why watching Duke Basketball is so much fun! Coach K called a timeout. He drew up a play designed to get Quinn Cook a three point shot from the corner, which Quinn drained. Then Plumlee took over. Fouled hard on a defensive rebound, he hit a pair of free throws with 47 seconds left to tie the game at 61- 61. BC’s Joe Rahon put a 3-point attempt off the top of the backboard and Plumlee was fouled hard as he grabbed the rebound. He missed the first but hit the second.

62-61 Duke. 25 seconds to play.

After a BC timeout, Duke, surprisingly, stayed small and quick—MP2 and four guards. On the out of bounds, Thornton was on Hanlan, who was hot and figured to take the  last shot and Sulaimon was on the powerful Anderson, who figured to screen for him. On the pick, Sulaimon switched to Hanlan, which is the matchup Coach K wanted and Sully, anticipating a right handed drive, cut it off and forced the talented freshman into an off balanced shot that was way off the mark. There was a scramble for the ball but Thornton somehow denied Anderson a tip in or rebound and Mason was in the middle of the scrum for the loose ball as time expired. The gamble payed off, because Thornton was left guarding Anderson, a powerful forward who had about a foot advantage on him, as he rolled to the basket but  Hanlan was feeling it all game and was not about to give the ball up.

After the game, Mason Plumlee said: “Coach, he knows what to do. He knew  Anderson was going to set the ball screen, so he put Rasheed on Anderson.” The rest was up to the players, who embrace moments like this.

Other comments:

• Mason Plumlee, was not flawless, but he again played with a passion that almost willed the Blue Devils to a win. After going 3-4 from the floor with the game on the line, I will make no more comments about his free throw shooting. BTW, Rasheed Sulaimon is playing with similar intensity and passion  much earlier in his career.

Alan Adds:

The harbingers of an upset were all there.  The last time all five of the top ranked teams had lost in the same week was 1992.  [Btw, Duke held the top spot after the loss in ’92 and went on to win the NCAA tournament!] The announcers were bordering on hysterical as they kept reminding the viewers that only Duke of the top 5 had not lost this week, and if BC could hold its lead, the week in 1992 would be duplicated.  Even the announcers understood the story would be a BC win.  Duke had a bad shooting night;  BC played with passion verve and confidence (though not shooting well in the first half, got hot in the second).  BC players who had not accomplished much — Eddie Odio and Dennis Clifford — contributed big time for BC, to go along with excellent performances from emerging stars Ryan Anderson and Oliver Hanlon.  But Duke alone among the top 5 held on by a fingernail and avoided the upset.  In my opinion, this was a much bigger win and accomplishment than the schedule will make it seem, when read later in the year.  After all, it was just a win against a team that is 10-13 on the season and 2-8 in the ACC.  But, against all odds, Coach K and the team managed the win.  Bill is so right in focusing on the timeout that Coach K called with 2:15 to go, Duke down 5 with the ball and looking lost on offense and the shot clock winding down to 16.  1:58 left when Cook, who had been failing to finnish around the rim all night, swished the 3 from the corner.   Mason recorded a block on Hanlon’s layup, but Anderson rebounded and missed a short jumper, which Cook rebounded.   Duke timeout with 1:04 left and down 2.  Anderson fouled Plumlee with 47 seconds left and Mason drained both free throws to tie the game (big shots!).  BC”s youth got them when Rayon, with an open look from the 3 point corner, hit the top of the backboard, which Mason rebounded with 25 seconds left and was fouled by Odio.  After he gave the Devils the final one point lead, Duke’s defense, as described by Bill, forced Hanlan into a bad shot that missed.  Actually, Duke’s defense was excellent for most of the game (with a major lapse in the latter part of the second half when BC came storming back from down 6 with 8:57 to play to tie the game with 5:20 left and take the 5 point lead with 2:15 to go).

BC shot 50% in the second half, but could not hit from behind the arc (0-6; meaning that BC was 13-20 inside the arc in the second half.  The Duke defense faltered, but BC made some tough shots too).   Duke’s stout first half defense wilted in the latter part of the second half.  It was Mason (38 minutes) with 19 (12 in the second half; 7-10 from the line for the game) and Seth (38 minutes) with 18 (10 in the second half; a pair of 3s and 4-4 from the line) that carried the Devils all game.  Quinn (37 minutes) had a less than stellar outing going 0-8 from the field inside the arc (0-2 in a scoreless first half) and committing 4 turnovers.  However, he had 3 big 3s (3-4) in the second half for 9 points, which was critical for Duke.   Rasheed struggled offensively (though he defended and rebounded very well), scoring only 4 points in 23 minutes.  Thornton contributed and was on the court for 30 minutes, the fourth most of any Duke player.

What of the Kelly replacement effort?  First, Amile played only 11 minutes — and Alex Murphy only 6 (no score) — neither saw any meaningful action in the second half (3 points and 4 boards for Jefferson; ).  Did Jefferson get hurt?  Earn his way into the Coach K doghouse?  There is a story there that does not seem to be reported anywhere.  Josh played 17 creditable minutes and demonstrated his growing value to the team (even made a medium range jumper).

It was a desultary Duke performance made palatable by the 1 point win in the context of all the other top 5 teams (+ Arizona at # 7) losing.  Next play will hold our attention: UNC at Cameron on Wednesday (9pm on ESPN) .

Duke 73 – North Carolina 68 

It was Coach K’s 66^th birthday tonight but this game might have aged him several more years and when he looks in the mirror this morning, he might even see a few white hairs. I know I did and will.

Coming off an embarrassing loss, a proud, well coached team usually rebounds with a good game. That is what Carolina did tonight and in the first half as Duke helped them by playing like they did against Boston College for thirty- eight minutes. UNC was ahead the entire twenty minutes. But UNC ain’t BC. In addition, Roy Williams had a surprise present for K. He started four guards with McAdoo, drove the lanes, and played energetic, effective defense.

The Blue Devils were fortunate to only be down four points at the break as Cook, Sulaimon, and Thornton created what little offense Duke had while Plumlee and Curry were basically missing in action. To start the second half, it appeared Duke was in a lot of trouble as Mason received his third foul in the first thirty seconds. Josh Hairston subbed for Plumlee and lo and behold Duke suddenly played with more sense of urgency. A more aggressive defense produced an 11-3 four minute run that gave them a lead they never relinquished. When MP2 returned, he was a different player. Carolina didn’t help their cause by rushing jump shots– and we know how missing threes often gives an opponent quick, easy scoring opportunities. Despite that, Carolina never quit and the second half looked more like a typical Duke-Carolina barn burner.

It wasn’t over until it was over, because Plumlee, Cook, Curry, and Sulaimon played extended minutes with four fouls. However, Duke, capitalized on some breaks and played better—especially  at the foul line  where they were 17-23 vs. the Heels 13-23. While this is a down year for UNC,  Hairston, Bullock, and Strickland, and McAdoo are very talented players. On a given night, this team is capable of beating any ACC team.

In his press conference Coach K had some interesting comments about what a great rivalry Duke-Carolina is, how fortunate he has been to be a part of it, that the coaches and players respect one another and, in many cases, handle the pressure of the intense rivalry better than the fans. Also, he commented that collective anger can be a positive emotion that allows a team to raise the level of their play and fight through fatigue.

Roy Williams assessment of Duke: “I Congratulate Duke. There is a reason why they are No. 1 in the country, because they are really good. They got off to a great start this year playing the most difficult schedule in the country and they played great, then Ryan Kelly went down. For two or three games they were all out of whack, but they have been playing great lately. We will get a chance to play them again. Hopefully we play a little better and they play a little worse.”

Some observations:

• Without Kelly, every game can be a challenge. However, these players  have unusual chemistry, are very resilient, and have the ability to find a way to raise the level of their play to meet the moment.

• Duke had only one more basket than turnover (12-11) in the first half.

• While Mason played like the POY in the last fifteen minutes, he made a careless fourth foul and could have been called for his fifth on several other occasions. McAdoo probably made a mistake by flopping rather than standing and taking the contact on these close calls.

• While Josh Hairston played well, he inadvertently got an assist on Mason’s fourth by taking an ill-advised (no, no, what are you thinking) three that unsurprisingly produced a clanking, long rebound that MP2 dove for and, in doing so, fouled a Carolina player.

• You can see Sulaimon playing with more and more confidence as he moves with determination and versatility, demonstrating he is a five tool player. After the game, he said: “I have no more excuses.  It’s February now and I’m not a freshman anymore.  I’ve got to step up and help my teammates out.  The great thing about this team and this coaching staff is they have confidence in me and they have the belief in me that I can do it.   And if they believe in me, why shouldn’t I?  I’m just ready.”

• Who suggested that Duke might need a new shoe company? Curry, who twice had to leave the game when the cushions in his shoes blew out.

Alan Adds:

Duke won!  That is the single most important fact that emerged from a fascinating (but not very well played) and typically intense  Duke-UNC game.  The game demonstrated to me that Duke is not as good as the other top tier teams, and yet has a wonderful 22-2 record on Valentine’s Day.  I think Coach K is doing it with mirrors and blue smoke, as demonstrated in both BC and last night’s games.  As Bill points out, Carolina came out with attitude; created by having been fully embarrassed at Miami (yes, we know how that feels).  Duke, on the other hand, came out as if winning at home in Cameron against a flawed team was guaranteed.  Duke was simply awful in the first half at both ends of the floor, except for about a 5 minute stretch near the end of the half, where you could see the defense (finally) tighten.  Bill called me at half time (I know what substance into which I was crying; not sure about Bill).  We both said, it is amazing that Duke is as close as 4 points down after having played as they did.   Truthfully, if Carolina had made a fair percent of the wide open looks they had, Duke would have been down 12 or 14.  The sad fact is that, by Carolina standards, the ‘heels are a shockingly inept team.  Heart?  Yes.  Skilled players?  Some but substantially fewer than we are used to?  But something is missing.  Leadership?  I think.  They don’t play together as a team on either end of the court the way we are used to seeing Roy Williams coached teams play.  My Carolina friends are beginning to whisper about Ole Roy (which is actually shocking).  Inept? In the second half, UNC was 2-10 from behind the arc and 9-17 from the free throw line (barely above 50%) and only 10 for 24 inside the arc.  Those  stats (and the Duke counterparts) tell the tale of the game’s outcome.  In the second half, Duke was 5-12 from behind the arc and 13-14 from the line (12 clutch free throws in a row coming down the stretch).  Duke shot 7-13 inside the arc in the second half (meaning that virtually half of Duke’s 25 second half shots came from behind the arc).

Carolina played with only 6 players (if you do not count the cameos: Hubert 1 minute, Tokoto 3 minutes, Johnson and Simmons 4 minutes).  Duke played with 7, but Josh Hairston logged only 9 minutes (Cameos by Murphy 3 minutes and Marshall 1 minute); so one could argue 6 also.  At game’s end, the Duke Core Four (without Kelly) — Mason, Cook, Curry and Rasheed — all had four fouls.  Rasheed and Curry led Duke in the second half with 9 points each; Cook and Mason had 8 apiece.  Mason had an efficient second half going 3-5 from the field with 4-4 from the line with 6 big defensive rebounds (after only 1 defensive rebound in the first half).  Quinn carried Duke in the first half (10 points on 4-6 shooting) and took control in the second half.  Duke as a team, however, had only 9 assists against 17 turnovers.  Bad ball handling and some very careless passing (especially in the first half).  Cook had 5 of the turnovers, but only one in the second half, but only 2 assists for the game.  K wants him to score more, and he certainly did last night even though he was 0-3 from behind the arc (6-9 otherwise and, critically, 6-6 from the free throw line. Rasheed was a star in the second half (3-5 from the field including 1-3 from 3 and 2-2 (clutch if you remember) from the line.  He also had 5 assists against 2 turnovers in the second half.  Curry had a rare off game, but returned to form in the stretch and contributed handsomely on both ends.  Tyler was also a major contributor especially on defense where he guarded the much bigger Bullock well.  He also was 3-4 from behind the arc in 28 minutes (5th most on team).  Duke went with 4 guards and Mason (Josh for a few minutes also), which was another Coach K “mirrors and blue smoke” strategy.  Rasheed played 38 minutes to lead the team; Quinn 37 and Mason 35 were the others over 30 minutes played.  Curry was 29 and Amile logged 20 minutes; mostly in the first half before K went to the four guard offense.  Amile played 20 minutes and snared 8 rebounds, but his only statistic in the second half was one rebound and one foul.  Tonight was a prime example of how much Duke misses Kelly and how miraculous it is that Duke keeps winning without him.

Next Play: Maryland on Saturday at College Park (never a walk in the park).  ESPN @ 6pm.

DUKE  81  –  MARYLAND 83 

Coming off three games in six days, one of which was against a team that had beaten them, another a near death/loss experience in Boston, the other against arch rival North Carolina, Duke was playing  against a Maryland team which had a week to prepare and needed a win to have any hope to make the NCAA Tournament—and a team the Blue Devils beaten 12 of the last 13 times. Yet, getting virtually nothing from Mason Plumlee (4pts. & 3rebs.), the rest of the players fought back from a ten point  deficit with just 3:30 left only to lose in the last seconds. As Coach K has said, without Kelly Duke is a good but not dominating team. A loss is a loss but, personally, I am more proud of the team tonight than I have been  after some of the this year’s wins. And if we get Ryan back and he is a shadow of his former self, look out because the rest of the squad is becoming deeper and more confident. As the Maryland fans rushed the court, I am reminded by Alan that that at the end of the Carolina game, Coach K kept the students from rushing the court for the same for the same reason Battier kept his players from celebrating after the “Miracle Minute” win at Maryland thirteen years  ago.

Maryland played well and deserved the win and, believe me, when they depart the conference, they  will never  play Duke or Carolina again in the regular season. Feelings about the defection run very deep. Just listen to Coach K on what he thinks: “We don’t look at any rivalries; we look at each opponent the same. I’ve said that every time I’ve come here. I have a great deal of respect for Maryland. If it was such a rivalry they’d still be in the ACC. Obviously they don’t think it’s that important, or they wouldn’t be in the Big Ten. I respect their basketball program and the job their coaches have done and their players have done over the years. We’ve had some great games with them, but we have great games against a lot of people. A lot of people want to beat us, and they’re one of them.

Let’s look at the record:

• Duke leads the all-time series with Maryland 113-61, including a 55-16 mark in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Duke is 54-21 against Maryland under Coach K.
• In the regular season, Duke is 100-56 against Maryland. Duke is 12-5 against the Terps in the ACC Tournament and 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
• Duke has won six straight games against Maryland and 12 of the last 13 meetings.

Other observations:

Maryland was a founding member of the of the Atlantic Coast Conference, whose original members were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Until Maryland’s president decided to leave the ACC  and join the Big 10 (which will have  12, then 14 teams–apparently math SAT’s are not a requirement for entry), the only other defection was South Carolina, which seceded in 1971. That was triggered by Frank McGuire, the basketball coach who won the 1955 NCAA Championship with the Tar Heels. He had a lingering, free floating hostility toward UNC and the ACC, in part, because after Carolina was found guilty of major NCAA violations in 1961 (and  rumors of point shaving by some UNC players), Chancellor William Aycock forced McGuire’s resignation. Dean Smith, his assistant coach, was selected to replace him and the rest is legend.

I must confess that I have conflicted feelings about Maryland. My father, who was the first member of his family to attend college, went there during the depression. He played baseball and remained a loyal supporter of the school. When I was a teenager, Maryland became a football powerhouse under Jim Tatum, who left Maryland in 1955 for North Carolina. (Tatum assured my father and others at a Terrapin Club meeting he was “going nowhere” at the same time The Washington Post presses were printing with the story of his  leaving for North Carolina.) During Tatum’s tenure, Maryland played twice in both the Orange Bowl,  the Gator Bowl,  went undefeated and in 1951 and was ranked # 1 beating Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. It was an exciting era for me as my dad was an officer of the Terrapin Club and we went to all the games as well as bowl appearances. On these trips and other occasions, I was able to spend time around the players, most of whom were really nice guys. One of the them, quarterback Lynn Beightol was hired by my dad after he was the final cut by The Green Bay Packers (they kept Bart Starr).  He and I eventually started Forecast Furniture, a manufacturer of upholstery in Winchester, Va. [Here is an inside look at the recruiting process: Lynn was a very highly recruited QB (75 offers) from Cumberland, Md. On his recruiting visit to Notre Dame  legendary coach Frank Leahy told him: “Son, if you come to Notre Dame, you will start as a sophomore, be an All- American as a junior, and win the Heisman trophy as a senior.”]

It was a simpler and more innocent time. Fans did not feel a need to be part of the show (there was very few televised games) and I cannot remember “hating” or in any way vilifying any opponent. And I have never thought about vilifying my coach or the players. Against the Terp home loss to Virginia,  Maryland fans were chanting things  so terrible about Coach Mark Turgeon that his  wife and two sons left the Comcast Center. Tonight, it was simply, F-—k you, Plumlee. Sometime over the years, the frustrated Terp students and fans have obviously crossed the line of  acceptable partisan civility. I think it had to do with the feeling that the ACC was Carolina Centric. For sure, ‘Tobacco Road” took on a new meaning when the Terps and other schools went to The Triangle to play back–to-back games against UNC and Duke or  State or Wake in both the regular season and the ACC Tournament and, more often than not, lose. In  addition, the ACC Tournament was often played in North Carolina, because, frankly, there was more passion and fan support for college basketball that produced sold out venues. Lefty Driesell, then Gary Williams, exacerbated the hostility and animosity  by often being a conference runner-up, not winner, and continually complaining about referee and conference bias.  As one observer commented: “ When Maryland plays Duke or Carolina, the fans act as if they are the resentful, angry illegitimate children at a family reunion.” The fact of the matter is that over fifty years, Duke and Carolina were the best thing that happened to Maryland Basketball as they were the only two teams that continually sold out the Maryland Fieldhouse.

[A  footnote for football fans: Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson both learned  the intricacies of the then innovative Split-T offensive system as assistants to Don Faurot during WW II at the Iowa Pre-Flight School. Later, as a condition for Tatum to became head coach at Oklahoma, he had to hire Wilkinson as  assistant head coach– a prescient, brilliant decision by the school. In 1947, the next year, Tatum jumped to Maryland, and Bud became head coach. Ironically, the two assistants went on to more fame than their teacher, who was at Missouri. Tatum’s  impressive career was cut short by an untimely death in 1959 of misdiagnosed Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Wilkinson, on the other hand, stayed his entire career at Oklahoma and would become one of the most celebrated and revered college coaches of all time. His teams captured national championships in 1950, 1955, and 1956, and amassed a 145–29–4 (.826) overall record. The centerpiece of his time in Norman was a 47-game winning streak from 1953 to 1957, an NCAA Division I record that still stands today.  Bud’s son Jay Wilkinson was an All- American football player at Duke and recently published a book of his father’s letters to him.

Alan Adds:

Bill really said it all for this game.  Duke was exhausted and heroic, but ultimately lost.  The exhausted part (Coach K is not an excuse maker; so, when he talks about his team being exhausted it has the credibility of truth rather than rationalization) is revealed in two telling stats — rebounding and defense (part of a defensive lapse is excessive fouling).  Consider that Duke was simply hammered on the boards.  Maryland out rebounded Duke 37-17; Duke had only 4 offensive rebounds for the game.  Maryland shot 67% in the second half (1-3 from behind the arc).  Duke’s defense was shredded by the Maryland penetration.  Maryland went to the line 31 times in the second half (2-3 in the first half and 23-31 in the second).  Both Mason and Hairston fouled out.  Duke had no answer for Maryland’s inside presence.  Amile and Alex each logged only 8 minutes a piece (Amile didn’t score; Alex scored — 4 points).  Hairston had his best game at Duke and looked less lost on offense.  He was a good offensive player in high school, and some of that showed yesterday (finally).  Marshall made a one minute cameo in which he turned the ball over and had a defensive lapse that led to an open Maryland layup.  That’s why he was limited to one minute.

Duke scored 47 points in the second half, which is a potent offensive output.  Rasheed had a brilliant second half (16 points, including 7-7 from the line) after being scoreless in the first half.  Quinn had a big second half, with 11 points and 5 assists.  He had 3 turnovers though in that half and 5 for the game.  Curry was terrific.  But Duke simply could not defend in the second half giving up 48 points.  Quinn said, ““They were either getting a good look, or it was a foul, (and then complained about the refereeing which Coach K will not appreciate).  That quote really said it all about Duke’s defense.

Duke gets a 5 day breather before traveling to Va Tech next Wednesday night (9 pm ESPN) followed by a return match in Cameron against BC next Sunday.  The last Feb game is against Virginia in Charlottesville.  March brings Miami to Cameron on March 2, followed by a trap game against Virginia Tech before traveling to Chapel Hill for UNC Senior night.  A lot of next plays.  It would be nice if the March ones take place with Kelly in the lineup or at least returning to the court.

Bill points out that I found it significant that Coach K stopped the fans from rushing the court after beating Carolina.  You don’t rush the court when you are ranked # 1 (in one poll anyway) and beat an unranked team, even if it is Carolina.  Great insult.  Reminds me of one of my favorites from “Casablanca”.  Ugarte (Peter Lorre) is ingratiating himself with Rick (Bogie).  Candor is his card, “Rick, you despise me, don’t you?”  Rick’s devastating response, “Well, I suppose I would if I thought about it.”

Same church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction: 

What to look for this year:

There is little doubt that Duke will be very good in 2011-12. Coach K will soon become the winningest coach in men’s basketball and barring injuries or bad luck, the Blue Devils are likely to extend their string of top national 10 finishes — now at 14 in the last 15 years. But will the Devils be good enough to challenge North Carolina for ACC honors? To make another NCAA Championship run?  A lot will depend upon the continued maturation and development of the juniors and Austin Rivers learning there is not an “I” but a “D” in Duke Basketball.

While this team has more talented big men and better depth at guard, it does not have the senior leadership and dependable go-to player as in years past. With the three games played this summer in China and Dubai, we have had a glimpse of what to expect. Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry appear to have made significant improvement in their games– Ryan because he has added weight and muscle to his frame and Seth because he has worked diligently on his point guard skills. It speaks volumes that Seth was chosen as co-captain (along with the Miles and Ryan) as to what Coach K thinks of his attitude, skills, and leadership abilities. Outstanding point guards (Amaker, Hurley, Williams, Duhon, Scheyer) have always been the  straw that stirs the drink for Duke’s best teams. The inconsistent Miles Plumlee (MP1), while an imposing physical presence at center, has always had an exuberant “bull in a china shop” quality to his play and Mason Plumlee (MP2) has yet to be the dominant player his athletic talent promises. While neither player threatens Zoubek’s first three year record of fouls per minute, they do seem to commit a foul or two before they ever leave the locker room. That must change. The coaches talk about the big men being more of a focal point of the offense but the blunt truth is that neither Plumlee can create their own shot so is not a threat away from the basket. Other than passing and rebounding, Mason’s scoring went south after Kyrie was injured as his clever passing set up MP2 for easy dunks. Ryan Kelly, who hit 17 shots in a row last year, is the most versatile big man who may be the key to a special year. Since he has gotten bigger, he can play inside/out and can be a very difficult match-up problem for any defender.

With Curry, Dawkins, Rivers, and, sometimes Kelly on the perimeter I don’t anticipate many looks into the post. We know what kind of shooters Curry, Dawkins and Ryan are. That leaves the highly touted Austin (son of Doc) Rivers. I don’t want to make an invidious comparison but from what I have seen he is not as polished or mature a player or as committed a teammate as Kyrie Irving was in his brief career. (Incidentally, Kyrie is at Duke taking classes this semester—at least until the NBA strike is resolved). While a combo guard, Rivers is undoubtedly physically gifted but not necessarily emotionally mature. In the summer games, he appeared petulant when he didn’t get the calls and often was not an enthusiastic defender. Time and coaching should solve those flaws—but a talented, egocentric freshman (ref. Vince Carter) does not endear himself to his teammates and is a tough coaching challenge.  Tyler Thornton, who is an adrenalin fix for any lethargic team effort, and a bigger, more confident Josh Hairston will be instrumental role players who can give the starters well needed rests that will keep them fresh for the end of games and the season.

While the other freshmen are a highly rated group none appear ready for Prime Time. Quinn Cook is a talented, pure point guard with an opportunity for major minutes but Curry embarrassed him in the recent Blue-White game and we all know that in Coach K’s universe poor defense is a ticket for a nice view of the game from the bench. Alex Murphy, who has been compared to Kyle Singler (such comparisons are often the kiss of death), Michael Gbinlie, and Marshall Plumlee (MP3) are all talented and promising but probably a year away from making major contributions.

Carolina is a runaway preseason #1 pick as they should be. However, Carolina was a very inconsistent team last year before Kendall Marshall became the starting point guard. Marshall distributes the ball so well (reminds me of Jason Kidd in college) that the other players do not have to create their shot, they just catch and shoot. If a team can neutralize Marshall (Thornton and Cook successfully played against him in high school), UNC is a very different team.

However the season unfolds, it should be another exciting year!

Alan adds:

As all the commentators and, indeed, even Coach K and Bill , have said, this is a team with much potential and much talent, but no one who has even approached fulfilling it…yet.  That will be what this season is about.  Who fulfills the as yet untapped potential.  Most of the talk has been about the offense, but I believe that the litmus test for this team will be how it establishes and grows into its defensive identity.  What wasn’t much discussed about the last games in the NCAA tournament, was the impact the insertion of Kyrie into the lineup had on the defense.  Duke’s defense is a cohesive team concept, and it was the defense in the second half of both the Michigan and Arizona games that seemed to lose the intensity that had become a season long trade-mark.  So, I think that how Coach K melds this group into a ferocious and effective defensive unit will tell the tale about the success of this season.  Duke has shot blocking for sure.  Given what the starting lineup seems to be, a serious question will be who can match up with the high scoring wings of the opponent?  If Duke plays 3 guards, can Dawkins fill that role?  Can the perimeter make penetration difficult?  Intriguing questions.  Both Bill and I think Duke will be better toward the end of the year because there is more need for development of play on both ends, and experimentation with lineups and differing combinations than in past years.

I read, as Bill did, that Seth Curry “embarrassed” the freshman point guard, Quinn Cook in the Blue-White game.  I believe that Cook will be a major force at Duke (even if not this year).  I saw him play four times in high school last year (on TV) – twice for Oak Hill and twice in All-Star games (both times with Rivers; they were amazing together,).  I was very impressed with him on both ends of the court.  He is a superb passer and excellent outside shooter.  He displayed a great head for the game and for taking over in the clutch.  Very impressively, he gets to the rim and is both a tremendous finisher and great on the dish.  As optimistic as all are about Seth’s transition to the point, it is a sobering statistic from the August trip that Duke (and also Curry individually) had more turnovers than assists. Cook had (or has, a troubling thought) a knee that was rickety enough to keep him from playing on the August trip.  He played only 13 minutes in the Blue-White game, which means it is possible that his defense is still adversely impacted by the injury (that’s the good and the bad news).  We should all keep an eye on the point guard play.

I didn’t see last night’s streamed exhibition game,  but some interesting observations from the box score are available.  Duke won 87-62, but led by only 5 at the half:

1)      Duke forced 21 turnovers, including 16 steals; but had only 1 block.  Offensively, Duke had 19 turnovers (and 19 assist; Bellarmine had 10 steals.  Duke was only 2-14 from behind the arc (Seth 1-6; Dawkins 0-3; Rivers 0-3; Thornton 1-2)

2)     Point Guard: Seth took 17 shots in a game-high 31 minutes (Austin was second with 10).  7-17,.  Tyler Thornton logged the second most minutes of any Duke player (24) and had 3 assists to one turnover. ;  Tyler had 5 points, 2 boards (1 offensive) and 3 steal.  Quinn Cook had an interesting line in only 11 minutes: 2-2 from the field (driving layup highlighted in the DBR report), 1-2 from the line, 5 assists against a turnover and 2 steals.  I repeat in 11 minutes.  Seth in 31 minutes had 18 points, 5 assists against 3 turnovers and 2 steals.  He had 3 assists against 1 turnover.

3)      Bigs and freshman wings: Bellarmine was very under sized, so no real conclusions (or even tentative conclusions) can really be drawn.  Mason was 8-8 w 9 boards (3 offensive) in 23 minutes.  But Mason has no assists and 3 turnovers, which are somewhat troubling stats.  He had Duke’s only block.  Brother Miles played 20 minutes, 4-6 from the floor with 8 boards (1 offense).  Kelly, who did not start (Alex Murphy did, along with Rivers, Curry and the two elder Plumlees), was 3-6 from floor and 4-5 from the line in 23 minutes.  Only 1 board is the troubling stat.  Hairston and Murphy played 15 and 13 minutes respectively while Gbinije logged 7 minutes.  (5 points among them; Gbinije had 3) (Marshall did not play, suggesting a red shirt may be coming, and that Bill is correct that these three freshman, (and I add Hairston) are at least a year away from contributing.

4)     Dawkins and Austin:  Dawkins played only 15 minutes and was 1-5 (0-3 from behind the arc).  He also had 2 defensive boards to go with an assist and a steal.  Underwhelming; I wonder if there is an underlying story.  Austin is still the enigma that will be really important in how the team grows.  He started and logged 19 minutes.  He was 5-10 (including 0-3 from deep) and 3-4 from the line for 13 points on 10 shots.  He had 3 offensive boards and 1 defensive rebound to go with 1 assist and 3 turnovers.  DBR reports some immature antics.

I am really excited about the season for many of the reasons that Bill expressed so eloquently in his first paragraphs.  There will be highs and lows (as always), and the schedule early on is as difficult as that of any team in the country.  Duke’s normally fast start (has Duke ever lost in November?) might not happen this year, but don’t abandon ship.  This will be a terrific hoops year.

DUKE – SHAW AND THE  PRE-SEASON

The pre-season is over and Jim Sumner’s posting on DBR  covers most of what I was going to write. However, I did see the game in 3-D on  GoDuke.com, so I will add some observations:

Depending on the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent,  there will be more fluid and flexible rotation of starters and players from  game to game and situation to situation. Ryan Kelley is most versatile player  with the highest basketball IQ. The question is whether he can maintain his  strength and energy for thirty some games? Seth Curry is a close second and one  of the keys to the season.  I hope I’m  wrong, but my feeling is that Austin Rivers is talented but overhyped (If he is  thinking “one and done”, he better be prepared to play overseas). Austin does  not have a fundamentally sound three point shot nor is he a dependable free  throw shooter—but he has shown much more interest in playing defense; Andre  “Microwave” Dawkins may be most effective coming off the bench firing threes  (he had three in a row last night) against a zone; Quinn Cook is the most  talented point guard but needs to be a better defender; Mason Plumlee, a  terrific rebounder,  has developed a nice
jump hook to go with his dunk and creative  passing—otherwise his offense is limited; Miles is strong and  enthusiastic but still inconsistent; Tyler Thornton is a high energy APP for  short periods; the rest are spot players until a freshman develop more confidence.  Marshall Plumlee (MP3) has not made an appearance in either exhibition game so  it  appears he has been given a Red  Shirt.

The defense has to get better as Shaw pretty much shredded  the pressing man-to-man last night. But the thing that worries me the most is  free throw shooting. Over the decades, one key to Coach K’s almost 1,000 wins  has been good free throw shooting– particularly at the end of games. This team  has not demonstrated that trait. You don’t want MP1 or MP2 shooting when the  game on the line but one of two needs to be in the game at the end, Kelly is  reliable but only an average ball handler, you want the ball in Rivers hands  because he can break down an opponent but has not indicated he can shoot any  number close to 80%, Thornton is statistically the best but not a starter,  Curry is solid, and Dawkins is good but not a natural ball handler. So, defense  and free throw shooting will determine the degree of success for this season.

Sumner:

Exhibition games serve a lot of purposes. But the most  important is finding out about your team in a non-competitive situation. Of  course, few things about Duke Basketball are non-competitive, certainly not games with another bunch of guys wearing jerseys with different names on them.

But there was a lot of getting-to-know-you in Duke’s  scrimmage wins over Bellarmine (87-62) and Shaw (80-66). There’s a lot being  made in both the local and national media about the loss of Nolan Smith, Kyle  Singler and Kyrie Irving. These are not negligible losses. A Final Four Most  Outstanding Player, an ACC Player of the Year and the first pick in an NBA  draft. Not a lot of precedents for that.

But Mike Krzyzewski has been down this road before; 1987,  following the loss of Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie and David Henderson; 2000,  following the loss of Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, William Avery and Corey  Maggette, the Williams-Dunleavy-Boozer class, the Redick-Williams-Dockery  class. Somehow Duke seems to reload rather than rebuild. Talent has  a lot to do with it. Duke has recruited at least one prep All-American every  class since Dawkins and Alarie came in the fall of 1982.

But there’s more to it than that. Clemson coach Brad  Brownell was asked about this last month in Charlotte. His response was almost  zen-like. When it’s someone’s time at Duke, they’re ready. When it’s Ryan  Kelly’s time, he’s ready. When it’s Seth Curry’s time, he’s ready.” You get the  drift.

So, whose time is it? What do we know about Duke that we  didn’t know two weeks ago? Depends on whether you’ve been paying attention. There’s  been lots of talk on the Duke boards about Duke’s starting lineup, emphasis on  the singular. But I suspect we’ll see a much more fluid dynamic this season,  with players moving in and out of the lineup, up and down in the rotation,  depending on a lot of variables. Playing-time-is-earned-not-given is  coaching-cliche 101. But in Duke’s case, it’s a cliche supported by three  decades of meritocracy. It really does work that way at Duke. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nine different players  started during Duke’s 1991 season, as Krzyzewski replaced three senior starters  from the season before. We all know how that turned out.

None of this is to suggest that we should expect a  well-oiled machine at this point in the season and we certainly haven’t seen  one. Freshman Alex Murphy started against Bellarmine and was the 11th player  off the bench against Shaw. Andre Dawkins came off the bench against Shaw, made  four-of-five three pointers in the first half, got the starting nod in the  second half and promptly went scoreless. We’ve seen lineups with all three  point guards, we’ve seen lineups with only one guard and pretty much everything  in between. Think master chef tinkering in the kitchen.

Duke’s opponents didn’t exactly roll over. Bellarmine won  the D-2 national championship last season, while Shaw captured the CIAA  Tournament. Both are experienced, tournament-tested teams. Both made Duke look  vulnerable at times, confused and tentative. At this point, Mike Krzyzewski seems more interested in  process than results. He stated that he thought Duke played better than the
score against Shaw. “We got the ball inside and got to the line. We left a lot  of points on the floor. We’ve got to complete plays. We played fine. We have to  be more efficient.”

Getting to the foul line was an adventure. Duke shot an  abysmal 11-24 from the line. Krzyzewski says he isn’t concerned. “I don’t make  too much of it. First, you’ve got to get to the line. I have confidence we’ll  shoot it well.” Note that Duke was a solid 17-23 from the line against  Bellarmine.

There certainly were some positives in the two wins. Duke  seems serious about using its size. Duke’s bigs scored 42 points against  Bellarmine, 41 against Shaw, 83 of the 167 total points.

And that was with Miles Plumlee struggling against Shaw,  shooting only 4-10. “I was pretty frustrated,” Plumlee said. “I had a few  opportunities to make things go my way and I made weak plays instead of strong  plays. You only get so many opportunities in a game to start a rhythm.”

But Brother Mason went 6-6 from the field, including a trio  of sweet jump hooks. Krzyzewski says he expects more of the same. “Our guys are  passing the ball to the bigs and we have good stuff called for the bigs. It’s  got to be a strength of ours.”

Freshman Austin Rivers came in for special praise from  Krzyzewski, but not just for his offense. “He did a good job on [Tony] Smith.  He took what was there [on offense] and used his defense for energy.”

Krzyzewski acknowledged that it took Duke some time to  figure out Shaw. Duke led only 34-29 with 7:30 left in the first half. “They  have a pair of guards who are really good. They’re older and experienced and  can really handle the ball. We started keeping people in front of us. We  stepped in more aggressively. Our defense the last 24 minutes was very good.”

Krzyzewski has stated on numerous occasions that this Duke  team can score the ball but needs to prove it can stop the other team. Tyler  Thornton got a start against Shaw for just that reason. ‘Seth has to be our  point guard. We started Tyler for defense not ball handling. Seth is going to  have the ball in his hands.”

Curry had 30 points and ten assists in the two games.

Thornton and freshman Quinn Cook combined for zero points in  29 combined minutes, although they did contribute four assists, three by Cook.  Cook had five assists against Bellarmine, eight total assists in 24 minutes.  But his defense is nowhere near that of Thornton and Duke needs that defense  right now.

Duke also struggled from long range. Excluding Dawkins’  first half against Shaw, Duke is 5-30 on three-pointers in the two exhibition  games. Ryan Kelly didn’t start either game but played 23 effective
minutes off the bench in both, totaling 25 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block and 3  steals. Kelly says things are coming along. “We’re figuring out what we’re  supposed to do. It’s getting better every day. It got better today from where  we were in the exhibition game Saturday. It’s steps forward and that’s all we  can ask.”

Notes.

•Mason Plumlee  completed the exhibition season 14-14 from the field, with 30 points, 17  rebounds and a pair of blocks.

•Mike Krzyzewski said  no decision had been made on Marshall Plumlee, indicating that the youngest  Plumlee brother wouldn’t play much this season. He might not play unless there  is a significant injury in the post rotation.

•Duke never trailed against Shaw and faced  only a 2-0 deficit against Bellarmine.

DUKE – BELMONT

Belmont is a mid-major of lightly recruited players who stay for four years, listen to their coach, practice their threes, and play a very good game of team basketball. So, they fly under the radar dominating a minor conference and winning games by 17 points. Consequently, they are not a team you want to meet in the NCAA tournament as Duke learned in 2008 when Gerald Henderson went coast to coast in the last few seconds to avoid a second first round flame out.

Tonight Duke started slowly but led by nine at the half. They were up by 16 with only about ten minutes to go when the Blue Devils seemed less intense or over confident or just plain fatigued by the Belmont’s ten man rotation. Whatever the reason, Belmont started hitting threes, Duke started making bad, sloppy offensive decisions,  playing less intensely on defense, and making too many turnovers. Suddenly, it was a one point game with less than a minute to go. Curry, who on the previous possession went  to the basket too soon for a turnover, tried again, went up for a contested jump shot but at the last second dumped the ball back behind the three point line to Andre Dawkins ( who was 0-4 from there). He drained as pure a clutch three as you will ever see. Belmont got a quick score. Ryan Kelly sealed the win by making two foul shots, putting Duke up by four. Clark hit a meaningless 3-point prayer at the buzzer.

Curry (16 points, 4 assists) had a heady game until he appeared to tire from the Belmont pressure. Mason Plumlee (13 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists) was a monster on the boards and appears to have developed a go-to offensive move (a hook shot with either hand) to go with his dunk. I don’t know why more big men don’t utilize it.  This is the shot that kept Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul- Jabber) playing in the NBA until he was about sixty. Ryan Kelly (12 points, 6 rebounds) was his usual efficient self. However, it was Tyler Thornton (10 points, 3 steals), who again was the catalyst for so many good things happening and just plays himself into more minutes and right into your heart. That leaves Austin Rivers (16 points). Maybe it is just my reaction to all the hype, maybe it is him saying he wants LeBron James one on one, but I just don’t see all the exceptionalism others do– he is not yet even the best or most valuable player on the Duke squad. Memo to Austin: You are not high school any more, that was last year. This is the ACC.  Sure, you can shake and bake and break your man down but then what?  Then, if you run into a forest on big men pull up for a floater, or if you don’t get a call, don’t just throw up a prayer, pass to an open man. To his credit, Austin’s body language and defense is much improved over that on the China trip so coaching appears to be having an impact.

Over the years, we have been spoiled because we have had a go-to player—most recently, JJ, Scheyer, Nolan Smith—who could be counted upon to protect a lead. But they did it with good ball handling and making free throws, not NBA threes. Threes are great but in the last seconds, free throws are a better bet.

Alan adds:

Midway through the second half with Duke up by 16, the lady I was with went to sleep.  She must have been channeling Austin Rivers, who went to sleep at about the same time.  Unlike Austin, my lady awoke at the right time.  Gracias! (Editor: So, you thought Alan was just a basketball geek.)

Belmont looked like a terrific team for this early in the year.  They played smart cohesive basketball against a Duke team that had greater size and more highly rated talent.  It was a very even game. Duke had 33 boards (11 offensive); Belmont had 33 (10 offensive); Duke had 14 assists; Belmont 15; Duke had 8 steals; Belmont 9; Duke had 19 turnovers; Belmont 17; Duke had 2 blocks; Belmont 1; Duke shot 43% (47.4 from 3) and Belmont shot 47.4% (but only 31.6 from 3 because of their miserable first half).  Duke won the game at the foul line 20-26 versus Belmont’s 16-22.  If Belmont is not as good as they appeared last night, Duke is in for a long season, but I think Belmont is that good.

Mason, of course, had a monster game and really was the dominant player on the floor – especially in the second half.  He is a rebounder.  It will be interesting to see if he can do the same against quality bigs, like Henson and Zeller of UNC.   Doris Burke was singing his praises and actually proving herself a very perceptive commentator.  After that, it was a pretty mixed bag.  Great plays and turnovers; good defensive stands and then sieve like defense–a paragon to inconsistency.   Duke gave up a ton of open looks in the last part of the second half.  Very un-Duke like.  Seth was clutch at times but had 3 turnovers and does not give confidence when he has the ball.  Duke’s point guard play was not that of an elite team.  Quinn Cook looked awful on defense in his 8 minutes (missed both shots and committed a foul).  Thornton looked the best, but even he seemed out of sync on defense at the end of the game, where his defense kept putting Belmont on the line (and eventually Thornton on the bench with 5 fouls).  Duke played essentially a 7 man rotation (Thornton 24 minutes before fouling out and Miles 17 minutes); very thin for this time of the year, and Belmont made Duke pay, looking much fresher down the stretch.  Dawkins was almost a no-show in 21 minutes, until he buried that clutch three from very deep.  What a shot!  But where was he before that?

Now, about Austin.  He looked terrific in the first half.  He was visibly the best player on the floor, and then it was as if he went to sleep in the last part of the game.  He had 5 turnovers against 1 assist (which came in the first half).  I thought his defense went very south toward the end, and his offense was exuberant, but horribly inefficient.   Coach K is banking the season on Austin.   I say that because he logged 38 minutes (Mason 35), but I fear he fatigued (and may not be in great shape after a summer of international ball).  Whatever it was (is), his development will be the bell weather for this team.  He was 3-9 from the floor (2-4 from 3 and 8-10 from the line – 7-8 in the first half), which means he was 1-5 from inside the arc.  5 turnovers is a significant figure for a team that has not jelled in the backcourt…yet.

A quick turnaround for this afternoon’s game.  Unfortunately, I won’t see it live (driving to Boston for a family event), but will anxiously await Bill’s analysis.  What an exciting first game.

DUKE – PRESBYTERIAN

As expected, Duke hammered Presbyterian for Coach K’s win number 902 tying him with Bobby Knight for the most wins by a men’s college basketball coach. It is rather incredible that two men so closely associated with each other hold that record. As sports fans, we are so very fortunate to have witnessed most of his victories and championships.

While the game was a blow out, I thought there were some interesting aspects:

• Mason (MP2) continues to play with more offensive confidence around the basket demonstrating patience and fakes to create openings for his impressive, soft right and left handed jump hooks. However, his free throw percentage is a Wilt the Stilt or Shaq level embarrassment and might be costly in close games.
• Curry and Kelly are the most efficient players on the team.MP1, the biggest and best athlete on the team, feasted on an undersized front line.
• After hitting the crucial three last night against Belmont, Dawkins sort of became invisible as is his want from time to time.
• Quinn Cook (10 points, 2 assists) is beginning to look more like the talented point guard he is expected to be.
• Tyler Thornton (2 points & 2 assists) had an atypical quiet outing, but then nothing more was needed.
• Marshall Plumlee (MP3) again did not make a playing appearance so he apparently is being red shirted but it has had no discernible effect on his interest in the action or enjoyment of his brothers’ performances.
• As my buddy Pete in Durham points out, all the players are nice quiet kids and except for Tyler Thornton, who is a role player, there is no vocal leader or go-to player on the team.
• The most interesting development was that for the most of the game, Austin Rivers’ body language was much improved and he was playing Duke basketball– and it had nothing to do with how many points he scored. Austin was his usual aggressive, slashing self, but he was picking his spots rather than forcing the issue and he was playing hard on defense all the time. The impression was that he looked like he enjoyed playing with his teammates as he has five assists (including passing up an uncontested layup to give a trailing MP2 a slam dunk) and no turnovers. However, what I thought most encouraging was his spontaneous, joyous towel waving celebration with all the other players on the bench when Mason drove the base line, went under the basket and made one of his patented no look, back to the basket, two handed reverse dunks, which just about blew the roof off Cameron.

Alan was travelling and did not see the game.

DUKE – MICHIGAN STATE 

On the night that Coach K won his record breaking 903^rd game, it was fitting that Robert Montgomery Knight, his mentor, and Jay Bilas, one of his first high profile recruits at Duke, were the two commentators. If you were fortunate enough to watch the telecast, you learned not only a lot about how to coach and play the game of basketball but why Michael Krzyzewski has been so successful.

It is fitting that the opponent for this historic game was Michigan State and their fine coach, Tom Izzo, because his teams always play hard and tough and any win is well deserved. Consequently, the game itself  was not a masterpiece but it was the kind of gritty victory that great coaches win when their offense is only hitting on two or three cylinders. In the first half, Dawkins and Curry kept the Blue Devils in the game by scoring 23 of the 31 points. In the second half, Kelly was a major matchup problem and the defense was a lot tougher down low. The much talked about low post scoring was virtually non-existent but Dawkins (26 pts), Curry (20 pts) and Kelly (14 pts) hit 10 of 16 three point shots and 19 of 22 free throws to carry the offense with 60 of the 74 points. This is not exactly a balanced attack.

• The talented Mr. Dawkins had a Garden Party (one literary and one musical allusion in eight words) firing beautiful, accurate rainbows, demonstrating why two years ago, I referred to him as “My Man Andre” because I thought he had one of the best three point strokes I had ever seen and that he also had the athletic talent to be a real star. Unfortunately, we have only seen flashes of that talent but not on a consistent basis. Well, undoubtedly he read my blog on the Presbyterian game (“After hitting the crucial three point shoot last night against Belmont, Andre Dawkins sort of became invisible as is his want from time to time.”) but Rivers (1-7) didn’t ( “He was picking his spots rather than forcing the issue…. He looked like he enjoyed playing with his teammates.”)

• Curry (20 pts) had a team high 7 rebounds to go with 4 steals, 4 assists, and 1 steal to  prove once again that you don’t have to be flashy to be very effective.

• Duke won despite a few too many knucklehead plays and by the Plumlees: Mason made three ticky-tack fouls including a technical and Miles an inexplicable technical at an inopportune time.

• Austin (5 pts) had a “Freshman in the Garden” night with some ill-advised drives. In addition, with Duke up three and only seven seconds to go in the first half  (a classic opportunity for a drive, kick and three at the buzzer– how many times have we seen it), Austin drove the lane, was stripped, giving Michigan State  time for a quick two in transition to cut the Duke lead to one point. So, it was a potential 4 or 5 point turnaround. That kind of error often can be the difference in a game.

• It may sound like piling on but the fact is Duke’s lead went on a 18-1 run in five minutes of the early part of the second half  when Austin Rivers was on the bench and there was better ball movement.      (There is a statistic on the +/- score differential when a player is in a  game. In the pros, Shane Battier is at the top of that statistical  pyramid.)
• While who finishes a game is more important that who  starts, Duke is just a lot more difficult to defend and plays a lot  smarter and more sufficiently when Ryan Kelly is in the game for MP1. As Jay Bilas commented, he is a European type big
• A score of interest: #10 Memphis beat Belmont 97-81  tonight.

Listening to interviews with Jay Bilas, Grant Hill, Shane Battier as well as seeing Bobby Hurley, Jayson Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Elton Brand, and Mike Dunleavy at the game just reminds me why I have so much pride in Duke Basketball.

Alan adds:

It was a glorious night for Coach K and for Duke hoops.  I, however, don’t think we should yet get too puffed up about this team (nor down on it).  The ebbs and flows of the game were striking and showed a lot about where Duke is right now.  Amazingly inconsistent.  Michigan State was horrible offensively until the last five minutes (which began to remind me of the ’92 game against Indiana in the NCAA semi-finals).  Michigan missed so many shots in close, and many in the early going were pretty open.  Duke’s interior defense improved as the game went on.  Mason especially got the hang of interior defense later in the game after being backed down and out toughed earlier.

It is worth talking about Mason a little, since his offensive game was not very efficient.  [But, how about that fabulous pass to Kelly for a dunk; and the running right handed hook; ah potential!].  Defensively, he began to make it very hard for the Spartans to get open looks in close.  Duke’s defense is still not up to Coach K standards, but Mason really anchored the back line last night, and should get large credit for that.  He played 32 minutes and 5 big defensive boards.  It was not a stellar night for him, but how he develops will have a lot to say about how this team develops.

Duke got hammered on the boards early, and stemmed the tide when the guards started rebounding and making life difficult for the State bigs after they had first grabbed the ball.  Thornton is a master at that.  Duke had only 4 offensive boards and I don’t remember a single put back point (for a team with 3 guys 6’10” or taller).  Seth and Andre had 1 more rebound combined (10: 7 for Seth) than did the Plumlees (9; Miles 4).  The lone senior on the team, and concededly an excellent athlete, is playing himself out of minutes on the court.  He played only 14 minutes (3 fouls; 2 turnovers and 2 of the 4 offensive boards).

Duke had a new “Big Three” last night.  As Bill points out, Seth, Andre and Ryan played hard and efficiently.  Kelly had an even better game than his stat line.  He is fun to watch because he knows and understands the game so well.  He was 3-3 from the floor; 2-2 from 3; and 6-6 from the line.  That’s 14 points on 3 field goal attempts.  He had 4 boards, a block and an assist with only 2 fouls and 2 two turnovers.  It seems to me he is the real deal as an all around player.  He is improving on defense.  He and Curry are the most consistent and efficient of the Duke players.

Bill has gushed about Dawkins, who had a superb night (not just shooting).  He had 3 rebounds; 4 steals and 0 turnovers to go with 8-15 from the floor (6-10 from 3); 6-6 from the line and some very solid defense (in the second half, especially).  He did that (or something like that) against Bradley last year for what turned out to be a flash in the pan.  If he can play like he did last night, Duke will be really good.  He won’t shoot like that every night, but if he remains a constant scorer and threat, and plays with that kind of intensity, he will have a star year.  It is way too early to jump on that bandwagon, given his history.  But, he has all the tools and seems to have matured into a K-type player.  K must think so too, since Andre played 38 minutes last night.  Stay tuned.

Seth was simply a star.  He was the glue.  I was completely comfortable with the ball in his hands as the game went on last night.  He also logged 38 minutes and did some clutch foul shooting (10-12).  He took only 7 shots (compared to 15 for Dawkins) and scored 20 points (4-7; 2-5 from 3; means 2-2 from inside the arc) to go with his 7 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block.  Three turnovers, but he played some overall floor game.  20 points on 7 shots is efficient.  It seems to me that he will be the leader of this team.

Josh Hairston had a nice 5 minutes and it seemed to me that when he entered the game in the first half, Duke stopped being mauled on the boards.  Bill has accurately assessed Austin’s frustration (think Harrison Barnes for the early part of last year).  He obviously has the tools, and I do note that his offensive woes (huge) did not adversely affect his improving defense.  He played 23 minutes to Tyler’s 18, but it seemed clear that Duke was a better team when Thornton was the third guard for all the reasons Bill pointed out.

Four players played 30 minutes or more.  The rotation was 7 (not counting Cook’s 2 minutes nor Hairston’s 5), with Miles, Thornton and Rivers supporting the four.  Maui will certainly be interesting, as will be the development of this team throughout the season.  A real challenge for Coach K, but he has had some middling success before.

DUKE – DAVIDSON

Concern that this might be ‘Trap Game” because it came just two days after the physical, emotional 903 game with Michigan State (and the fourth game in eight days) against an experienced, well coached, and underrated opponent was confirmed when Davidson led 32-31 at the half. Fortunately, it has been all too familiar script these last few years of two distinctly different halves. One of the reasons Coach K has won 4 National Championships and 13 ACC Titles is to understand how and why he schedules his November and December games the way that he does. His strategy is to prepare his team for a long campaign and part of part of that concept involves his Army boot camp training. Namely, to prepare his teams mentally and physically for two single elimination tournaments in a row when you face a variety of opponents with only a day or two of rest, you need to be drilled to be ready for all kinds of fatigue and adversity. Belmont and Davidson are similar to Butler in that they are mid-level programs, which have recently surprised higher profile teams in the NCAA Championship. So, he wants to give his players the experience of playing against disciplined teams which rely on finesse rather than athleticism and physicality. And, with the three point line, these kinds of teams are very dangerous in close games. In addition, Davidson coach Bob McKillop is a very fine coach whom he respects. In these early contests, Coach K also wants to determine whom he can depend upon for his rotation once the serious ACC season starts.

As we anticipated, Ryan Kelly started for MP1 but pulled a Plumlee by getting two fouls in two minutes and was replaced by (surprise) Josh Hairston. That foreshadowed a slow start as the Blue Devils defense allowed Davidson not only to penetrate but also to have open threes, which kept the game too close for comfort for much too long. Predictably, Duke started the second half with much more defensive intensity and, as we know, good Duke defense usually leads to offensive momentum and patented Duke runs. The Plumlees fueled the run with MP2 (16 pts & 13 rebounds) rebounding and firing a Wes Unseld type two handed overhead pass far down court to a streaking MP1 for a rim shaking reverse jam, which made the Crazies et al shake Cameron.

Some observations:

• While there is no one “go-to-guy” as in years past, this team appears to be more “Go-to-by- Committee”.  Except for the Michigan State game, where Dawkins was sensational (tonight he was uninspired and unimpressive (5 points in 20 minutes), there has been no one dominate player but rather a number of players contributing in a variety of ways.
• One of the reasons the game was closer for longer than necessary was that Duke missed 11 free throws and despite a decided size advantage, only outrebounded Davidson 32-31. However, they did force 17 turnovers and had 9 steals.
• Austin Rivers (17 points & 4 turnovers) was more productive because he was much more judicious about and in control of his drives; however, Davidson does not have the size or athleticism of top twenty tier teams.
• So far, Curry (17 points & 2 assists) is the steadiest and most reliable performer both on and off the ball.
• Quinn Cook continues to improve and impress in all aspects of the game—and he is a solid at the line so I suspect we will see him on the floor (with Kelly as the lone big man) at the end of games. For sure, I don’t think we will see MP2 as he was 2-6 tonight and  40% for the season. MP1 (10 points, 4 rebounds) was 6-6.
• Former Davidson All American Stephen Curry, now playing with the San Francisco Warriors, watched from behind the Wildcats’ bench wearing a customized basketball jersey with Davidson on the front and the back a Duke jersey with his brother’s name and number.
• Mike Breen, a refugee from the Don Imus Morning Show and presently the New York Knicks announcer, and Doris Burke, a former player at Providence College who really does her homework, were again the announcers. They are a good team.

Alan adds:

For a variety of reasons, I was derelict in my blogging duties yesterday but I will schedule better for Maui.

Two or three items popped out from a review of the box score.  First (and you mentioned it) is the 12 minutes that Cook played, scoring 9 points, including 4-5 from the foul line.  How did he appear as an on the ball defender in those 12 minutes? [Bill: Much improved.]  If he can defend, he will be a force, as I have previously written.  Second, Miles played only 17 minutes (with an excellent stat line) because he collected 4 fouls in that short span.  We need Zoubek as an assistant coach.  Finally, you can see K’s reliance on the development of Austin.  He played 38 minutes (Curry 34, his best player, played less).

On to Hawaii!

DUKE – TENNESSEE

Tennessee reminds me of the St. Johns teams that used to give Duke a lot of problems—athletic players all of whom could put the ball on the floor and get to the basket as well as rebound surprisingly well for their size. That is what the Vols did for most of the first half. As distressing as that was, Duke’s strategy was first to defend three, which they did with great success. For the first time in 461 games, Tennessee, a team that has been average 13 threes a game, had none; Duke had 7. Do the math.  It’s very difficult to beat a good team without hitting threes.

Once Austin Rivers (18pts) gave up making drives to nowhere and the Blue Devils achieved more ball movement, offensive balance (and defensive pressure) carried the day. In the second half Rivers, whose first step is his calling card, pulled up on his drives rather than trying to get to the rim and hit several very pretty tear-drop floaters over interior defenders.  Kelly (17 pts), Curry (17 pts), Dawkins (10pts), and Mason all did their part while MP1 had very productive muscular minutes (especially on defense) in relief of Kelly.

As in years past, this team is relentless in wearing other teams down with tough defense and winning by a war of attrition. The difference is that they have more size in the front court and more depth overall.

Playbook observations:

• Austin Rivers is still a work in progress. He was 6-for-15 from the field and made too many novice turnovers but was much more efficient in the second half.
• Mason Plumlee (13 rebs, 8 pts) is not only an elite rebounder and effective shot blocker, he also alters a lot of shots, a statistic that does not appear in the game summary. His offense is better but is it also a work in progress.
• Ryan Kelly is a very versatile “Moneyball”  player–one who quietly does a lot of things that makes his teammates much better.  He worked on the block in a couple of isolating situations, crashed the glass, and even had a great alley-oop bucket.
• Ever notice how after a timeout, Duke often scores off a set play
• I disagree with Alan on Rivers. I believe that for this team to get to the next level, Austin must buy into the total team concept and realize that his teammates are just as talented—even more so in some ways (like three point shooting) as he is– and realize that he does not have to carry this team, just be part of it.

Alan adds:

Tennessee was a fun game to watch.  It was really a tale of different halves even though Duke scored almost the same amount in each half (39 in the first half for 77 total).  Duke played really well in the last 15 minutes of the game, I thought.  In the first half, Duke hung in on 3 point shooting (6-10 with Austin 2-2 toward the end; Dawkins 2-2 and goals from Seth and Ryan).  Tennessee got to the rim too easily both from the perimeter and the interior.  Though Duke had only 2 blocks (Cook and Miles), the interior defense altered a lot of close-in shots, as it did against Michigan State.  Austin saved an unimpressive first half with his two threes near the end.  It gave him 3-9 in the first half,  meaning that he was 1-7 from inside the arc, and was not only not finishing, but not really getting close on his drives.  The Plumlees were 3-9 from the line (Duke 7-14).

In the second half, Duke was 1-8 from 3, but 12-19 inside the arc and 11-13 from the free throw line.  Really efficient offensive basketball without the 3 point shot.  I thought Austin completely turned his game around, and was an unstoppable force going to the basket.  He made Tennessee change its defense and he kept them in foul trouble (they had 4 players with 4 fouls and committed 6 more fouls than Duke.  I believe K understands that this team depends on Austin’s development.  Look at the shots taken: Austin 15; Seth 10 (five makes including 2-4 from 3), Ryan 9 (2-6 from 3, meaning he was 3-3 inside the 3); Dawkins 7 (2-3 inside the line and 2-4 from 3).  Only Austin is not shooting a terrific percentage.  Seth, Dawkins and Kelly were 14-26 (5-14 from 3).  Austin was 6-15.  He missed 2 from behind the arc in the second half but was an efficient 3-4 on some splendid drives and pull ups from inside the arc.  He is an amazing first step penetrator (reminding me of Grant Hill in that regard).  When (not if) his outside shot comes, he will be a wonderful asset to this team.  His upside is enormous.  I think I am more of a fan of his than Bill is.

Mason is growing before our eyes.  Even his blunders are wonderful efforts that ask too much of himself at this point in the year, but if he keeps at it (and I believe K will encourage him), he can develop into an offensive force near the basket.  He’s not quite there, but again, because his upside appears to be so high, so is this team’s.  Curry and Dawkins had wonderful floor games in addition to being offensively efficient.  Seth is clearly team leader, glue, and is developing a smooth and reliable game with his shooting, passing, driving and above all defending.

Duke was much better defensively in the second half.  They did a better job switching and closing off some of the perimeter penetration.  The defense is still not there yet, but with these athletes, the defense is yet another work in progress with a high upside.  Tyler is pure energy and gives a life when he comes in, but fouled out in 14 minutes.  The bench is Tyler and Miles (17 effective minutes).  If we could just give Miles a new set of hands; he has everything else.  Cook played 8 energetic minutes and impresses me (I have admitted a bias in his favor before).  He’s a pure point guard.  In 8 minutes he was 1-3 from the floor; had 2 defensive rebounds, a block, an assist and a steal (also a turnover, which I think came on a drive).  He is secure with the ball in his hands.

Michigan tonight will be interesting, given how Duke’s defense was shredded by Michigan in the last 10 minutes of their second round NCAA matchup last year.  Beilein had Michigan looking impressive last night in knocking off #10 Memphis.  This game will be a challenge for sure.

DUKE – MICHIGAN

Bill is absent (but with leave), and did not want the description of such a superb basketball game to wait until he and his computer reunited.  We talked after the game and he asked me to file for both of us.  So while it is “Alan Adds”, the analysis also includes (without separating) Bill’s analysis.  We were talking as Coach K was being interviewed after the game.  The first thing we agreed upon (and said it moments ahead of K) was that this wasn’t just a very good college basketball game, this was simply a great game, played with ferocious intensity, great skill, and basketball wisdom.  It was two teams really slugging it out physically and intellectually.  As Coach K said, Kansas outplayed Duke in the first half, and Duke turned it around in the second half, outplaying Kansas.  The turnaround was the emotional maturing of Mason and Ryan Kelly in terms of toughness.

In the first half, Kansas outmuscled, outhustled, and out sped Duke.  Duke was only down by four at the half, but both Bill and I (we also talked at half time) thought Duke was lucky to be so close, and that the difference in quality of play was not as close as the score indicated.  Kelly’s shooting was a bit off; Kansas defense was outstanding.  Duke could not crack the Kansas perimeter and was being tested and bested in the interior.  Even more disquieting was the ease with which Duke’s perimeter defense was beaten off the ball.  Yet, there was determined resistance.  The Plumlees and Kelly didn’t give up inside, though they were losing the battle.  Duke’s outside shooting kept the team in the game.  Mason gave some inside offensive presence.  But Kansas had clearly knocked Duke back with its intensity.  Perhaps the telling point was in the first half, Kansas owned the foul line.  Duke’s lack of on the ball defense allowed the penetration that gave Kansas an easy basket or put them on the line.  Duke was shooting from deep, and not getting to the line.

All that changed in the second half, in a dramatic way.  This is coaching.  This is team character.  This is heart.  This was Mason stepping up to have a complete game; his best since coming to Duke.  He didn’t do it on great feeds from Kyrie (as in his high scoring games last year); he did it with post moves and (are you ready for this) proficiency from the line.  Mason’s 17 points came on 7-9 foul shooting as well as 5-10 shooting from the floor (including the full court lay-in that was athletically awesome for a 6’10 power guy).  He turned the fouling and inside game around, commanding the boards and defending Robinson really well.  He had 12 boards (5 offensive).  While he had great help from Ryan Kelly (36 minutes), who was named the MVP of the tournament, it was Mason who transformed the Duke team in the second half.  Kelly also scored 17 points and played a terrific floor game, handling the ball, making good passes, defending, and rebounding.  He deserved the award for the tournament; Mason for the game.  He was on the court for 37 minutes.  He had four turnovers and committed 3 fouls, all offensive.  You could see his determination to give Duke the inside offensive presence needed to give Duke an added dimension.

Though the bigs stole the Duke show from the guards last night, the guards deserve much praise, especially on the defensive end.  Duke played its best defense of the season by far in the second half.  The switching was smooth, and the Kansas penetration was met with fierce determination and partial success.  Even though Curry was kept in check, his steadiness and defense demonstrated how valuable he is even when not scoring.  He had 10 points (2-4 from 3) in 36 scintillating minutes.  Dawkins defended stoutly and hit a key shot at the end.  With Duke trailing 60-58, he hit a deep three to start the Duke 10-0 run, which finished the game.  He played 34 minutes.  Austin was productive and kept Duke in the game in the first half.  He had four fouls, and was on the bench for the last 6 minutes of the game.  He played only 27 minutes and took only 10 shots (he usually leads the team in shot attempts).  What coaching genius led K to keep Tyler Thornton on the floor and Rivers on the bench at game’s end?  Sort of seemed to work, didn’t it?

Bill makes the point (with which I agree) that Rivers attitude is improving by leaps and bounds.  We both thought it significant that Rivers on the bench at crunch time was an enthusiastic cheerleader there without any “why-am-I-not-in-the-game” pouting.  His defense continues to improve; his driving made the Kansas defense adjust, and his deep shooting attempts come when Duke needs a hoop.  He’s getting better and I think Bill is reassessing as Austin shows more Duke/Coach K attitude.  And what can we say about Thornton.  How could I leave this for the end?  He has heart and attitude.  He was so cool when he took his first three from the corner without hesitation.  The last shot was out of fantasy land.  Tyler deserved it for his hustle and attitude.  He played 21 minutes and had 7 points (and didn’t foul out).

Duke played a very thin bench.  Other than Tyler’s 27 minutes, Miles played 8 minutes and Quinn Cook 1 (missing a 3 as the half ended).  Yet Duke’s bench outscored Kansas’s by 9 (Miles had the other bucket; Kansas got 0 points from its bench).

It was a satisfying game for Duke, and a terrific tournament.  They have played 7 games in 12 days and taken on major competition.  I said earlier that Duke could have a rougher November than usual because this team would be playing top competition while establishing its identity.  What a coaching job so far!  This team is reminding me (wishful thinking?) of the ‘70-’73 Knicks, who had five guys playing together, defending and finding the open man.  They were all really good, but anyone could be counted on to take the key shot, rather than relying on one star.  This team has great balance, with all five starters having the ability to take over a game.  Indeed each has done it this year.  A fun team to watch grow.

Bill adds (some observations):

• Consistent intensity on defense is the primary reason Coach K’s teams have won 900+ games. Other programs like Michigan are catching on; however, it takes a special coach to get Blue Chip players to buy into the concept. I watched some of the UNC – UNLV game last night and was struck by in comparison to Duke and Michigan how casual Carolina appeared on defense. A high powered offense alone cannot win every game anymore.
• Two successive threes–a clutch potential game winner, then an improbable career shot to seal the win that Tyler Thornton made against Michigan couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player.
• I don’t know who was voting or what game they were watching but from what I saw, for Mason Plumlee not to make the All Star team, if not MVP, was ludicrous. MP2 a gained another twenty five pounds of muscle and grit against Michigan.

I will be in Asheville on business for most of the week and Alan will be in Key West for a (alleged) legal conference, so we might be able to file anything right after the Ohio State game.

DUKE- – OHIO STATE

Some observations:

• Ohio State played an exceptional game in front of a crowd of frenzied supporters  energized, in part,  by the hiring of Urban Meyers as their football  coach and may well be a more talented team than Duke. However, the Buckeyes are not necessarily as good as they played and Duke is certainly  not as bad. It is hard to remember a more listless defensive performance   than this one—and we all know defense has been the bedrock for the success      of Coach K’s teams.
• Mason Plumlee essentially played Sullinger to a draw. He scored 16 points on  7-of-12 shooting, most of them directly on Sullinger, to go with eight boards. Sullinger scored 21 on 8-of-14, and had eight boards of his own.   And, to be fair, many of Sullinger’s made shots were not things of beauty.  Many of them came against someone other than Plumlee, particularly after  his undeserved second foul, and some of the other points came on foul  shouts of dubious origin. Duke’s two-game stretch against Kansas and Ohio  State have arguably featured the best performances of Plumlee’s career.  After out-playing Thomas Robinson in Maui, he can now add a draw with  Sullinger to his resume, and that can only bode well for the rest of the   season..
• We are  used to the periodic disappearance of Andre Dawkins but to have Ryan Kelly  in the same mode was a first.
• While  Austin Rivers was a sensational offensive virtuoso for most of the first  half,  I’m not convinced that auditioning for the NBA is good for the team. Dribbling and dribbling and breaking down his man, penetrating and      shooting while ignoring passes to open men on the three point line may  produce highlight film but it also produces a stagnant offense. And in the  second half, the Buckeyes adjusted by funneling Rivers down the lane into  an impenetrable  picket fence defense of a center and two forwards.  It reminded me of  Kyrie Irving’s performance in last year’s Arizona      game – lots of breathtaking moves, lots of points, and lots of teammates  standing around getting cold.
• The  success of the 2010 championship team was by guards penetrating and  kicking to an open man or Zoubek rebounding and redirecting to an open teammates rather than trying to score himself.
• Ted  Valentine, the referee, certainly didn’t do Duke any favors. A series of  questionable calls, especially a phantom second foul on Mason  Plumlee helped thwart a second and final, Duke run. Sullinger,  in  particular, was the beneficiary of several “star calls.”
• As my buddy Tommy noted, there was an atypical lack of Duke player leadership  when it was most needed. No player got the team together and attempted to  rally them.
• I suspect  that there will be personnel changes and guarantee a much better defensive  effort next week.

Bill and his computer are still estranged, so once again I’m the primary scrivener, but Bill’s input is here and begins with the opening sentence about the game.  We talked at halftime and after the game.  Neither conversation was as much fun as the ones we had during and after the Kansas game.

Bill: “Duke looked as if it had completed playing the three games in three days in Maui yesterday and took the court directly from the plane home.”  Duke certainly looked tired and slow, and was never in the game after the first 10-12 minutes.  Ohio State looked terrific.  Bill and I (not quite grasping at straws) both remembered when Duke had looked just this bad previously.  It was in January of 2010 when Duke traveled to DC and was annihilated by Georgetown in front of Obama and Biden.  Duke did not look any better that afternoon than last night.  Oh yes, said Bill and I consoling ourselves momentarily, Duke won the National Championship that year.

Duke’s defense in the first half was not quite up to the level of awful.  Ohio State shot 60 % from the floor.  That is not a misprint.  Duke “held” Ohio State to 57% shooting in the second half, but the Buckeyes were 5-5 from behind the arc in the second half.  Ouch!  It seemed to me that Duke’s defense went south when Mason picked up his second foul at around the 11 minute mark of the first half.  It took his extra aggression away and Ohio State just rolled.  None of the Duke perimeter players could keep Ohio State in front of them.  Austin might have played the best defense of the starting perimeter.  Damned with faint praise.

Offensively, Duke (except for Austin and Mason) was horrible in the first half.  Neither Dawkins nor Kelly scored (and Dawkins might have been better on offense than defense). K benched them both.  Kelly played only 15 minutes (he wasn’t any better than Dawkins on the defensive end) and Dawkins 19.  Only Austin (37 minutes) and Mason (36 minutes) played their normally allotted time on the floor.  Seth played 26 minutes; no other Duke player played more than 19 minutes.

The stat that stands out for me is that Quinn Cook played 14 minutes, and had 4 assists.  The entire Duke backcourt (not counting Cook) of Thornton (only 8 minutes), Curry, Dawkins and Rivers (total of 90 minutes on the floor) had only 3 assists – all by Austin.  Seth, to give an idea of how much of a non-factor he was, had 0 assists against 3 turnovers (7 points) in his 26 minutes.  Craft completely outplayed him on both ends of the floor.

Bright spots: Austin is developing into a superstar.  He is not there yet, but he is clearly and by a wide margin, Duke’s most gifted player.  He is learning; you can see his development game by game.  He was heroic in the first half when Duke was in contact, and he never stopped his effort, though his decision making deteriorated as the game got out of hand.  Mason is becoming a real offensive presence to go along with superb rebounding and excellent defense.  He too is in the process of becoming a genuine inside force who will command a double team.  Still, 2-5 from the free throw line doesn’t cut it.  Miles had a good game as well in 17 minutes.

K used the second half to give his freshman and Hairston playing time.  Gbinije played 13 credible minutes and demonstrated some real athleticism and defensive intensity.  Cook is the only other Duke player who can beat the defense off the dribble and get into the lane.  He was 0-3 from 3 and had a turnover, but he is defending well (finally) and seems over his injury.  As I have been saying all season, he has the potential to become a force.

Coach K has a history of using losses as focal points for his team’s improvment.  “Everyone knows what to do with a win; winners know what to do with a loss.”  Next Play.  Colorado State.

DUKE- COLORADO STATE

As anticipated, the Blue Devils rebounded from the embarrassing loss to Ohio State with a strong effort at both ends of the floor. Tyler Thornton replaced Andre Dawkins in the starting lineup. Thornton provided on the ball pressure and overall defensive enthusiasm that Coach K loves. The mysterious Dawkins came off the bench firing on all cylinders as he had 15 points and 2 assists in twelve minutes before he left the game with back spasms.

Unfortunately, the Rams were without the services of their seven foot center so they had no player over 6’6’’; however, they are one of the best three point shooting teams in the country. So, predictably Duke took away the three but the Rams hung around for most of the first half with good ball movement and athletic drives. Mason Plumlee continued his more mature, efficient production (except from the free throw line).

The most interesting development was Austin Rivers willingness to focus on something more than the rim on his drives and pass the ball to an open teammate rather than challenging a double team. Announcer Len Elmore, the former Terp center, essentially commented that for Duke to be a top team, Austin had to make the players around him better—and Duke has some terrific shooters but they can’t score without the ball. Consequently, there was less dribbling and much better ball movement than in previous games. Except for Rivers, all of Duke perimeter players (and that includes Kelly) are betterl catch and shoot scorers than creating their own shot—and Rivers can make that happen.

Some observations:

• Seth Curry only had 5 points but 8 assists and played very effective, intense defense.
• MP1 is playing with much more confidence and control. It is too bad this is his last year but maybe it will be a Zoubek finish.
• Quinn Cook is demonstrating glimpses of unusual athleticism and, more importantly, natural point guard skills.
• Mike Gbinije is another freshman making a case for more playing time as a defensive stopper.
• Alex Murphy, the 6’8’’ forward, who was thought to be the second most talented freshman, is dressed and on the bench but has not had any minutes since he received a head injury a month or so ago. It makes you wonder if he as well as MP3 are being red shirted.
• Except for Kelly, Curry, and Thornton, this team is not a good free throw shooting team—and that could be a problem.
• Kyle Single chose to continue playing this year in Spain for about $1,000,000 rather than play for the Detroit Pistons.

In case you missed it, Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski have been named SI’s 2010 Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year. The only other basketball coaches so honored are John Wooden and Dean Smith.

Alan adds:

What is the fun of watching a game where the team Duke is playing is so obviously physically overmatched?  I find it illuminating to see what Coach K does in that situation.  It’s almost like seeing what goes on in practice.  Who is developing that might help this team in the future – this year, perhaps; next year for sure.  So, Duke’s performance was frequently scintillating, but the level of athleticism of the opposition makes one cautious about reading too much into it.

What’s with Andre Dawkins?  After two fairly dreadful games (0 points against Ohio State), Andre exploded off the bench in the first minutes of this game.  He played only 12 minutes in the first half before being injured, but what a 12 minutes.  Andre was 6-8, including 3-5 from 3 with 2 assists (0 against Ohio State).  That means 3-3 from inside the arc; he passed, defended with high energy and was a force.  Is it only against inferior athletes that he can do this?  We will all spend the season rooting for Andre to develop consistency, especially against big time opponents.  Let’s hope the back injury is not significant.

Mason had an almost perfect first half.  He played 25 minutes overall, but missed the only shot he took in the second half.  He was 6-6 from the floor in the first half, and played with poise and confidence (and some really impressive athleticism).  In the second half, I thought he got a little block happy, and was leaving the floor (frequently without his lingerie – as Rafferty might say).  His floor game was dominant and game-changing: 10 boards; 5 blocks; 4 steals and 2 assists.  Only 1 turnover and 0 personal fouls.  The only negative is his foul shooting, 2-6.  We can talk about Miles in the same paragraph.  He played 19 minutes and had 14 points (same as Mason; only Miles was 4-4 from the line) on 5-6 shooting.  In addition, he had 5 boards, 3 blocks and an assist with 0 turnovers and only 2 fouls.  But before we get too impressed, let’s remember how small Colorado State is as a team.  They had some decent offense inside, but could not really compete with Duke’s bigs.

Kelly had a very sleep walking slow first half and a good (but not as good as either Plumlee) second half.  He and Austin scored all of Duke’s points early in the second half to keep the lead large, even when the defense took some time off.  In 21 minutes, he had 8 points, 3 boards, 3 turnovers and a block.  He uncharacteristically missed 2 foul shots (2-4).  He didn’t feel like the Kelly that was one of Duke’s best players up until the Ohio State game.

Austin continues to improve.  He is pulling up after getting by the first defender to make a pass or do something else helpful.  And, he is really beginning to come on as a defensive player.  He played the most of any Duke player (30 minutes) and was pretty efficient.  He scored 17 on 5-9 shooting (including 3-5 from deep; some from very deep).  He had 2 boards; 2 assists and a steal against only 1 turnover.  He did miss two foul shots (2-4) and committed only 2 fouls.  His ability to get by his defender initially is breathtaking.  He is a superstar in the making.

Seth had 8 assists, 3 boards, 2 steals and a very effective defensive game.  He took 8 shots, but scored only 5 points (1-5 from 3).  A telling negative stat was that Seth did not attempt a foul shot.  Still, he was the glue and played the third most minutes (25).  Tyler played the second most minutes (28) and was pretty efficient.  He took only 2 shots (both missed 3s), but was 5-6 from the line and had 4 assists against 0 turnovers to go with 3 boards and some energetic defense.  He started in place of Dawkins and even though playing more than usual, had only 3 fouls.  Quinn Cook had some defensive lapses and I didn’t think played very well.  He is clearly Duke’s best pure point guard (wasn’t his lob to Miles a pass of beauty?).  He played 16 minutes and had 3 boards.  Silent G (Gbinije) showed some quicks and hops in his 10 minutes.  He may contribute this year before the season is over.  He can defend.

I watched Washington a bit last night as they lost to Marquette.  This is a very athletic team with excellent players and good coaching.  They are better than their record.  Duke does seem to like playing in The World’s Most Famous Arena.  Saturday at noon, I think.

DUKE – WASHINGTON

For about thirty-five minutes, Duke played the most balanced game of this young year. Then, they got sloppy missing free throws, Curry and Rivers fouling out, the Huskies finally getting hot, and a seemingly easy high teen win became too close for comfort. Shooting in the low sixties and/or making 27 of 44 free throws is an invitation to lose. MP2 was the main culprit, missing 9 of 11. This (not lack of athleticism as Dickie V seems to think) is the real Achilles heel of the team, because attacking the basket, getting to the free throw line, then making the free throws, has always been  a benchmark of Coach K’s winning strategy. Just think of how many games Redick and Scheyer (just to name two) salted away.

That said, Austin Rivers (18 pts) is playing under more control and seeing the whole floor better with each game– and that makes for a much more effective offense. The key to the first half run was Andre (aka Microwave) Dawkins, who appears to be more productive/motivated coming off the bench, as he had 14 points in about as many minutes as well as playing aggressive defense.  Ryan Kelly had an atypically poor shooting first half, perhaps because Bill Cowher, the father of his girlfriend, was in the stands but recovered nicely to have 16 points and 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks.

Washington is a talented team whose salient characteristics are offensive rebounding and three point shooting. The three man rotation of MP2, Kelly, and MP1 (plus guards crashing the boards) took care of the rebounding end of the equation and the all the perimeter players choked off the threes (29%).

I recently mentioned that Miles might be having a Zoubek-like surge in him for his final year. Today he was 9 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes (plus 3-4 from the line) against big time competition. More minutes for Miles means the other two big men are fresher for the game and the season plus he is a big, wide athletic presence in the paint.

Some observations:

• While the team as a whole is a subpar (68%) at the free throw line, obviously Miles Plumlee (30%) is a huge drag on that number. Individually, Curry, Kelly, and Thornton are very good at the line and Rivers (70%) is ok. The first two are the ones you expect/hope will be on the line at the end of a close game.
• Duke had no defensive answer for Wroten (23 pts) down the stretch. He is a very impressive freshman.
• Madison Square Garden is sort of a home away from home for the Blue Devils and next to Cameron it is the players favorite court—especially Dawkins—and there are a lot of Duke alums(including Alan) in the Apple.
• While Curry has had a couple of subpar offensive performances, he was at the point and a catalyst for the early second half surge.
• Out of necessity, Quinn Cook, the most naturally talented (but untested) point guard, was on the floor at the end of the game and continued to make a case for more playing time.
• Boy, aren’t we glad Coach K apparently saw the handwriting on the wall released Kris Humphries (Mr. Kim Kardashian) from his commitment to play basketball at Duke (because of demands for guaranteed playing time).

Alan Adds:

Duke played an absolutely great first half, especially defensively.  The announcers kept criticizing Washington’s shooting and claiming there were many open missed shots.  I may have been watching a different game because I saw very few open Washington shots and I thought Duke (all 3 bigs) defended the rim brilliantly, challenging everything inside.  For the game, Duke’s 3 big men had 7 blocked shots (3 for Kelly; 2 each for the Plumlees).  Dawkins had another absolutely brilliant first half (12 of his 17 points).  He is defending now at a high level and had 4 key defensive rebounds (he has bona fide hops).  He was, however, 2-9 from behind the arc with most of those misses in the second half.  Only Kelly repeatedly misfiring for the first 17 minutes of the half and 7 silly turnovers kept Duke from having a 20+ point lead.

The game and Duke’s defense changed dramatically when Mason was called for a foul (I thought it was his third, because I sensed he lost his aggressiveness after the foul, but it was actually his only foul in the game, so maybe it was something else — such as thinking about his foul shooting).  In any event, Duke’s defense started allowing penetration and fouling.  Fouling and foul shots decided the game.  While Duke was only 27-44 (not good, but as Bill points out, without Mason’s numbers, Duke was 25-33, which is respectable), Washington was worse 13-23 (only 4-9 in the first half).  So even with Mason, Duke made more free throws than Washington attempted and had a 14 point margin at the end.  Duke made fewer field goals than Washington on fewer shots.  Duke was 27 for 57 while Washington was 31 for 65.  Each team was 5-17 from 3.  How did Washington get 8 more shots?  I’m not sure.  Duke held a rebounding edge and each team had 14 turnovers.

Duke could not put Washington away, which is disturbing.  Part of that was Washington started making some very difficult shots; and a lot was Duke’s porous perimeter defense, which resulted in both Curry and Rivers fouling out, while Thornton stayed on the floor at crunch time with 4 fouls.  A note about Quinn Cook’s contribution with his floor leadership and ball handling in the last 3 minutes:  When Seth fouled out, Cook ran the team, and with some ball handling aplomb.  He showed a lot of poise for his first action in a tight situation.  He missed two foul shots, but was 4-6 and made the last two when it really closed Washington out.

This was Seth’s third non-stellar game in a row.  We need to see a post-Ohio State comeback for his shooting.  Against Colorado State, he didn’t score, but had 8 assists.  Last night his numbers were only a couple of ticks above dismal. He played 30 minutes before fouling out with 8 points (4-4 from the line keeps his stats above dismal).  He took 5 shots (2-4 from the field and 0-1 from 3).  I think the illuminating numbers are: 5 turnovers against only 3 assists with no steals or blocks.  Seth with no steals!  Very unusual.  Duke needs Seth back after exams.

Austin also played 25 minutes before fouling out.  His game is improving visibly and he is now very close to stardom.  He’s defending better and I haven’t seen the on-the-court petulance that so disturbed Bill in the earliest part of the season.  Five fouls is a result of his more aggressive effort on defense, which I predict will continue to improve.  In those 25 minutes he had 18 points on 13 shots (2-5 from 3 and 4-4 from the line), 4 boards and 3 assists (3 turnovers).  He is slowly turning into a de facto point guard.  He is starting to pull up (even though he picked up a charge on a drive where he gave up the ball nicely, but still crushed the stationary defender). He is an improving passer.

Andre played the most minutes (32) followed by Mason, Curry and Thornton with 30.  Kelly played 27, Austin 25 and Miles 20.  This seems a very balanced team where anyone of 6-7 players can be the player of the game.  What is encouraging is the across-the-board improvement from every contributing player (maybe except Seth, temporarily).  A work in progress to be sure, and a rewarding season so far.  Conference play is not far away.

DUKE – UNC-GREENSBORO

Because of end of semester term papers and exams, Duke played only one game in nearly three weeks against UNC-Greensboro and for most of the first half looked like they all had been pulling all-nighters for too much of that time. If that is true, the good news is that we must assume there will be no academic causalities. The bad news is that for the first fourteen minutes the Blue Devils looked like the 2-9 team. However, after more than a few choice words from Coach K, his team outscored UNC-G 20-10 over the last six minutes, with Tyler Thornton, Austin Rivers, Andre Dawkins, Rivers again, and Ryan Kelly making 3-pointers to go to the locker room leading 45-34.

The second half was an opportunity for some of the freshmen to play extended minutes. Quinn Cook showed why he is an Alan fav. He scored 14 points on a variety of shots and demonstrated a quickness and ball handling ability not seen since Jason Williams and Bobby Hurley. Michael Gbinije was also impressive in a less flashy manner on both ends of the floor, which might earn him more minutes as the season progresses. He had eight points and was 4-4 from the foul line, which was a welcome sight. Other than that MP2 had a monster night (15 pts, 13 rebs, 2 blks), MP1 had the unusual line of 13 rebs, 2 blks and 0 pts, and Rivers continued to play more with with more control and mature judgment.

Some observations:

• Rivers approach to the game reminds me most of Art Heyman. While Art was taller, heavier, nastier, and a forward, he was always attacking. If Andre Dawkins had that mindset, he would be an All-American. As it is Andre can still light up the scoreboard with the sweetest stroke in the game and is pump faking and attacking the basket more often.
• Because of shooting less than 40% from the free throw line, MP2 is leaving 5-10 points a game on the floor and off his scoring average—and that will cost Duke some close games. On the other hand, his ambidextrous baby hook shot is a welcome and necessary addition to low post production and more scoring balance.
• Tyler Thornton continues to start because he provides defensive energy, solid ball handling, and the vocal leadership that Coach K stresses.
• Ryan Kelly has recently not played his best basketball but still is the most versatile and reliable performer on the team.
• Mike Gminski, who did the telecast last night,  was a very smart, very efficient, and terrific –if athletically unspectacular–center at Duke. He brings the same qualities to the broadcast booth. He reminds of Ray Scott, the Green Bay Packers announcer during the Lombardi era. Both know the game and only give you pertinent information (Taylor off left tackle for six) without all the extraneous nonsense that interrupts what you can clearly see with your own eyes.

Alan adds:

I didn’t think the game was on television in NYC (and it wasn’t, live), but it was delayed on ESPNU; so, I watched most of the second half,  when Duke was really rolling.  I heard the announcers describing Duke’s horribly sloppy play in the first 15 minutes.  Mercifully, I was spared that, and I appreciated the chance to watch the freshmen (besides Austin) get an opportunity to compete.

I finally saw the Quinn Cook that I had seen last year in high school.  He looked awfully good at the offensive end, and pretty good at the defensive end (lost some concentration toward the end, but seems to have most of his mobility back).  His handle is very good and he makes good decisions (especially for a freshman).  He is without a doubt Duke’s best passer and playmaker.  I saw him for extended periods in the backcourt with Austin last year in high school all-star games.  They play together extremely well, and have the most ball skills on the team.  They worked well together last night.  Austin set Quinn up for an in rhythm 3.  Quinn threw a couple of lobs that were exquisite.  Of course, the level of competition makes it difficult to draw conclusions from the nice performance.  Still a good sign.

Gbinije is very quick and athletic.  I also saw him in high school; one AAU final game in the summer.  He was by far the best player not only on his team, but in the game.  He guarded the best player on the other team (I forget whom, but a very highly ranked guy), and was very effective.  Silent G is defensively and team oriented; very versatile – a slasher with a good handle and fine rebounder for his size.  Last night he played 14 minutes and was 2-2 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line for 8 points plus 3 boards.  That’s 8 points on 2 shots.  Very efficient.  Add that to some serious defensive intensity.  I hope Austin sticks around for a while; this is a hummer of a freshman class. We haven’t even seen Alex Murphy or MP3.

Bad stats: Seth ( 20 minutes) had 4 turnovers and 0 assists.  But he had 4 steals; 9 points (4-4 from the line, but 1-4 from 3 pt land) in 20 minutes.  Thornton picked up 4 fouls, (2 steals and a 3 pointer) in 16 minutes; Seth and Austin ( 26 minutes) 3 fouls each.  Duke missed 10 foul shots in the first half; Mason missing 5 of them.  Kelly missed 3, but made 7.  Austin missed 2.  [Duke was 8-8 in the second half]

Shots:  Austin took the most shots (11; 5 from behind the arc).  3-6 from inside and 2-5 from outside.  Hairston took the next most shots – 8 in only 11 minutes, but made only 2.  Quinn was 6-7 (missing only 1 of his 3 3pt attempts).  Pretty efficient: 14 points on 7 shots.  He also had 2 assists in 18 minutes.  Dawkins had 11 points on 6 shots (3-5 from behind the arc) in a game high 27 minutes.  He also had 4 defensive rebounds.  Mason was 6-8 with a terrific stat line (except for his 5 missed foul shots in the first half).

Duke is 7th in one poll (behind UNC) and 5th in the other (ahead).

DUKE – WESTERN MICHIGAN 

Playing their first game in 11 days and only its second in the last 19, Duke started uncharacteristically fast and raced through an overmatched Western Michigan 110-70. Using ten players, the Blue Devils shots lights out—over 50% from the floor (and the three point line) as well as (gasp) 80% from the free throw line. Here is how hot eight of the ten players were—110 points with Dawkins and MP2 scoring a total of 5 points.

Some observations:

• Duke      plays at a different speed with Quinn Cook on the floor. Remember, he is      recovering from knee surgery and did not play or practice on the summer      trip to China, so was behind in conditioning and timing. Quinn is      improving every game. Last night he has 8 assists, 0 turnovers, 4      rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. However, his best play was diving to the      floor, wrestling control of the ball from three Mustangs, and flipping a      prone, no look pass to MP2 for a dunk. That kind of hustle  alone      will get him more playing time. Just ask Thornton.
• Seth      Curry has played the last few games with an injured ankle. Apparently, the      injury has healed because he had 22 points (3-4 from the arc).
• Austin      Rivers not only shot well from the floor and hit 6-7 from the line but also      was looking for open teammates on his drives.
• Tyler      Thornton was 4-4 from three point land and is hitting 50% for the season.
• MP1      had 15 rebounds and is said to be the best big man in practice. We can      only hope that he has an late blooming “Zoubek” ending to his career.
• Michael      Gbinije looks like he is going to be a contributor this year and a starter      sometime in the future. He is 6’6”, strong, athletic with a nice shooting      touch. He was 2-3 on threes and has not missed a free throw all season.
• And      speaking of athletic, ex-Terp Len Elmore, whom I like as an announcer and      has a law degree from Harvard (so should know better), has bought into the      narrative that Duke is not a very athletic team. (Usually, that is      announcer code for too many white players.) Let’s take a look: Mp1 &      MP2? Dawkins & Rivers? Cook? Are you serious? Curry & Kelly don’t      jump through the roof but do understand the game, are in the right place      at the right time, and are athletic enough to be lethal three point      shooters. In addition, Kelly can play the low post, so poses a matchup      problem for any team.

John Feinstein, a Duke graduate and prolific author, has a new book “One on One” which is a must read for anyone who likes college basketball, professional tennis, baseball, or golf—all of which John covered for the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and The Sporting News. It is all the fascinating back stories of his thirty some years of covering sports. What I didn’t know is that his parents were consumed by the arts, not sports. His father was the first executive director of the Kennedy Center and later director of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Opera. His mother had a PhD in music history and taught at Columbia and George Washington Universities. Growing up, their New York city  apartment was often filled with the likes of Isaac Stern (his father’s best friend), Rudolph Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Marian Anderson, Robert De Niro. John, however, was not impressed because his heroes were baseball and basketball players.

Alan adds:

I was only able to watch the first half last night, but really that was enough.  It was an amazing offensive first half (kept in perspective by the fact that Duke was a far superior team both athletically and basketball wise).  I thought Duke played some of its best defense of the year in the first 13/14 minutes of the first half.  The switching and cohesiveness was magical.  Then, the margin grew large enough that it was just natural to relax a bit and the level of defensive intensity diminished.

Bill’s analysis coincides with mine on each of his points.  I, of course, am quite pleased by the performance of Quinn Cook.  Coach K took time at his press conference to explain how serious Cook’s knee injury has been, and emphasized that he didn’t really even begin to practice until October.  His on the ball defense is improving by leaps and bounds.  He is intense.  He is also a pure point guard, and has the best knack of anyone on the roster for running a team and handling the ball.  Perspective is still important because as impressive as Cook’s stat line was last night, he still has to prove himself against elite competition.  Western Michigan is not that.  Barry Jacobs pointed out Duke’s most negative statistic this season — that through 11 games, Duke has more turnovers than assists.  Not a good stat.  Last night, Cook played 23 minutes and, as both Bill and Coach K emphasized, he had 8 assists and 0 turnovers.  He also had 4 boards, a block and 2 steals to go with 16 points (on 12 shots; meaning that he was 3-3 inside the arc).  He was 7-8 from the foul line with only negative stat — 1-4 from 3 land.  As I have been writing consistently, this team needs major contributions from Cook to reach its potential.

The return of Seth to form was warming.  Austin continues to improve and blend.  It was a terrific offensive performance.  Two more games (Penn and Temple) before conference play.

DUKE – PENNSYLVANIA

For years Alan and I have been exchanging phone calls and emails on Duke Basketball because we enjoyed comparing notes on talent and anticipating Coach K’s strategy. We have generally been on the same page—even the same verse. For example, he sent me his “Alan adds” comments on last night’s game before I wrote anything and since it is so comprehensive and parallels my thoughts, I will lead off with it.

Alan writes:

All assessments have to be made with the caveat that (as with Western Michigan), Duke faced a team with less talented (and shorter) athletes.  Penn, however, knows how to play basketball, and many of the Quaker baskets were the result of ball movement, cutting and solid fundamentals.  Duke’s dominance in rebounding, shot blocking, and scoring in close made it easy to watch the game with the eye of an analyst rather than a fan worried about the outcome.  That was never in doubt after Duke built a 16 point lead in the game’s first 7 minutes.  Ryan Kelly had 8 points before Penn even got their warm-ups off.

The post-game comments focused on Duke’s point guard play.  The TV announcers focused on the negative Duke stat of more turnovers than assists, and the evolving point guard situation, which began with Seth as the starter.  Thornton moved into the starting lineup for improved defensive intensity and better and more secure ball handling (but reduced firepower on the floor).  In the last few games, Quinn Cook has been part of the evolution.  The key stat for Quinn is (in the last two games): 17 assists without a turnover.  Now everyone is talking.  K has been positive (“Quinn is playing great”; “when he passes he sees you in places where other people have a hard time seeing you”), going out of his way to praise Cook’s defense (which I believe is still spotty; he loses concentration and then his man, but his on the ball defense has improved visibly as his lateral quickness returns).  K pointed out that Tyler can play off the ball as well as point.  Curry and Kelly both mentioned Cook’s contribution to team growth in the post game press conference.

And, why not.  Cook played 22 minutes (5^th most for Duke in the game), with two spectacular finishing layups to go with his 9 assists.  His outside shot isn’t yet where (I think) it will be, based on his high school shooting.  Duke had 12 turnovers with 20 assists.  But take away Cook’s numbers and Duke had 12 turnovers against 11 assists.  Nothing in the numbers or what I have seen so far as changed my assessment that this Duke team needs Cook’s contributions to reach its full potential, and be a contender to beat UNC for the ACC titles (regular season and tournament), and possibly more.  Think of the impact that the insertion of Kendall Marshall into the starting point guard role on last year’s UNC team had.  Cook’s impact won’t be that dramatic, but has the potential to be quite substantial.  It is an extra plus that he and Rivers play so well together.

Special kudos for the efficiency of both Kelly (18 points on 12 shots) and Curry (15 points on 12 shots).  Austin had a quiet game, but should not be overlooked.  First, he is aggressive when Duke needs points, not when Duke is comfortably ahead.  Second, his defense is improving at a really rapid rate (he’s pretty quick and has length to defend guards).  His attitude has improved, and so has his decision making.  We are reminded of his special talents when you see a cross over, like the one he pulled off yesterday, when he faked right and crossed over to going left for a lovely layup, leaving the defense gasping (perhaps partly in admiration).

The minutes give an insight into K’s evaluation of his team:  Austin led with 27 minutes, followed by Kelly with 26 minutes, Curry and Mason with 25 and Quinn with 22.  Dawkins played 20 minutes while Miles and Thornton played 17 minutes.  Dawkins’s shot is still inconsistent, but in 20 minutes he got 4 and had a steal and two assists.  He also had two turnovers and failed to convert on a couple of nice forays to the rim.  His development and achieving consistency is also required for Duke to reach its potential.

So far, a fun team to root for and a fun season to watch.

Bill’s observations:

• With the earlier move of Thornton into the starting lineup and now the increased minutes for Quinn Cook, I believe we are witnessing the transformation of this team into one with multi-dimensional drive and overdrive capabilities. As Alan points out, if you project Quinn’s last two games assist (8 & 9 with limited minutes) into that of a full time starter, you have numbers that set an NCAA record. Even half of that number is a Duke record. That probably will not happen this year, but you get the idea. Thornton will continue to start and get his minutes because he sets the defensive intensity with his on-the-ball pressure and solid point guard skills (he can also play off the ball on offense). But Cook operates at warp speed and sees the floor like few guards. There are other personnel options (or “packages” as they say in the NFL) depending on the opponent and the game situation that may well make this a more formidable team than many anticipated.
• No detail is too small. Did you notice Jeff Capel sitting among the players on the bench, not with the other coaches?  Why? Coach K:“We’re taking a look at our chemistry. We evaluate everything, it’s what you should do. Just to make sure we’ve giving them feedback. You can get ingrained with a certain procedure and be a slave to that procedure and it may not be the right thing for this group. So again that was something we evaluated over the holidays is just how we sit on the bench. What are we doing when they come off the court? Who is talking to the guys? Where are guys sitting? That type of thing and we made a couple changes there. We did a lot of evaluation.”
• Massage received: Kelly threw a behind the back pass on a fast break against W. Michigan that was intercepted. He came out of the game and hardly played in the second half. He had 18 points last night.  MP2 did not rebound well in the opening minutes against W. Michigan and was replaced by MP1, who played well. Last night he has 15 rebounds
• Duke has always been good at wearing teams down and the depth on this edition has the personnel to do that in spades.
• Rivers only had 8 points but played more under control and much better defense.
• Curry is not just a spot up jump shooter. Since the three point line was instituted, the pull up jump shot has become almost an obsolete skill as most player shoot the three or attack the basket. When Seth penetrates he pulls up for the short open  jumper. In most ways, he is the most polished offensive player Duke has.
• Hubert Davis, the ex- Tar Heel shooting guard,  was the commentator last night (and apparently will be doing Duke’s Sunday night games on the ESPN family of channels). Hubert has done his homework and has an outstanding (and fair) assessment of this Duke team. A terrific jump shooter himself, Davis loves Andre Dawkins stroke (sound familiar), but wonders about his (and MP1) consistency. He notes that this and a positive assists to turnover ratio (take out Quinn Cook’s assists and it is an unacceptable 1:1) may be the keys for Duke to be a Final Four team.

DUKE – TEMPLE

After beating Jimmy Connors at the January 1980 Masters (he had lost the previous 16 matches to Jimbo), the flamboyant Vitas Gerulaitis said: “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row”. Well, Duke was going for ten in a row and was beaten in every phase of the game by Temple, so ….I guess nobody beats Temple ten times in a row.

Listening to  announcer Jimmy Dyke, who isn’t a man of few words or opinions, which he repeats incessantly (Hey Jimmy, it’s TV not radio. We can see the game),  you might think Duke’s perimeter defense was not good tonight and might be a weakness that keeps them from being a top tier team. We all know that Coach K’s defensive philosophy of on- the- ball pressure and over playing the wings, can make a game very easy or very difficult. Desire and hustle is the key. Tonight the defense did not get the job done. Time will tell if Duke has the tenacity and talent to execute this defense against top team with strong guards.

After reading John Feinstein’s “One on One”, I re-read “Forever’s Team”, the story of the players and coaches on the 1978-80 “America’s Team” as well as the next two years and interviews with everyone ten years later. It reminded me of  the rhythms of the course of a long campaign and the inexplicable importance chemistry plays in a successful season. In 1978, it was a young team with nothing to lose. Even after losing a close game to Kentucky in the finals of the NCAA Tournament, they were convinced that they would win the next year. All the starters were back, but the assistant coach left, the players did not prepare the same way over the summer, egos and jealousies came into play, resentment over playing time surfaced, Bob Bender replaced John Harrell as the starting guard, and the next two seasons did not meet expectations. Coach Foster, a complex man to start with, felt unappreciated by Athletic Director Carl James and left immediately after the last game in 1980 for South Carolina. The point is that there are a various and complex reasons and factors beyond talent that determine winning or losing. It is how the coaches and the players deal with the both outcomes that determines the success or failure of a season– and we should understand that and each year enjoy the ride.

Some observations:

• Wonder why Duke lost: Temple shot 57% from the field, 50% from three point land, the Blue Devils had more turnovers than assists, only MP1, MP2, & Rivers scored in double figures, and  despite a decide height advantage Duke did not outrebound Temple. Inexplicably, Ryan Kelly pulled a Dawkins disappearing act. Was he sick or just overmatched?
• MP1 (17 pts & 4 rebs, 2 blks) played, perhaps, his best game. MP2, however, did not. Although his stats were good (16 pts & 13 rebs, 2 blks), he failed to convert too many easy baskets at crucial times.
• Austin Rivers wants to be the go-to player but he isn’t there yet—too many uncontrolled forays to the rim, often leading to turnovers. And the announcers and press hyping him as the best player on the team is not helpful.
• The game was a reminder that it is a long season with ebbs and flows. Duke gets everyone’s best shot and the Blue Devils are not talented enough to impose their will anytime they need to. However, over the years, you would have made a lot of money betting that Coach K’s teams do not lose two in a row.

Alan adds:

First of all, a tip of the hat in respect for Temple’s well-conceived game plan, terrific coaching, and an all- out emotional effort.  Temple came to play and outworked and outhustled Duke for the full 40 minutes.  A team with no player over 6’6” handled Duke on the boards through sheer hustle and effort.  I never thought, going in to the game, that Duke could lose.  I believe Duke’s players embraced the same fallacy.  And there is no way around it: this was a humbling loss.

Jimmy Dykes  hit the nail on the head before the game even started.  He said, “Duke has a final four offense and a second round defense.”  He was prescient.  As was Coach K, who understood that Duke would have to be able to guard the perimeter one on one (Temple had exemplary spacing).  He challenged his team to do it; they failed that challenge in dramatic fashion.  Duke’s heralded backcourt was completely outplayed on both ends of the court.  But it was the defensive end that was Duke’s real Achilles heel last night.  Temple got into the paint and shot over, around and through the Duke backcourt.  Almost 60% in the first half.  When Duke backed off in the second half, Temple made them pay with some very clutch (if Temple does not make those two clutch 3s at the end, Duke wins) outside shooting.  Temple shot 57% against Duke overall.  You could tell Coach K was flummoxed.  He tried Gbinije; he tried Hairston (not for long; each played only 8 minutes, and they made the 3 shots that they took between them — Silent G took 2 including the  luck 3 that went in off the backboard).  Dawkins was truly awful.  He was non-existent on offense in his 14 minutes (0-3; 1 board; 1 turnover; and 1 foul), but it was on defense that he really failed.  He could not keep any Temple player in front of him, and he could not get up on the shooter.  Whoever he guarded scored.  Cook, whom I have championed, wasn’t any better last night.  He took 4 3 point shots (the most of any Duke player) in his 12 minutes, making one (2-6 from the floor) with 2 assists and a turnover.  But, he too failed dramatically on the defensive end (which explains why he played only 12 minutes).  He looked lost and slow on defense (but he didn’t stand out amongst the Duke backcourt; they all looked that way).  Seth had 5 turnovers (to go with his 6 points) in 30 minutes.  To be fair, he also had 4 steals and 3 assists.  Austin was 3-11, and looked as if he had reverted to the first few games of the year, driving into turnovers.  He only had 2 in the box score, but it seemed to me he was responsible for more.  He played with intensity on defense, but not effectively.  He was thoroughly outplayed throughout.  Thornton had 5 points in 25 minutes and 2 turnovers with 0 assists and 4 personal fouls.  Duke seemed to foul a lot on the perimeter (when they were not beaten cleanly). Curry had 3 and so did Ryan Kelly.

Kelly was also exposed on the defensive end, which may explain why he only played 19 minutes (same amount of time as Miles played).  He had 2 boards and 9 points.  It was only the Plumlees that kept Duke in the game.  We have good things to say here, but the caveat is how much shorter the Temple team was.  Mason had 16 points on 13 shots (including 2-2 from the line) to go with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks in 32 minutes.  He had 7 offensive boards, and Bill is right, that he failed to connect on a few shots right around the rim.  Still he played tough defense, ran the floor, and had 4 assists (but 3 turnovers).  Miles was very efficient scoring 17 points on 11 shots with 4 boards (3 offense), and 2 blocks.  He does everything well, except rebound on the defensive end.  Temple had 12 offensive rebounds (Duke 13).  The game is slowing down for both Plumlees, but especially for Miles on the offensive end.  He looked fully in control when he got the ball down low, and had 0 turnovers with a significant number of touches.

It will be a challenge to see if Coach K can forge this team into a defensive presence.  I looked back to my pre-season comments.  I wrote that Duke’s fortunes would be determined by how well the team grew at the defensive end.  We’ll see if this game was merely a growing pain (“Everyone knows what to do with a win; winners know what to do with a loss.”), or the symptom of a fatal team weakness that will stop Duke from being a force on the National scene this year.

DUKE – GEORGIA TECH 

Predictably, Coach K started a new lineup– MP1 and Cook for Kelly and Thornton—and substituted frequently in the first half. It worked like magic for about ten minutes with Cook running the offense like a latter day Bobby Hurley. Then,  Duke got cold, casual, and Tech closed an eighteen point lead to five at intermission.  In the second half, the Blue Devils could not impose their will on Tech at either end and with five minutes to go, the outcome was in doubt. Curry’s 15 second half points and timely assist to MP2 gave Duke some momentum, then free throws determined the winner as Ryan Kelly was flawless from the line.

Except for the first and last minutes, it was  a pretty unimpressive performance, which reinforced the critique that this a young team lacking leadership, a go-to-guy, and an inability to handle bigger, stronger guards–Rice, Udofia, and Morris had all but 16 of Tech’s points.

Some observations:

• I have mixed feelings about Austin Rivers. I’m glad he is at Duke but feel some of the hype surrounding him is over the top, in part, due to his being the son of Doc Rivers. Further, he has a Kobe Bryant-type aggressive attitude but he is not Kobe and that he is not yet as talented at this level as he thinks he is. I thought it was interesting that today he was scoreless when Duke opened up an 18 point lead; however, he contributed in other ways like playing  good defense and letting others put up the points. Late in the game,  he made one crucial steal and layup but other than that, Rice scorched him, he had a turnover, blew a layup on a beautiful feed from MP2, and, disconcerting of all, missed two free throws. I have contended that Curry and Kelly, while not spectacular athletes, are the two most solid, dependable, and intelligent players and you want  the ball in their hands when the game is on the line. And until the roles are better understood and accepted –or Rivers cuts down the turnover and hits a higher percentage of free throws — this team can beaten by opponents with lesser talent. Close games can go any which way.
• One trait I admire is mental toughness. Seth Curry was as cold as Alaska in the first half. In the last twenty minutes, he kept Duke in the game and put the Blue Devils in a position to win.
• Cook is a creative  playmaker who brings a whole new dimension to the offense. He encourages more motion and movement because he gives the ball up to an open player of easy shots. Plus, he is a good free throw shooter. So, if his knees and defense hold up, I think we will see on him be a catalyst for a more effective offense.
• Duke was outrebounded by an unacceptable 35-23 but had more assists than turnovers.
• Making free throws is a lot tougher when the game is on the line–the mouth gets dry and muscles tighten up. Udofia and Rice were 0-6 in the last two minutes when it was  a two point game. On the other hand, Kelly was 10-10 and Curry 3-4 in the last minutes. For the game, MP2 was 3-3—that’s lifetime record of 5 straight.
• Commentators stress that Duke’s guards lack size, physical strength, and mental toughness. Sounds like a case for Dr. Wojo!
• Given the problems that Rice, Udofia, and Morris were causing, I was surprised that we see didn’t see Gbinije, hereafter referred to as G-Man2 (in deference to Mike Gminski).

Alan Adds:

Duke’s victory over Georgia Tech was cause of as much concern as was the loss to Temple on Wednesday.  Given how much better a team Temple is than Tech, Duke’s performance against the Yellow Jackets seemed similar in its relativity to excellence – meaning a long way from it.  Once again the Duke perimeter defense looked porous and suspect.  Once again, a swing player was unguardable for Duke.  Glen Rice had 28 points for Tech , coming off the bench after failing to score in Tech’s last game.  He was unstoppable whether it was Dawkins or Austin trying to guard him.  Georgia Tech, who had lost 7 times this season, including losses to Mercer, Fordham and Tulane, shot almost 50% and outrebounded Duke 35-23.

It was only Duke’s presence and competence at the foul line that was Duke’s winning advantage (29-36 for Duke against 12-19 for Tech).  It seems clear that Coach K is still experimenting.  Cook has moved ahead of Thornton in the rotation, starting and playing 27 minutes to Thornton’s 13.  Cook’s only offensive weakness is that his 3 point shot so far is not falling (1-4) and his defense is still suspect.  I think Coach K realizes that he needs better point guard play and turnover free ball handling.  Cook is what he has in that department, and I believe Cook will be given the chance with starters minutes to develop.  The wings are Austin (30 minutes) and Seth (29) with Dawkins coming off the bench to for each (21).  Kelly did not start, but played 27 big minutes and was key at the end of the game.  He scored 21 points on 4 (yes 4) shots from the field.  He was 3-4 (1-2 from 3 land) from the field and 14-14 from the line.  He had five boards.  Mason played 29 minutes and was 3-6 from the field, with 8 boards 3 assists and 2 blocks.  Miles picked up 4 fouls, which limited him to 17 minutes with 3 boards a block and a turnover.  Hairston played 7 creditable minutes.

A big part of the Duke problem was being very cold from behind the arc; missing a myriad of wide open looks (Quinn missed two in a row on 2 great passes from Austin).  Duke was 6-22 (Duke was 17 for 28 from inside the arc), with Seth (2-7); Austin (0-3) and Dawkins (1-5) to go with Cook’s (1-4) firing blanks.  Quinn had 5 of Duke’s 13 assists; Mason had 3.  Duke had only 9 turnovers with Seth and Austin having 3.

The Duke backcourt has looked dissimulated for almost two full games now.  Seth, however, did provide some glue and energy down the stretch.  However, if Duke doesn’t get better backcourt play, the Blue Devils will struggle down the road — especially in February when the ACC schedule toughens.

Virginia comes to Cameron on Thursday for an interesting game.

DUKE – VIRGINIA  

During my talk about the upcoming season to the Duke Club of Hilton Head in October, I was asked other than Duke and Carolina what teams did I enjoy watching. I responded: “Only Virginia, because I think Tony Bennett is the best young coach in the ACC. I really like what he accomplished with the somewhat marginal talent(Scott was out for the season) he inherited”.  If Scott, who so far is the best player in the ACC, had more support tonight UVA would probably have won. Playing Virginia is like playing Princeton or Georgetown—teams that are fundamentally very sound and very patient and usually make an opponent impatient.

Duke trailed 32-28 at the half as Scott had 18 points and the Blue Devils never got into any rhythm missing threes and MP@ going 1-8 from the line. It looked like the passive team that lost to Ohio State and Temple. The only difference was that UVA did not have the big guards that out muscled our guards. They were just being out finessed.

However, Duke played the second half with a great deal more mental toughness, energy, and conviction. MP1 and MP2 played like the athletes that they are;  Thornton ignited the crowd with a terrific drive  followed by a pin point pass to MP2 who had outrun everyone for a thunderous dunk; Seth Curry hit some timely shots; and Austin Rivers made a beautiful assist to MP2 as well as tough defense.

Holding a nine point lead with three minutes to go and Kelly on the line, the wheels almost came off. Kelly missed both free throws, MP1 fouled and suddenly the Cavaliers were back in the game. A well played second half almost was for naught as UVA, trailing by three, had two treys in the last four seconds that missed.

Some observations:

·          At halftime, Coach K made some defensive adjustments to help neutralize Scott and the perimeter defenders continued to shut down the three (3-16). In general the team played with more intensity, resolve, and toughness in the second half, to build a nice lead. However, they did not close the game out like a good team should.

·          Mental toughness is an overlooked trait of winning players and winning teams. A good example of a maturing player is MP2, who was once more embarrassed at the foul line in the first half. He came out in the second half and just took the ball to the basket in a manner that said volumes about how Duke was going to compete in the final twenty minutes. Likewise Seth Curry, who did the same against Georgia Tech, was a playmaker to help the Blue Devils make a run and a working margin.

·          Quinn Cook fired some ill- advised three in the first minutes, had a quick turnover beginning the second half, and was rewarded with just twelve minutes playing time.

·          Andre Dawkins woke up to hit two threes and two foul shots when they were sorely needed in the first half.

·          MP1 played productive minutes but fouled out by being called for two moving screens within minutes of each other. He is old enough, big enough, and smart enough to understand how the game is being called.

·          G-Man2 again had no minutes and one might think he was worth a try in the first half when Scott was torching all the big men. Is he injured, out of favor, or having academic problems?

·          The fact that Duke won (at home) while being out rebounded 34-28, only hitting 8-19 free throws, can be attributed in part to holding UVA to shooting just 39% from the field and having 6  blocks.

·          A win is a win but it leaves one wondering if this team has the versatility, strength, and mental toughness to beat top teams when the threes are not falling.

Alan adds:

Written at half time]

Duke has now played 5 very disappointing halves in a row — especially on the defensive end.  Yuck!  Every (ok, almost every) Duke double team resulted in Virginia moving the ball to find the open man for a wide open lay-up, short range jumper, or high percentage 3.  It was embarrassing.  I think Duke’s defense may have been even worse in the first half than in either Temple or Ga. Tech games.  Dawkins was “embarrassed” on a back door cut.  Mason couldn’t get close enough to Scott to bother him.  Virginia played with poise and Duke did not provide its usual high intensity (force turnovers) defense.  UVa had only 6 turnovers, and most of them were when they tried to do too much as opposed to crumbling to Duke’s pressure.

Duke’s offense looked stagnant.  And the shooting — even when open; actually especially when open as they frequently were — was dreadful from long range (3-13).  If it had not been for Dawkins’ two at the end…

[Written after game’s end]

With about 9 minutes left in the game Duke had a 10 point lead.  Thornton had sparked the run that gave Duke separation.  Duke held on so that with 4 minutes to go, Duke still led by 9.  Then it became a complete breakdown on offense and defense.  Duke scored only 4 points in the last 4 minutes (a jumper by Seth and 2 free throws by Kelly).  Then Duke became very sloppy, turning the ball over carelessly (Virginia’s effort was intense, but their defense was not smothering) and became very porous on defense (after really tightening up in the second half).  The Virginia lack of scoring was attributable to their missing easy open shots.  Dawkins was cleanly beaten back door but Zieglinski missed the lay-up.  And so it went.  Virginia missed.  Virginia got a myriad of offensive rebounds (scoring on 2nd and 3rd efforts).  It was Duke’s third disappointing game in a row.

Duke had 11 assists and 11 turnovers; Virginia had 16 assists and 9 turnovers.  Virginia outrebounded Duke by 7, had more blocks and held Duke to 5-20 from 3.  Mason was superb, except from the foul line (2-10).  Kelly had a terrible last few minutes with two turnovers and two missed free throws and failed to defend the defensive board.  Miles looks good, but fouled out with four points and 3 boards, but looked better than his stats.  Dawkins made 3 shots in a row that were critical and had 10 points in 29 minutes (2-6 from 3).  Seth was the point guard for the end game, and had his best game in a while.  He had 11 points in 34 minutes (1-5 from 3), adding four boards, 2 assists (only 1 turnover) and a block.  Cook was very disappointing.  Good point guards beat the defense off the dribble; Cook could not do that last night.  Austin is playing under control and is clutch.  His defense is improving and he is scoring from in close.  He had 11 points in 29 minutes, and may be the starting point guard.  Tyler is energy and a heady player, but has no firepower.  He made his only shot and had a great pass to Miles for a flush.

This team was growing satisfyingly up until the Temple game last week.  Let us hope it is just a slump.

DUKE – CLEMSON 

After the game, my wife and I were discussing Andre Dawkins. She commented that Andre reminded her of Evonne Goolagong, the wonderfully talented and graceful Australian tennis player in the 1970s and early 1980s.  While she won Grand Slam titles, there were times she played in an inexplicably mundane manner.  She explained it as a “Walkabout”– an Aborigine  journey during adolescence to wonder and live in the wilderness for a period  of time. Well, tonight the enigmatic Andre emerged from his recent two month “walkabout” since the Michigan State game in November to remind us how wonderfully talented he is. And it is a good thing, because Duke spotted Clemson a nine point advantage on a weekend when New Orleans spotted San Francisco seventeen points and lost, Green bay spotted the Giants ten points and lost, and Carolina lost at Florida State by the largest margin in Coach Williams tenure.

The Blue Devils were so bad in the opening minutes that coach K replaced all five starters. When the starters returned, they went on a 15-2 run to more or less take control of the game until the last few minutes when they again failed to close out an opponent in an impressive manner.

Coach K commented: “I’ve been sending a message for two days that if we didn’t have guys playing like they wanted to win at the beginning of the game, we would find guys that wanted to win. After the first eight minutes, everyone decided they wanted to fight and play like they wanted to win. We always get everybody’s best shot. For 25 years we’ve gotten everybody’s best shot so we have to have guys that play like they want to win.”

For two games in a row, Duke has won but not convincingly. However, these are the kind of games that talented teams and the best coaches find a way to win. Fortunately, Coach K has the depth of talent to play multiple combinations as he did tonight.

Some observations:

·          The stats tell an interesting story. Duke was out rebounded, had more turnovers, fewer assists, and fewer field goal attempts. How do you win a game like that?  Duke made 5 more free throws 83% – 50% (MP@ was 4-4) & 4 more threes. That is a 17 point differential.

·          The team is searching for a theme. As we have noted before, this team lacks senior leadership and a dependable go-to-guy. Rather, they have been winning by committee. Rivers wants to be that guy but, so far, lacks the game and judgment. Curry and Kelly are the most solid, dependable players. Last night at the end of the game, they were sharing the point. However, lately Ryan seems to be wearing down and Seth has been slowed by an ankle injury. Cook adds an exciting dimension but is an undependable freshman. Thornton is reliable, tenacious but unexciting. MP2 is gaining confidence with every game but is a liability at the line. MP1 is playing like a dominating presence in the paint. Last night, he had 14 rebounds in 23 minutes. That leaves Dawkins, who could be the key to the season.

·          The referees called two questionable technical. Duke’s Miles Plumlee was called for a flagrant foul late in the second half when he was deemed to have thrown an elbow on a rebound but Clemson’s Tanner Smith, who was all over his back and did a great action job, said Plumlee didn’t catch him with an elbow.  And Dawkins was called for a technical for hanging on the rim after a dunk at full speed. It appeared he was just protecting himself rather than showing off. Those two calls were four free throw and possession. Some games turn on less.

·          Given the success of former basketball players Antonio Gates and Jimmy  Graham (former Miami center) as elite NFL tight ends, MP1 might consider football if the NBA  work out. He has the size, speed, toughness, and doesn’t shy from contact.

Alan adds:

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

The Best of Times:

Duke did not go into the home of an inconsistent but excellent defensive ACC opponent and get blown out, as one highly ranked team did this weekend.  (Florida State upending UNC by 33).  Andre Dawkins showed up big time and essentially won the game for Duke with 5-9 three point shooting.  He scored 24 points on 12 shots.  He also had 2 blocks and 2 boards.  He was why Duke won. Coach K showed why he’s Coach K with his ability to mix and match his 8 man rotation to meet the needs on the court.  Duke has point guard by committee with Thornton playing 12 minutes (0 points; 0-3 from behind the arc) with two assists and a turnover and a steal.  He plays a heady and intense floor game.  Cook played 19 minutes and acquitted himself pretty well on the defensive end after being blown by for a layup, and being benched (with the entire starting unit) at the 4 minute mark.  He was 4-6 (2-3 from 3land) with 2 assists and 2 turnovers.  He still needs consistency, but he is a freshman with a large upside. That means that Seth ran the point for 9 minutes, mostly as the game was winding down (though Quinn went in for Mason when Coach K didn’t want Mason on the foul line in spite of his 4-4 from there tonight).  Coach K trusts Seth at crunch time more than his “real” point guards.  Seth played 31 minutes, Austin 28 and Dawkins 27.  I believe that Coach K thinks these are his best 5.  Duke was 15-18 from the foul line and 4-9 from 3 in the second half (4-14 in the first half).  Miles had 14 boards (8 offensive) and I thought Duke defended the rim well.  The depth up front among the two Plumlees and Kelly is impressive.  Miles played 23 minutes; Kelly and Mason 26 each.

The Worst of Times

Duke had (once again) more turnovers than assists (9 assists; 17 turnovers).
Only Tyler had more assists than turnovers (2-1).  Duke got hammered on its own defensive boards late in the game (reminding one of the UVa game and some others).  Clemson pulled down 18 offensive rebounds.

Austin was shut out from the floor until late in the game when he made 2 nice drives.  He isn’t finishing; he isn’t popping well from the outside, and his ball handling seems less skillful.  He is, however, really starting to play good defense.  He’s still a key (28 minutes) but it seems to me that his confidence is eroding.  He needed some lessons, but now it is time to build him back up because he is potentially the most talented player on the roster.  His regression has coincided with Duke’s slide in quality play (Temple, Ga. Tech, UVa and now Clemson).  His resurgence (or lack) may be one of the real litmus tests for this team’s success.

Duke simply is not shooting well, especially from behind the arc.  Aside from Andre, it was Seth (1-4); Austin (0-2), Ryan (0-2), and Tyler (0-3).  Quinn was 2-3.  He has not shot it well from there, but I know he can and anticipate that his shot will return as his confidence grows.  Duke has to shoot better than it has recently.

DUKE  91 – WAKE FOREST  73

 After two too-close-for- comfort games, the Maestro started MP1 and Dawkins for Kelly and Rivers. We know that starting is a pride thing with players but the more important metric is minutes played and who is on the floor at the end of close games. The starters and the players off the bench all responded very well but let’s remember, this is Wake who lost to N.C. State last Saturday by thirty-five points.

Holy JJ, Batman, who was that smiling kid who was doing a Redick impression in the first half hitting 7 of 12 threes for 21 points? That was “‘Dre all day” as the Crazies chant when Andre Dawkins gets hot. Three impressive games in a row is a good omen for a team searching for a dominant, dependable scorer. When Andre is hot, the defense must overplay him so it spreads the defense and makes it easier for his teammates. I also think it is worth noting that Thornton had 8 assists, most of which were to Dawkins. Kelly and Rivers ended up playing more minutes than the starters and had their best games in some time. Cook, on the other hand, did not and only played 14 minutes. The Plumlees and the defense were just so-so.

Some observations:

·          The statistics bear out the fact that Duke is much better offensively than defensively. However, that is somewhat deceiving because they attempt a lot of threes, which like last night make the winning look easy. However, when they are not falling, the team struggles because the defense does not always bail them out.

·          Ryan Kelly played with a lot of energy and had a very impressive, stat-stuffing game.

·          Andre Dawkins has a natural smile as sweet as his jump shot– as opposed to say Redick, who had the focused demeanor of a “Hit Man”. Maybe it is not in Andre’s nature to be driven to excel all the time. If JJ had 7 threes and 21 points in the first half, do you think he would have taken one shot in the second half?

·          Rivers, on the other hand, is driven. He found out that he wasn’t starting two days ago and was chastened and angered but mature about the demotion:  “I’m bringing it every day for the rest of the year. I really want to do what I can to help the team. These guys have my back and I have their back. In the past, when I had a bad game, no one would talk to me. Here, it’s ‘Austin, we believe in you, you can do it,’ so much positive feedback, especially from the coaches. It’s something new for me. I was pissed off. I wasn’t mad at coach in any way. I respect what he says. I was so angry, I went home, didn’t talk to anybody. My teammates told me that’s not the way to handle it. Pointing fingers and being a coward isn’t going to help anything. Moving forward, whether I start or not doesn’t matter, I’m going to do my best and help the team.”

·          Many of Dawkins threes came with Thornton at the point and Rivers not on the floor. Rivers game often precludes quick ball and player movement and, since Dawkins is basically a spot up shooter, he is disadvantaged. When Rivers recognizes defenses quicker and better and looks to create shots for others as well as himself, this will become an even more lethal offense. It is also my view that to excel on this level and succeed on the next level, Austin Rivers must develop more point guard skills and mentality. He is not big enough, strong enough, or talented enough to be just a scoring guard in the pros. And unless/until he recognizes that, he will not realize his dreams.

Alan adds:

I thought there were a number of story lines from Duke’s relatively easy victory over Wake.  First (and perhaps foremost), welcome back, Austin.  Second, welcome (if not back), Andre; third, hello, Ryan; and (for players), welcome back, Seth.  All four had terrific games.  All four story lines coalesce around Coach K’s familiar, but usually successful, motivational ploys.  Neither Austin nor Ryan started (definite demotions), and both responded with stellar performances.  Austin had his best game (in my opinion) hitting 3-4 from behind the arc and going 6-11 from the floor and 5-6 from the line for 20 points in a team high 32 minutes.  His post game comments show maturity.  I think it was significant that Doc came to watch his son; I think he knew how Austin reacted to not starting was sort of a cross-roads for him.  It could turn out to be the move of the season.  Austin played really hard (if a bit inconsistently) on defense, too.

Seth had a superb game, especially in the second half.  Dawkins explosion in the first half led Wake to defend him intensely in the second half, which opened up the floor for Duke to drive to the basket.  Seth had 4 beautiful drives and played an intense game.  Though his minutes were limited by his 3 first half fouls (19 minutes), he was 7-9 from the floor (0-1 from 3 and missed his only 2 foul shots after the game was out of Wake’s reach), had two assists against a turnover and 3 steals.  Duke is tough when shooting well and 7-8 inside the arc is nothing to sneeze at.  And I will let Bill gush over Dawkins’s first half shooting performance.  He also defended intensely.  Kelly was 8-11 and Duke shot almost 55%, a nice trend.

It was very much a game of two halves.  With the exception of Dawkins’ stunning outburst, I did not think Duke played all that well in the first half.  It was again the defense on the perimeter.  Wake got to the basket rather easily and scored on a raft of layups.  Duke committed foul after foul on Wake’s drives, sending them to the line.  Duke was only 1-2 from the line in the first half, and might have been in trouble if not for Dawkins (and Ryan Kelly, who had 10 of his 20 points in the first half.  Wake seemed to get too many offensive rebounds as well.

Wake fatigued in the second half, and Duke simply had its way.  Duke got to the line 19 times in the second half, controlled the boards, defended much better and spread the scoring around, with Austin leading the way (14 in the second half).  It was nice to breath easily.  Dawkins didn’t score but played hard on defense (though he still gets beat back door occasionally).

Point guard play continues a bit inconsistent.  Thornton missed all 3 of his shots, but had 8 assists (mainly throwing the ball to Dawkins in the first half) and only 1 turnover in 21 minutes.  Cook, tweaked his knee again in practice and only played 14 minutes (after starting).  He hit a 3, a nice layup, but wasn’t as effective leading the team (or defending) as he has in other games.  Coach K is giving Seth his turn at the point as well.  It’s the lineup with the most firepower (Austin, Andre and Seth on the perimeter).  Still very much a work in progress.

After a comfortable win, Fla. State comes to Cameron.  It has the makings of a big game for Duke.  Florida State is rested after its blowout of UNC; Duke has a very short turnaround.  Florida State is very physical and has an outstanding defense.  They are long.  It will be a very good test on Saturday.

DUKE 73 – FLORIDA STATE 76 

Alan’s wonderful opening paragraph (below) puts the game in proper, not partisan,  perspective–it was a compelling college basketball game on a number of different levels and by a number of different standards.

Florida State hit a buzzer-beater prayer three at the end of the half to cut a Duke lead to six, then hit a pure  buzzer beater three to win the game. Duke had no excuses. They led at home for most of the second half but in the end, a defense that held the Seminoles to just 26 first half points, gave up 50 in the second half while scoring just 41 themselves. It is somewhat ironic that a team which usually wins by the three was beaten by a team which only has one player shooting over 40% for the season. Just as the Seminoles got hot in the second half and won, last week Virginia, a much better three point shooting team, did not and lost. But in college basketball, you never know– especially during the twenty-five years of the three point shot.

In a sense, this was a game of men against boys. The Seminoles have three graduate students, a 27 year old Army veteran center, and a lot of seniors. The good news is that Duke played an older, bigger, stronger, terrific defensive team to a statistical draw and the Blue Devils will be a better team for a game like this in that they will be better prepared to win close games the next time.  The  bad news is that they were at home in a position to win like we are used to winning tight games and that the Plumlees scored only 13 points (to go with 13 rebounds) and were exposed defensively at crucial times.

Except for the fact that Duke just couldn’t knock down shots (Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly shot a combined 1-14, many of them good looks), the first half could hardly have gone better for Duke. The Blue Devils outrebounded FSU 22-14, committed only three turnovers, while forcing seven, and didn’t even send Florida State to the line.

In the second half, Duke had an eight-point lead  with ten minutes remaining after a Ryan Kelly 3-pointer, but mostly the score was close with both teams topping the other with key plays.

There were a couple of times it looked like the Blue Devils might have the Seminoles in on the ropes, most notably with the Kelly 3-pointer or when Andre Dawkins hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give Duke a 67-63 edge with three minutes remaining. However, each time, Florida State found a way to get the ball into the paint to score. After the Dawkins 3-pointer, Xavier Gibson had a dunk and Bernard James scored on a layup on consecutive FSU possessions to tie the score at 67. The Seminoles shot an unacceptable 67%  from the floor after halftime.

Austin Rivers, responding to his benching (followed by attitude adjustment talk from the coaches, the players, and his father), was a focused warrior playing his best game of his young career at Duke. Dawkins (14 pts & 4 rebs)  picked his spots for critical plays and Tyler Thornton (5 pts  & 4 assists ) was solid. I assume Quinn Cook is injured. If it is his knee, that is a blow. He could have been a help on the offensive end against the Seminoles.

Some observations:

·          A win could have given the Blue Devils a clear path to the regular season title and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. With two games against Carolina and a return match with Florida State in Tallahassee, the journey becomes much more difficult. But in the  convoluted scheduling of the expanded ACC, UNC doesn’t play Florida State again but does get UVA twice. So, the clear path to the regular season is with Florida State.

·          At the beginning of the season, the stated team goal was to have more balanced scoring. In the three losses, the front court did not produce the points to achieve that goal. Part of the problem is that other than Quinn Cook, the Duke point guards are not consistent penetrators. Another is than Kelly is better on the perimeter and not strong enough to muscle a big defender, MP2 plays with more finesse than muscle, and MP1 is more muscle than finesse. If Mason stays next year (and this is why he should), he will become a stronger, more complete player ,and more compelling option in the post.

·          Dawkins had his fourth productive game in a row—a sign of a maturing, focused player. Don’t forget, he came to Duke a year early at 17.

Alan Adds:

If anyone would ask me why I love college basketball as much as I do, I would simply re-play for that person a tape of last night’s game.  It was a great college basketball game.  This was not a final four game; not a tournament game with elimination on the line; not a game for the conference championship; not a great rivalry game; not even a really critical game in any aspect.  Yet, it was a special game in which the players dueled with each other, each team making the other rise to the heights.  Duke did not lose the game; so much as Florida State won it.  I thought Duke played better basketball last night than at any time since before the Temple loss.

Florida State is (obviously) a dramatically improved team.  The Seminoles have lost 6 times including to Harvard,  Princeton and Clemson (also to ranked teams – UConn, Michigan State and Florida).  This was their fourth win in a row (Va. Tech, the blowout of UNC, and Maryland).

I believe that Duke will take much from this game.  Duke held its own on the boards, giving up only 4 offensive rebounds, and had only 10 turnovers.  Duke took 13 more shots from the field and for the first time in a while had more assists (13) than turnovers. There were some down aspects, though.  Florida. State scored 50 points in the second half on 66% shooting (5-6 from behind the arc) and 10-14 from the line.  Duke was fairly awful on defense in the second half after an excellent first half defensively.  However, I thought that Florida State offense was really good.  Dawkins got caught on the last play; he did not know if he was going to have to help on the drive (a foul would have also  probably won the game as FSU was in the 2 shot bonus), and so left the three point shooter open from the wing for the win.  The absence of Quinn Cook, who was said to have tweaked his knee in practice before the Wake game, hurt Duke’s offense, especially in the first half when Duke was stymied (31% shooting) by the smothering Florida State defense.

Coach K went with a seven player rotation – Kelly (24 minutes) and Miles (26) and Mason (30) up front, and Thornton (17 minutes) spelling Curry (36), Dawkins (28) and Rivers (38).  Duke had major foul trouble (mostly caused by the Seminoles’ ability to penetrate and get shots close in to the basket).  Mason, Kelly and Dawkins had 4 each while Seth had 3.  The foul trouble for the bigs made the interior defense porous at the end.

I find it hard to be distraught by the loss.  Paterno’s favorite teaching was “Everyone knows what to do with a win; winners know what to do with a loss”.  Coach K has always been a winner.  If Cook isn’t permanently damaged, I see Duke growing from the effort in this game.  Circle February 23 on your calendar.  Duke v Florida State in Tallahassee.

DUKE  74– MARYLAND 61

Maryland students and fans make the Comcast center a tough, often nasty, venue for Duke. Tonight was potentially more so because before tip-off, the court was named for just retired, scrappy Coach Gary Williams. The Terps started on fire as they jumped to an eight point lead and while their defense was geared to stop Duke’s threes. The strategy initially worked, but it left a lot of space down low and gradually Duke adjusted as MP2, Kelly, and MP1 took full advantage to kept the Blue Devils in the game. Maryland cooled off and Mason Plumlee heated up, scoring almost at will with  pretty, soft ambidextrous hook shots and strong dunks.

Although Duke did not close out the half well, they were up three and, after a sloppy start of the final twenty minutes, finished the final ten minutes in workman like fashion. Mason Plumlee had by far his most impressive game as a Blue Devil—23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 5-5 from the free throw line.

The final score is deceiving as several times this game could have gone the other way. Normally, when Duke is missing threes, it is difficult for them to win. While MP2 played like an All American, everyone else settled down, made heady plays (only 9 turnovers), and out fought the Terps for most of the loose balls. Another key was free throws.  Duke was 17-18 and Maryland 11-21. Duke also outrebounded the Terps 33-28, and held them to 40% from the floor while shooting 49% but going 3-16 from beyond the arc.

Some observations:

• Duke has not lost two games in a row since 2009.
• Starter Andre Dawkins was a non-factor and did not play much the second half. On the other hand, non-starter Ryan Kelly, was very efficient with 14 points a two of Duke’s three treys.
• Cook and GMan2 were left home alone as they are sick.
• Bobby Knight was one of the commentators and listening to him you can understand why he is a Hall of Fame coach.
• Austin Rivers most impressive attribute is his mental toughness. He was just plain awful in the first half but in the second, let the game come to him and scored several important baskets.
• As I have commented, I have never understood why MP2 has been such an awful free throw shooter. He is not a brick layer, he has a nice soft touch but inconsistent north south direction, and not enough arc. The last few games, this seems to have changed and he appears more confident.
• I hope I am wrong, but the last several games have left me with the uneasy feeling that this team may be less than the sum of their parts. No one, especially Rivers, is consistent enough to be the player to take over games. Curry and Kelly are very nice players but complementary players—except at the end of a game. Andre is a sometimes thing. Thornton is solid but not creative. Tonight, Mason was “The Man”  but he had an obvious mismatch that doesn’t exist against Carolina, Florida State, etc. However, this game might give him the confidence to really give the Devils a more balanced offense. Defense is still a big question mark.

Alan Adds:

Concerns for the quality of Duke’s perimeter defense have been voiced throughout this season, but the first 10 minutes of the opening half raised the concerns through the roof.  Maryland went through the Duke perimeter defense as if the Dookies were moving in slow motion.  The Duke double teams were sliced and diced.  Once the Maryland guard got past the on the ball defense, their interior passing made it seem as if the Terps scored on every early possession.   Maryland scored 23 points in the first 10 minutes but (and here’s the key) only 38 for the next 30 minutes as Duke’s defense tightened (and Maryland’s hot shooting cooled off) (The Terps scored only 27 points in the second half).

The really good news was the efficient manner in which Duke closed out the game at “winning time”, which for me is the last 5 minutes of regulation.  Duke was behind 47-45 with just under 5 to play, and took control.  Duke got the loose balls, made the hustle plays, shot fouls almost perfectly (Miles had the only miss as the team went 17-18), and most of all controlled both back boards.  Seth and Austin eschewed the outside shot (after a night of spectacular futility) and drove for easy layups.  It was a bravura last 5 minutes.

Maryland’s game plan was to stop Duke’s 3 point shooting and they did (aside from Kelly’s 2-3; Duke was 1-13 for a whopping 7.6% from behind the arc).  But to do it, Maryland elected not to provide any double teams when Duke sent the ball into the post.  Mason handled the post like an All-American.  He was not less than superb, and was the reason Duke won the game.  His stat line was breath taking.  23 points on 13 shots, including 5-5 from the free throw line; 12 boards; 4 assists and a block.  Only 1 turnover.  Kelly had 14 points on 7 shots (5-7 including 2-3 from behind the arc and 2-2 from the line.  The only other double scorer was Austin, who played a game high 38 minutes.  He was 0-3 from behind the arc, but some clutch beautiful drives in the second half (5-9 from inside the arc.  He also had 5 boards and 3 assists with the same number of turnovers).  However, I thought Rivers was Duke’s best perimeter defender.  Read that sentence again!  It may not look like it from the box score, but he is improving.  How Coach K perceives Austin’s play is reflected in the minutes he is on the court.  Mason and Curry played 31 minutes.  Both Thornton and Dawkins (22 minutes) were defensive toast and had no resistance to the Maryland penetration as P’shon Howard and Soglin beat the first defender with ease.  Andre was not only toasted on the defensive end, he was virtually invisible on the offensive end.  In 22 minutes, he made 1 of 6 shots; 5 of them 3s.  His inconsistency is defining him.  Coach K relied heavily on Tyler Thornton, who played 29 minutes and was 5-5 from the foul line down the stretch.  He had 0 turnovers, but committed 4 fouls.  Duke had 14 assists against only 9 turnovers.

Duke’s trademark in the Coach K era has been to make more foul shots than the other team takes.  Not this season.  While Duke made more foul shots than Maryland (17-11), Maryland shot 21 to Duke’s 18, but was dismal from the line (11-21), and missing the front end of 1 and 1s a couple of times.

Duke may not have a go-to guy, as all the commentators have noted, but they do have 8 starters, any one of which can be “the guy” for the night, as Mason was against the Terps.  Dawkins has been “the guy” a couple of times.  So has Curry.  So has Rivers.  So has Kelly.  Cook, one of the 8 (and Gbinije) were ill and did not make the trip to College Park.  Losing one of the 8 for a game is something this Duke team can withstand better than past ones.

Duke has been so inconsistent on defense, that I share Bill’s misgivings about this team.  Offensively, Duke took advantage of Maryland’s lack of size and the inexperience of the Terp bigs.  That is an advantage Duke didn’t have against Fla. State and won’t have against the premier teams.  So much promise; so much inconsistency.

DUKE  83 – ST. JOHNS 76

This game may be the catalyst for the turning point of Duke’s season—or not—because Coach K was not happy: “We did enough to win, which almost makes me sick to say. I hate saying that. I hate saying that we did enough to win. That’s not who I am and that’s not what this program is. Why are we in this position right now?. “Well, I can tell you: by not playing defense, by not finishing. I think a big part of our team is, we just let up. These kids are more offensive players, and they won’t win big unless they become defensive players who can play offense. That’s bottom line. Up at Maryland, we held them to 60. We played really well defensively, and the first half against Florida State. So, we can do it. It’s just not in our nature. It’s just not in our nature to do it.” And when Coach K is not happy, change is sure to follow.

The Blue Devils ended the first half like they were going to blow out the Red Storm – which featured five freshman starters and no player taller than 6-foot-8 – and get some fine-tuning before ACC play fires back up next week.

Instead, a 20-point first-half lead dwindle to as few as four as a St. John’s comeback exposed faults in both the Blue Devils’ defense and, possible, its mental makeup. Duke shot 7 of 23 in the second half and hit just one of its eight attempts from 3-point range. St. John’s freshman Moe Harkless scored 18 of his 30 and D’Angelo Harrison had 15 of his 21 in the second half.

But Duke ended up hitting its final four free throws to preserve the win. It wasn’t the usual script but it was an ugly win–Duke plays poorly but does the little things late to hold on. Lessons learned—or not. The players have had the summer together on their world tour as well as 21 games of the season to learn their lesson. Maybe it is just that these players—good students and good kids but just too nice.

Alan has a very interesting analysis on the defensive problems. However, I will point out again that games are often determined by three point shooting (or defending them) and free throw shooting (where there is no defense, except not fouling). Duke hit 7 threes (vs. 5 for St. John’s) & 32 free throws (vs. 11).  Dawkins hit four NBA range rainbows in the first half but was 0-4 in the second. All of those misses were off by a fraction of an inch, which reminds us—as the 2010 Butler game did—that the difference between success and failure is a very slim margin.

Some observations:

·          Austin Rivers reminds me of a smaller Art Heyman in that he is a scorer not a pure shooter like Andre Dawkins. And like Art (and unlike Andre), he his mentally tough and wants to take over games in critical situations. He has cut down his blind drives into traffic and has much better court vision. Today, he made much better decisions and was rewarded with 5 assists and would have had that many more if Curry and Dawkins had hit open shots. He was at the point for significant portions of the second half. Very late in the game, Rivers got to the basket for two beautiful drives. Then, he reverted to high school form and drove into traffic and turned the ball over. Like the rest of the team, he is a work in process—but an encouraging one as is Mason Plumlee who had 17 rebounds and  15 points.

·          Quinn Cook, on the other hand, is another story.  The freshman point guard has had a tough few weeks, with his knee bothering him in addition to getting sick. The ailments have negated the momentum Cook had earlier in January, when his strong play earned him a spot in the Blue Devils’ starting lineup.

·          After the Duke Chronicle published an article this week detailing how Duke’s students were not using all their tickets to games, the student section seemed full. Asked about the subject after the win, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was more concerned about the lethargy of his team than anything the crowd did or did not do. “I hate to say anything about the crowd,” Krzyzewski said. “It was us this afternoon. We can be better. Everything can be better.”

Alan adds:

I cannot add much beyond what Coach K had to say to the media after Duke gave up 31 points in the last 12 minutes, and turned a 22 point lead into almost a nail biter (it never got to a 1 possession game, but the outcome was definitely in doubt).  Duke had a huge size advantage inside and took advantage, but Duke’s defense is now acknowledged as inferior for big time teams, and the quality that will keep Duke from being a national force this year.  Here’s what Coach K said:

“We did enough to win, which almost makes me sick to say.  I hate saying that.  I hate saying we did enough to win.  That’s not who I am and that’s not who this program is.  We don’t do enough to win.  We play really good basketball and hopefully we win.  And that’s the story.

“We let up and they didn’t.  I want to win by playing great basketball and to me today was a loss.  I didn’t like today.  If my team doesn’t like today, then we’ll get better.  If my team is okay with today then we’re [my team and I] are going to fight.  I’m not going to change on this.”

Coach K compared Duke’s defense to AAU ball, “You run, you score, I run, I score.  Then suddenly, I don’t score and it’s a 9 point game and it’s not an AAU game today.  That’s not the way it works.”

I do think there was a positive and defining moment for Duke in the late game going.  The lead had shrunk to 7 when Austin gave Duke two tremendously clutch baskets with superb drives to the hole.  He looked like Grant Hill or Jason Williams, just taking over the game with superb athleticism.  A good moment for him to build on.  He is hustling on defense, though still having lapses.  He’s better as a defender than Dawkins, Cook and even Seth, and almost as good as Thornton (who is better than ok, but not up to past great Duke on the ball defenders).

On defense, the opposing guards do not seem to get much resistance to their penetration.  The switches leave room for interior passing resulting in easy layups.  The defense is getting good rim protection from the bigs.  Note how many layups the opponents miss.  The announcers say “missed”, but the bigs are altering shots and making layups difficult even when there is no block.  But that is only some of the time; there seem to be many instances where the rotation is late and the layups clean.  The trademark perimeter tactic of help and recover is not anywhere near the Duke defense we have come to expect.  Duke has good defensive moments (Maryland; Fla State first half etc.), but there is NO consistency and Duke is giving up a high percentage of field goals.  St John’s shot 46% (including 50%; 5-10 from 3)  in the second half.  Most of the St John’s three point attempts were wide open after Duke switches.  And, as the score got closer and the time waned, St John’s began to get many offensive rebounds to score and tighten the lead even when they had missed the first or first two shots of the possession.  Duke also began fouling excessively (losing Rivers ultimately, and limiting both Miles and Tyler’s time on the floor).

Coach K played his starting 5 most of the game, with only 10 minutes from Tyler, 9 from Miles, 8 from Quinn (who looked very rusty with his shooting; 0-3 and awful on defense) and 7 from Hairston.  Miles had 8 points but only 1 board a block two steals, three fouls and a turnover in his short stint.  Tyler was limited by 4 fouls in his 10 minutes, but hit a 3 and was 4-4 from the line with 2 boards, but 0 assists and a turnover.  Dawkins had 14 points in 35 minutes, but 12 were in the first half.  Austin again led in minutes played (37 minutes before fouling out) and was 4-11 (1-3 from behind the arc) with 5 assists (would have been more if some recipients of gorgeous passes had been able to finish) and 3 tough defensive rebounds.  Four turnovers and fouling out are weaknesses he is working on.  Seth played 29 minutes (the only starter under 30) with 9 points on 3-7 shooting, but was 1-4 from behind the arc.  The backcourt was torched on defense and mediocre on offense.  Duke once again had more turnovers than assists (15-14)

Duke’s bigs won the game.  Kelly had 16 points in 31 minutes.  His 10-12 from the free throw line was huge as were his 9 boards.  Duke scored 32 from the line (out of 42 attempts; a huge discrepancy).  St John’s was 11-21; so Duke scored 21 more points from the line.  Mason continued his awesome performances (marred only by 5-9 from the free throw line, a slight regression).  He had 15 points on 8 shots to go with his 17 rebounds.  Both Kelly and Mason had 6 offensive boards each.

It’s too bad Feinstein has already used the title “A Season on the Brink”, because it would be apt for this Duke team.  Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Thursday.  I suspect practices will be intense.

Note: This filing meanders a bit but as most of you must realize, Alan and I write this for our own personal enjoyment and amusement. The fact that anyone else may enjoy it is serendipity.

DUKE  75– VIRGINIA TECH 60 

We have seen this movie many times over the years, but it never gets old. Duke loses a game or plays poorly.  The Maestro shakes up the line-up and the Blue Devils play well and win. Tonight, it was Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton for Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry. Ah, but there was a new wrinkle–a team ban on social media (no Twitter) and a bus ride not a charter flight to Blacksburg, which is isolated in the middle of (nowhere) Virginia, a state for which I have great deal of affection because I spent half my life up Rt. 81 in Winchester, a truly magical place.

Everyone contributed but Kelly, who has some of his best games coming off the bench, and Rivers were particularly impressive. Austin had his best and, coincidentally, most efficient game as a Blue Devil (7-11 for 18 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assists, 1 steal and much better defense) by taking less shots and enjoying it more. He also had one of the more ironic quotes of the season: “Everybody’s so unselfish now and it makes everything fun.”

Coach Seth (I was no math major but 3 is more than 2”) Greenberg played everyone straight up but overplayed the guards to cut down the threes, daring MP2 to beat the Hokies one-on-one. Mason had a subpar offensive night(4-10 for 10 pts, 6 rebs, 2 blks & 1 steal) but, more importantly, continued to be much more accurate (2-2) from the foul  line.  Quinn Cook, who  played a solid 12 minutes, apparently had enough of MP2 missing baby hook shots, so just to show Mason how it is done,  drove across the lane and tossed in a patented Magic Johnson sky hook.

Some observations:

·          It could be that Coach K has decided that he needs a defensive stopper like Billy King and since G-Man2 has been sick, had Josh Hairston audition. Or, he may be looking for a match-up for Harrison Barnes when Duke plays Carolina next week. Whatever the case, Josh made a case for more minutes and Kelly was very effective at the right times.

·          There were a couple of plays that demonstrated that the players got the “defensive effort” message: Rivers steal on a back door play; Hairston on the floor for loose balls; but the most impressive was  Mason Plumlee’s spectacular block foiling a fast break. Plumlee sprinted from one end of the floor to another, outrunning just about everyone, including all the guards. It was a spectacular play, and an inspirational template for the rest of the team.

·           Duke’s run early in the first half came after the usually placid Dawkins made a 3-pointer, then said something to Virginia Tech’s Dorenzo Hudson as he ran up the court and was called for a technical. Minutes before that,  the Hokies were unhappy and chippy with Duke after a foul, so the referees gathered the players together and warned them about physical play and trash talk.

·          Virginia Tech suffered its most lopsided defeat of the season.

·          Max McCaffrey, the son of former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, committed to play football for Duke. His mother Lisa, a daughter of Dave Sime, the great Duke world champion sprinter, baseball player, and post graduate football player as “lonesome end” (while in medical school), attended Stanford (where she met Ed), on a soccer scholarship. Dave, who was on a 1956 Sports Illustrated cover, was arguably the best athlete (certainly, along with Dick Groat ad Ace Parker, the  most versatile) in Duke’s history. Of course, Ed’s brother was Billy McCaffrey who played an instrumental role on the 1991 NCAA Championship team before transferring to Vanderbilt.

Alan comments: Here’s a bit to follow up on your Dave Sime reference.  Sime came to Duke on a baseball scholarship.  In his freshman year, they took the baseball players to the track to work on speed.  They ran test 100s (yards then; not meters).  Sime ran 9.5 in sweats and baseball cleats (world record then was 9.3); when asked, he did it again. He was in the big time almost immediately, winning the DC indoor 60 in his first meet as a sophomore.  He ran track at Duke in the spring all but one year.  His sophomore year in one meet, he ran 9.3 for the 100 (tied world record); ran 20 flat for the 220 (yards again; run on a straightaway, not curve), and tied the world record in the 220 low hurdles.[Bill notes: I was there. It was a dual meet. A lot of people had come to see if Dave could break the world’s record in the 100. He didn’t and they left. Duke needed points to win the meet and Coach Al Buehler asked Dave to run the 220 low hurdles, which he never practiced. He did, clearing them by about almost a foot and a still breaking the record.] He also won the long jump.  Finally, Duke needed points to win the dual meet (against Navy, I think).  So he took a turn at the discus because Larry Spear, his roommate was Duke’s only discus thrower.  He won the event the only time he threw in competition.  His senior year, he was the ACC javelin champion.  He was the fastest sprinter in the world, but tore a groin muscle just before the ’56 trials.  He never hurdled or long jumped again, but he beat the 56 Olympic champion in several head to head races (Penn Relays was one) the next year.  In 1960, he was in medical school.  He made the US Olympic team in the 100 (meters) and ran on the 4 x 100 relay team.  He won the silver, just being nipped by the lightening starter Armin Hary of Germany.  He told me once (we had girlfriends in the same dorm, and occasionally chatted waiting for them) that he was in lane 1 and Hary in the far lane and he didn’t really see Hary.  He said he would have won if he had been next to him.  In the relay, Sime, anchoring, stormed from behind to catch the Germans and seemingly finally get his gold medal.  Great run, but US was DQed for passing out of the zone on the second leg.  The one year he played baseball for Duke, he was a switch hitting center fielder.  He led the ACC in home runs, RBIs and was considered a real prospect. Years later, I was friends with Bill Lee (Spaceman, the Red Sox screwball leftie; actually a terrific guy – screwball was his public persona), who had to decide if the contract said what had been agreed to on the last night he could file for free agency.  He asked me to meet with Larry McPhail, the GM of the Expos (Bill had been traded to Montreal), and review the contract.  I ran my workout in central park first, and showed up at McPhail’s room in his hotel overlooking the park sweating in my running gear.  McPhail wanted to make me welcome and so started talking about running.  It seems he had been scouting this hot shot prospect who was also a sprinter, Dave Sime, who was a left fielder.  “No sir. He was a centerfielder.”  McPhail “I think he
was a left hand hitter.”  “No sir. He was a switch hitter.”  I got respect.  I never said I went to Duke or knew Sime.  McPhail treated me with respect.  Good and true story. [Bill adds: As a freshman, I had a brief career running track. One of the first days of practice, Coach Buehler had the sprinters warm up by running striders with “Dave”, a tall, red headed sophomore. He said: “Jog, half sped, three quarter speed”.  I was running as fast as I could, so I knew my days as a sprinter were numbered. Of course, the sophomore turned out to be The Dave Sime, so later I didn’t feel quite as bad.]

Alan adds:

Bill’s report is on target.  He immediately focused correctly on the twitter ban. The team agreeing on the social media ban (Let’s do something this season that will give us a reason to tweet after it) is, I think more meaningful than superficial.  It all starts with attitude and passion.  Coach K said that if his team was as unhappy as he was with the St. John’s win, the team would be alright.  They came out as if they heard their Hall of Fame coach loud and clear.  It was easily Duke’s best defensive performance of the year.  Not perfect.  There were some late rotations and missed assignments, but on balance it was a hummer of a defense.  Duke stopped, by and large, perimeter penetration better than the defense has all year.  Credit Thornton and Hairston for sure, but Duke’s best defender last night was Austin Rivers.  Austin is slowly (maybe not so slowly) morphing into a wonderfully solid all-around basketball player.  His stat line last night, as Bill pointed out, was quite amazing, especially since it seems he wasn’t trying to do so much.  In 35 minutes (by far the most of any Duke player) he was 7-11 (3-4 from downtown) with 5 boards, 5 assists and a steal.  He turned it over only twice.  Here’s an amazing stat for me, especially considering minutes played and superb defensive effort: 0 personal fouls.  No mouth (Dawkins could learn); no pouting, no bitching at the refs.  Just encouraging teammates.  Watching Rivers develop, gives one the warm and fuzzies for great coaching (I suspect that includes great parenting) and a kid who said he came to Duke to be coached.  He’s coachable.

I like to see who plays how many minutes and who is taking shots.  I think those stats get you a bit inside of Coach K’s perceptions. I thought those facts were interesting last night.  Shot attempts: Austin 11, Ryan and Mason 10 each.  Hairston took 6 shots in only 15 minutes (he’s not shy), Miles took 5 in only 9 minutes;  I think he had a bunch of missed offensive rebounds.  Curry is still in his shooting slump (2-7; 1-4 from behind the arc), but he is driving the ball and getting to the foul line (6-6).  Duke was money from the line, except for both Hairston and Cook missing the front end of 1 and 1s.  Kelly (3-4) had the only other miss as Duke went 13-16.  Tyler played 28 minutes and Quinn Cook 12.  I think that means the experiment of Curry (23 minutes) at the point is at least on hold, if not over.  After Rivers, Mason (his left hand jump hooks contributed to 4-10 shooting) played 29 minutes and Kelly (playing at the end with 4 fouls) played 28.  He was efficient, scoring his 15 points on 10 shots and defending well.

Outside of Rivers, the backcourt is a pastiche of differing parts.  Thornton took only 1 shot in 28 minutes and had only 1 assist and a turnover.

The good news is he didn’t foul unnecessarily (2).  Dawkins continues to be a defensive liability.  He played 23 minutes and took only 3 shots (making 2; one was a 3).  What is the story with that?  Maybe his 3 fouls (I think all in the first half).  Duke put Va Tech in the bonus early in the first half, but was better in the closing stanza.  Which brings me to Quinn Cook (who, as you know, I have been high on all year).  Cook had his best game so far.  He is a good outside shooter (or was last year in high school), but his shot is not falling.  I predict it will and he will be a star at Duke (though maybe not this year).  In his 12 minutes he had 3 assists (only Austin had more for Duke), and they were beautiful.  As my insight about Zoubek last year, extrapolate Cook’s playing time and his assist statistic becomes impressive. The team is so much more fluid when he runs the point.  He missed both of his 3 point attempts (Austin looks for him because they played together in all-star games last year when Cook was shooting well), but made a wonderful driving layup and the mini hook.  [Btw. Len Elmore’s comments – the hook shot reminded me – are so anti-Duke as to be genuinely annoying]

Other good team notes: 12 assists and only 7 turnovers.  Dawkins (1-1) Austin (4-6) and Kelly (2-4) gave Duke 7-11 from downtown.  However, Curry, Cook and Tyler were 1-7.  Still, I think all 3 are good shooter, though I have no idea why Curry’s outside shot has gone south.

All in all, it was a terrific performance and very much fun to watch.  The question is: was this just a reaction to Coach K’s emotional post-St. John’s tirade, or has the team ramped up its intensity for the season.   Time will tell, beginning with Miami on Super Bowl Sunday.  And I think they also play some team that wears (as Bill likes to say) the pastels (aka  washed out blues) next Wednesday.

DUKE  76 – MIAMI 78

Down 42-28 at the half, this game looked like the Miami varsity versus the Duke junior varsity. Miami ran past, over, under, around, and through Duke, making them appear to be a mediocre defensive team that can be out-quicked, out-muscle and a finesse, jump shooting team that must out score a strong opponent from beyond the arc and at the line. The second half didn’t start much better as Duke fell 16 points behind. Then, Duke pressed and trapped all over the floor as Curry and Cook re-ignited the defense and the offense to fuel a Duke  a run that culminated in putting Rivers, who was about all the offense in the first half,  on the line down one with 14 seconds to go. He only made one but Duke had an impressive defensive effort to deny Miami a shot as the game ended in a tie. All the momentum was with the Blue Devils so the game was there for the taking in the next five minutes. Duke had an opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In the overtime, the Blue Devils inexplicably snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as Rivers, Cook, and even, Curry (89% for the year) went 0-6 from the charity stripe (which wasn’t so charitable). Still down only one with 20 seconds left in the overtime, Cook drove and threw up a freshman  shot/pass that hit nothing. Coach Collins was seen asking the question for all of us “Why?” We can only think he thought he was fouled. My question is, why was the ball in the hands of the least experienced player with two timeouts and the game on the line?

In his press conference, Krzyzewski said you can’t cheat the game. “We had no energy and they did. For the last 16 minutes of the game, I thought we played really well and gave ourselves a chance to win. But we couldn’t close the deal. They’ve been told not to take anything for granted. Someday, they’ll pay attention. They should listen and they should do. They didn’t. (Do you get the feeling that Coach K is frustrated with his team?) Good teams should play with energy for 40 minutes.” A Duke team should play with energy for 40 minutes – or 45,” Krzyzewski continued. “Go outside and look at the banners. They’re quite a few of them up there. They were not won without energy, without hunger, with … complacency, with(out) people really wanting it.”

Some observations:

·          For whatever reason, Cameron is not the same feared place this year. Starting with Belmont, every good team has played well. Maybe it’s the students, maybe it’s the players, maybe the opponents  are more seasoned. Whatever the reason(s), Cameron and the Crazies are no longer worth 10 points.  Coach K: “The place doesn’t have energy. We don’t, the place doesn’t. We had none, I’m not blaming anyone else. It’s us. We should have energy even if the place is empty. It’s that important.”

·          The blunt truth is that this team is not playing as well as they did in Hawaii and other teams are. Anyone watch Kansas-Missouri last night? Plenty of energy there.

·          Miami is, as usual, talented and physical but still an inconsistent team. However, with new Head Coach Jim Larranaga, (formerly of the NCAA Final Four Cinderella team George Mason) that will change. But, for sure, they are no Ohio State.

·          Reggie Johnson, all 6’ 10” 290 pounds of him is a load with soft hands  and  plays his best against Duke. However, this season he has not scored 20 points in a game– until today. So, Mason Plumlee has to ask himself if he is ready to play in the NBA or does he need another year to get stronger and more polished?

·          Duke’s offensive set for most of the first half was Rivers with the ball on the left wing and the center flashing to a high post establishing a 45 degree pick lane for Austin. Once in the lane, Austin drove to the basket or passed to an open man. It was very effective but the open man was not hitting his shot. I think we will see more of this set and was surprised we did not see it at the end of the game.

·          Dawkins was MIA again and did not play in the seconds half.

·          Until today, Miami had never won in Cameron.

·          Duke has now lost two home games to ACC opponents.

·          Eli, Peyton and Coach Cut. “I never stray too far from what Coach Cutcliffe taught me,” Eli said last week preparing for Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots. David Cutcliffe was the offensive coordinator when Peyton was at the University of Tennessee and then became the coach at Mississippi when Eli played there. Both Mannings have been known to visit Cutcliffe, now coaching at Duke, from time to time, even as pros. Eli went to North Carolina for three days last June during the N.F.L. lockout. Cutcliffe had been examining video of Manning’s fundamentals during his interception-plagued 2010 season. The visit focused on retooling Eli’s footwork, agility, body mechanics and field vision.

Alan adds:

I was on the road and didn’t pick up the game until the final four minutes of regulation with Duke trailing by 4 and then 5 points.  Quinn Cook was the point guard for the entire period that I watched (Thornton, who only played 10 minutes, Dawkins 14 and Hairston 13 did not appear in the game while I watched).  Duke played some excellent defense and up until Cook missed 2 free throws and took that hellacious shot late in the overtime, he looked very good and made the Duke offense seem smooth.  He had 4 assists, but still can’t find his outside shot (0-3 from behind the arc).  Take away the amazing  (not too strong a word) string of missed free throws in the overtime, and this is a well-earned Duke win.  Both Curry and Rivers missed from the field in overtime, but took good shots.  Austin played 43 minutes, and Curry 39, which leads to a suspicion that the overtime misses could have been fatigue induced.  Both put out much energy on the defensive end as well to fuel Duke’s comeback.

While Mason had 13 rebounds, he had only 6 points to go with 4 turnovers and 4 fouls.  Defensively Duke simply had no answers for Reggie Johnson’s interior scoring and his and Katdji’s inside play (collectively 42 points and 20 rebounds.  Austin was Duke’s second leading rebounder with 9.  Miles had 2 points and 4 boards in 22 minutes. Kelly had only 8 points and 7 boards in 26 minutes.  In short, Duke was manhandled inside, in a way that creates apprehension for dealing with Henson, Zeller and Barnes on Wednesday night.

Finally, Duke was 9-31 from behind the arc.  There simply isn’t a lot good to say about Duke’s performance.  It was a bit bitter after the optimism induced by the superior performance against an inferior Virginia Tech team.  This Duke team will test Coach K’s genius.

DUKE 85 – CAROLINA 84

This game was yet another reminder why Duke – Carolina is the best rivalry in college basketball—maybe in all of sports. In your wildest dreams, you just can’t imagine some of the fantastic, incredible finishes. And this game will be remembered as one of the best in the 233 games played. At the end of the first half, Duke had played about as well as they could offensively and were still down 43-40. The Blue Devils were never ahead in the second half—even when the clock showed :00. But Austin Rivers long three pointer was already in the air and found nothing but net changing the final score  to “Duke 85– Carolina 84”, turning the raucous, pastel colored crowd into one of stunned, disbelieving silence—until March 3^rd when these two teams play again in Cameron.

You would think that any team that hits 13 more threes than an opponent and holds them to under 50% from the floor would win. However, down double digits for most of the second half, outscored  42-12 in the paint, and getting killed on the boards the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, there didn’t seem to be much hope for the Blue Devils. But with these two teams, history tells us “it’s never over until it’s over”. Zeller (23 pts. & 11 rebs.) is a wonderfully dependable player who played another stellar game until the last two minutes. Then, he inadvertently tipped in Kelly’s three point attempt at the rim (for some  reason, it only counted 2 points), then missed the second of two free throws to give Duke the ball down two with 14 seconds to go. The rest will be burned into the memories of everyone who saw THE SHOT! And if you should forget it, you will see it played for years to come promoting an upcoming game.

I recently told my Carolina buddy Bucky that UNC was so talented that I didn’t think any Duke player could start for them (well, after tonight, Rivers).  However, Duke has Coach K, who somehow instills a “never, ever give-up” attitude to his teams. Sure, this team has been an atypical, enigmatic puzzle, as the loss Saturday at home to Miami proved. Tonight, when the Blue Devils were down ten with 2:30 to go, raise your hand if you thought the Blue Devils would win. Even some of the sports writers, who should know better, had left courtside to go to the media room to file their stories. Well, tonight a 13-2 run snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Whatever Austin Rivers does the rest of his career at Duke, he will always be remembered for this game and this shot.

Some observations:

·          Coach Williams was gracious in defeat: “This one hurts. The kids really played and competed and did some very good things. Duke is awfully good, and I think we are awfully good. Tonight, I think at the same point, it was two great basketball programs, two big-time teams, and they made more plays the last three minutes than we did.”

·          We all know that Krzyzewski is the winningest college basketball coach in history with 919 wins. Williams is one win away from tying the legendary UCLA great John Wooden for 23rd place on the all-time Division I coaching victories list.

·          Before tonight, the series between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils is so close that the combined scores of the last 75 games between them have been decided by just one point. Duke leads the Tar Heels over that span, 5,858-5,857. Krzyzewski is 36-36 all-time against UNC. Williams is 8-9 against Duke. The average halftime lead over the past four games has been a lopsided 16.8 points.

·          UNC leads the all-time series against Duke 131-102, but has lost 5 of the last 6. The Tar Heels are just 15-12 at the Smith Center against the Blue Devils and have won only 5 of the last 14 meetings there. Amazingly, when the first meeting of the season is played in Chapel Hill – as it is Wednesday, UNC is 0-5 during the Roy Williams era. The last time it beat Duke at home in their first meeting of a season was on Feb. 5, 1998.

·          Duke has not lost back-to-back games since February 2009. The Blue Devils are 14-0 following a loss during that span with an average margin of victory of 14.6 points. They have won 10 of those 14 games by double-digit margins. Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team is 4-2 in its last five games against UNC in which it lost its previous game.

·          Tonight’s game is the 132^nd consecutive game between UNC and Duke in which at least one team has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Tar Heels are No. 5 this week. The Blue Devils dropped to No. 10 after Sunday’s loss to Miami. The last time the rivals met when neither was ranked was Feb. 27, 1960. The coaches at the time of that game were Frank McGuire for the Tar Heels and Vic Bubas for the Blue Devils.

·          Between them, Duke and UNC have accounted for 36 of the ACC’s 58 tournament championships (19 by the Blue Devils, 17 by the Tar Heels) and rank No. 1 and 2 in ACC regular-season wins, ACC tournament wins and NCAA tournament wins among league teams. At least one of the teams has been to the Final Four in 22 of the last 31 seasons and have combined to win eight national championships (four by each school) during that span. Since the ACC expanded to its current 16-game schedule in 1991-92, either UNC and Duke have finished 1-2 in the standings 13 times

ANATOMY OF AN IMPROBABLE WIN

One of the reasons Alan and I take the time to write Duke Basketball Playbook is to attempt to analyze and understand the reasons Duke wins or  losses. In the last few days, we have seen two very exciting finishes in professional football and college basketball. In both instances, plays leading up to the sensational finish are just as important as the long, sensational pass completion or the final winning shot. As Bob Knight said, ‘The object of a coaching is to put your team in a position to be in a position to win”.

In both games two admirable, dependable, productive players, Wes Welker and Tyler Zeller without whom their team would have not been in a position to win, are blamed a for causing for the loss. It is more complicated than that. Any number of plays at various times during the game can be just as important, if not as obvious, in contributing to the loss. Some things are inexplicable, some just are not meant to be. It is the unexpected, the improbable that keep us watching sporting events.

Let’s review the final 2:38 minutes of the Duke-Carolina game.

2:38   Harrison Barnes drives, dips left shoulder into Curry, who is in good defensive position, to create space (offensive foul?) then pulls up for a short  jumper. UNC 82, Duke 72.

2:09   Three point shot attempt by Ryan Kelly. (Air ball? blocked shot? foul?) Despite Henson’s lobbying, referee rules John partially blocked shot, which went out of bounds under basket. In bound to Tyler Thornton at top a key, dribbles to the right wing, fakes a pass into Kelly, and drains a three (that starts the run). UNC 82, Duke 75

1:59   North Carolina Coach Williams calls a timeout to steady his team.

1:52   Mason Plumlee steals the ball from Marshall on right side line, races down the court, passes to Thornton, who redirects past Kelly (who nearly tips ball) to a sprinting Curry.  Seth catches, takes extra step(s), and drains a three right in front of Coach K.  The crowd howls in protest of a no call. UNC 82, Duke 78

1:23   Barnes attacks the basket into traffic, crashes into a well-positioned Kelly in the lane. Offensive charge. UNC 82, Duke 78

1:10   Kelly misses a three from the left corner, beats Bullock to the rebound, calmly pump fakes, hits a jumper from the baseline. UNC 82, Duke 80

:44    Marshall gives a pressing Thornton (whom he played against in high school) a forearm get-off- me swat (no call) to create room to receive the inbound pass. Half court set, pass into Zeller. Mason Plumlee is called for a touch foul as Zeller is backing him down into the paint. Zeller misses the first, makes the second. UNC 83, Duke 80

:20   Timeout Duke. (Krzyzewski didn’t call a timeout at the end of the game against Miami on Sunday when Duke had the ball down two. Freshman point guard Quinn Cook ended with the ball and forced a bad shot.  Duke lost  in overtime.)

:15    Kelly three point attempt.  Zeller accidentally tips the ball near/on rim into the basket. Goal tending three?  The referees confer, rule shot did not have a chance to go in. Two points. UNC 83, Duke 82

:14    Zeller immediately fouled by Thornton, makes the first and misses the second. UNC 84, Duke 82

:14    MP2 rebounds,  Rivers demands ball, dribbles a couple of paces from the Duke bench with Bullock guarding him. Option one, Dawkins can’t get open, so Rivers dribbles to his right, gets high pick from Mason, forcing Zeller to switch.

:o2   Rivers dribbles to right, Zeller in good position with hands held wide to cut off lane and for good balance. Rivers patented forward jab step freezes Zeller, then steps back as Curry is yelling “Go, Go”, rises and shoots over Zeller. Game clock hits :00 just before the three pointer splashes through the net. Duke 85, UNC 84.  An instant Classic.

What to make of this result? Luck, destiny, players in the “zone”,  just a random result– or something else. After the game, Doc Rivers said: “This was a mental toughness game.” Most commentators opined that Carolina out-played Duke and should have won. Another perspective is that a close basketball game consists of forty minutes of runs, responding to runs, and changes in momentum. Duke won the first seventeen and a half minutes, Carolina the next twenty, and Duke the final two and a half minutes. So, a one point game was an appropriate outcome. Was it just the luck of the draw that Duke had the momentum in the final few minutes or is it that the  Duke players may not be as talented as Carolina’s but may be mentally tougher.

You make the call. Next game. Next play.

Alan adds:

I actually think that Bill’s valuable insights apply as much to life as to sport.  Duke’s win (and the Giants over the Pats) was about persevence and hanging in through adversity.  Personelwise, UNC is better (in my opinion), but that is only one factor.  Bill’s point that the first 17 minutes, which belonged to Duke, is underappreciated when the game is analyzed.  Those were critical moments in tone and confidence, which can be, and were, drawn on when things deteriorated.

Today’s game is, in my opinion, a critical game for Duke.  Inconsistency has been the hallmark of this team so far.  It is the biggest challenge to Duke’s improvement and tournament success.  A stinker against St John’s; an intense success against Virginia Tech; a stinker against Miami; and a gutty gratifying performance against Carolina.  [I know that’s not a complete sentence, but if you know the rule, you can break it; I learned that at Duke.]  Today’s game is another classic trap after the huge expenditure of emotion and success against Carolina.  I hope Austin stays Austin and doesn’t think he has morphed into Jeremy Lin.  Today’s game is an important opportunity for Duke to grow into a consistent team.

DUKE  73– MARYLAND  55 

When a sluggish Duke fell behind 10-3 in the early minutes, this indeed appeared to be a “Hangover Game”- that’s the game after an emotionally draining effort and, hopefully, not also the product of what many students felt the morning after the incredible win at Chapel Hill. In any event, when you are on a roll good things happen. In this case, Ryan Kelly, a key in the win against Carolina was in foul trouble early and often. His minutes went to Miles Plumlee, who had the game we all have been waiting for– 22 rebounds, 13 points, 2 steals, 1 block. The game was tighter than the final score; however, the Blue Devils got stronger and more efficient as the game progressed and closed out the Terps in impressive fashion with a 13-2 run.

In a post-game interview, Miles Plumlee channeled Coach K: “We played with energy, we played hard and when we do that, we’re going to play hard on offense and defense. It showed up in the little things. We got loose balls, offensive boards and we just put the game away.” Brother Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first time both Plumlee brothers had double-doubles in the same game during their three seasons together at Duke. Their 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team. Duke’s aggressive, trapping defense held Maryland to 37% from the floor and Terrell Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer to  13 points, 9 below his average.

An insight the thoroughness of the Duke approach to game prep, consider this:  To help Duke orient itself after its euphoric win Wednesday against No. 5 North Carolina, the Blue Devils’ coaches showed the team two videos before practice Thursday. The first were highlights from the 1991 Final Four, when Duke stunned the college basketball world by upsetting number one seed, undefeated UNLV in the NCAA semifinals. Two days later, the Blue Devils were focused enough to beat Kansas and win the national championship. The second video was Duke’s 2010 home matchup against Maryland, which also followed winning at Chapel Hill.  It was a career changer for Brian Zoubek, who punished Maryland with a 16-point, 17-rebound effort. Over the next six weeks, Zoubek, a senior, went from being something of an afterthought to an integral part of a Blue Devils team that went on to win the NCAA title. Hmmm, interesting. Can lightning strike twice?

The most interesting development was that Austin Rivers was the only player to player 40 minutes but only took 9 shots for 11 points, 4 assists, and played very effective defense. At the end of the game, he was content  let Seth Curry, who had a hot hand run the delayed offense. That is a sign of maturity. Krzyzewski told Rivers he had contributed outstanding defense and rebounding.

Some observations:

·          Duke wore a specially designed Nike Elite Platinum uniforms—jerseys (made from recycled polyester and are the lightest in the country, weighing five percent less than the standard Nike Hyper Elite jerseys), shorts, and shoes designed for the nine teams that have won NCAA Championships while wearing Nike gear. While not as bad as the Maryland’s Under Armour football uniforms, I thought I was watching a Georgetown game—same washed out grey but indecipherable lettering. Hopefully, it is a one and done Nike promotional event.

·          Mason and Miles combined for 32 of Duke’s season-high 48 rebounds, nearly outrebounding Maryland by themselves. Miles set a career high with 22 boards which is the second highest single-game total in the NCAA this season, the ninth most rebounds in Duke history and the most in the Coach K era.

·          While Duke’s defense has been suspect, consider these stats: Duke held Maryland to 1-of-14 shooting from the three-point line. The Blue Devils have held their last two opponents to one three-pointer apiece and five teams to two three-pointers or less. ACC opponents are shooting just .271 against Duke from three-point range which is the ACC’s lowest percentage in conference play.

·          Duke improved its all-time record against Maryland to 112-61 in a series that dates back to 1926. The Blue Devils have won 5 straight in the series and 11 of the last 12. Duke is 53-21 against the Terrapins under Coach K.

Alan adds:

After what seemed like a continuation of this season’s Cameron Blues (Duke’s only win in the last 3 home games was the St. John’s game, which produced Coach K’s post game emotional outburst – “I count it as a loss”), against an inferior team devestated by the season ending loss of its gifted point guard, Duke morphed back into a team with the will and skill to close out the game efficiently.  The 13-2 closing run was impressive, and padded Duke’s stat line.

The Plumlees simply dominated the inside.  Maryland coach Trugeon said “Their big guys kicked our big guys’ butts.”  It was a premier performance and the first time Miles and Mason had double doubles.  Miles had what is surely his best game ever at Duke (in 28 minutes he had 13 points — 6-10  from the floor — 22 rebounds including 9 offensive, 2 steals, a block against only 1 turnover and committing only 1 foul.  Wow!  Mason and Kelly were both good, though Kelly was limited by foul trouble (4).

I thought the big Duke story and positive was the return to early season form of Seth Curry.  He played 11 minutes of point guard and had a gaudy stat line all around. In 34 minutes he was 7-15 (3-6 from downtown) with 3 assists and only 1 turnover.  He also had 2 steals, played good defense and committed only 2 fouls.  Welcome back, Seth.

Austin played a steady game.  You can tell he’s valued by Coach K because he played all 40 minutes, was 3-6 from downtown with 4 assists against only 2 turnovers.  He was however 2-6 from the foul line and 0-3 inside the arc.  Still he is the glue and, perhaps, the leader.

The Duke rotation was six , with short help from Andre (4 fouls in his 15 minutes tells you about his defense; 1-4 from the field) and only 8 minutes from Quinn, who missed all 3 shots, but had 2 boards and an assist.  Tyler played an efficient 21 minutes (though limited by foul trouble; he had 4) with no turnovers and 2 assists.  Duke had 11 assists against only 9 turnovers.

All in all, a good performance.  The next game against NC State (7-3 in the ACC; only a game behind the 3 leaders tied for first) will be illuminating.

DUKE 78 – NORTH CAROLINA STATE  73 

Are you kidding me! For the second time in a week, Duke, down 20 points with 11:33 to play, makes another improbable–no, miraculous– comeback to defeat historic rival North Carolina State by 5. As my friend Gary said after the Carolina win, “You Duke guys must have strong hearts.” Yes Gary, in more ways than one. I’m at a loss to explain this win. I’ll just say that this is Duke Basketball, sometimes it is inexplicable, and this is why we love it! What an opponent said about Bear Bryant holds true for Coach K: “He can take can take his’n’ and beat you’rn’, and he can take you’rn’ and beat his’n’.”

For the third time this year, a bigger, stronger, more athletic, more intimidating team came into Cameron and literally and figuratively punched Duke in the nose and knocked them all over the floor. It got so bad that Coach K was holding his head in his hands as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Unlike the other games, it sure looked like this one wouldn’t even be close–and it wasn’t for almost thirty minutes. In some ways, this was more impressive than the Carolina win in that it was a marathon rally rather than a sprint. The Cameron Crazies, who have been criticized this year, deserve a game ball for never giving  up on their team.

How at times can Duke look so bad? The Blue Devils are a guard oriented, three point shooting team. When the shots are not falling, as they weren’t in the first half (2-14), there are often long rebounds and easy transition points– State had 15  in the first half, Duke 0. That was almost the margin. When this happens, the game seems easy and the Blue Devils appear over rated. State just killed Duke on the boards. It looked like boys versus men. However, the three point shot is a lethal, heart breaking, game changing weapon. In the second half, Curry (26 pts) and Rivers (16 pts) started attacking the basket and key Wolfpack players got in foul trouble. Also, when Duke got down by 20, like the Carolina game, they pressed and trapped all over the floor, the Crazies jumped up and down on the bleacher seats, the noise was deafening, and State had trouble handling the pressure.

Coach K said: “That was an amazing win.  It was really one of the more amazing games that I’ve been a part of.  I thought our fans were terrific…they never let us die… it was one of those games in Cameron where the fans and the players were one, and a huge part of the basketball game. We’re not a perfect team, but we’re a good team.  And we’re a team that has always fought and not obsessed about inconsistencies and struggles and all of that. We are 22-4 and we’ve been in the top five of the RPI all year. We have some kids that really fight off and have given us some incredible wins so far this year.”

Some observations:

·          While this was N.C. State’s 14th straight loss at Cameron, first-year coach Mark Gottfried has made a terrific difference with essentially the same players as last year. This team can play with anyone. I hope we don’t get them again this year, because they are very good and will be mad as hell. I was impressed with Coach Gottfried’s strategy of  defending the three. State’s forwards  “show,” or double, on the high-ball screens Duke likes to use to free its 3-point shooters. At Chapel Hill last week, the  Tar Heel defenders typically went under the screen, leaving the shooters more open and Duke made 14  three pointers. Tonight, Duke missed its first nine threes, which contributed to the large first half deficit.

·          Curry injured his ankle the early minutes of the first half,  but came back to lead the rally with 21 second half points. Give a game ball to Seth and the trainers.

·          Dawkins provided an emotional lift, grabbing four rebounds in traffic, going on the floor for loose balls and playing a physical defense that hasn’t always come naturally to him. Krzyzewski added “hopefully that shows him he can do more than just be a shooter.”

·           Austin Rivers called Duke’s 78-73 win over North Carolina State a “weird win, a bad win but it’s a great win at the same time.”

·          We occasionally  receive comments about DBP. A recent one from a good friend and former business associate reads: “I read your  Duke Basketball Playbook with pleasure and amazement at the depth of analysis, which teeters brilliantly on the edge of mental illness.  You might consider a Harvard shout-out to your readers now that Tommy Amaker has put them on the map and his protégé Jeremy Lin is lighting up Madison Square Garden and the NBA.  Old hat for a Blue Devil, maybe, but big news for a Crimson (whatever that is – I still don’t know and I was the sports editor).

For an Ivy Leaguer, Tom makes a cogent sports point. The Jeremy Lin story is one that if you made it up, no one would believe.  Star at Harvard, undrafted, cut from two teams (once on Christmas Eve), bounced around the NBA Development League, sleeping on his brother’s sofa, about to be cut from the Knicks until Carmelo Anthony is injured and Amar’e Stoudemire’s brother dies in a car crash. Then, because the team is short of players, Coach Mike D’Antoni’ is forced to play him and he makes more winning plays in a  week than most NBA player make in their career. Consider this: In a first five starts, Lin, only the second Harvard graduate ever to play in the NBA, has produced more points (136) than anyone since the ABA-NBA merger. However, Linsanity (aka Lin Mania) is about more than that, because it not only is a sports story, it is a political story, and a religious story of a player with an anti-NBA attitude. The obvious comparison is with Tim Tebow but unlike Tim, Jeremy, who is a devout Christian, does not wear it on his sleeve– or more accurately, on his eye black. However this story plays out, it is a welcome relief from the discouraging 24/7 political mendacity dominating the news.

Alan adds:

I followed the game on ESPN game cast, but the game was on in New York on tape delay, by an hour.  So, I knew early in the second half that Duke had won, which made watching the game a completely different (quite pleasant, but without the fingernail biting that makes the experience so riveting and emotional).  Hindsight gives a boost to analysis.

The game changed when Leslie picked up his fourth foul with a shade under 15 minutes left and Duke trailing by 16.  It didn’t seem so at the time., but it changed State’s defensive dominance inside and on the boards.  Howell picked up his fourth with 10:23 to go and the wheels came off for State.  No more shot blocking, and Duke began to drive to the bucket and shred State’s defense.

The Duke backcourt was Curry, Austin and a rejuvenated Andre Dawkins.  Dawkins defended and rebounded, playing 27 minutes– about the same as Cook (9) and Thornton (18) combined.  Coach K said maybe this performance will teach him he is more than a shooter.  He was tough.  Curry was the point guard for 13 minutes, and he was phenomenal (maybe not Jeremy Lin; but just as inspirational).  He played 31 minutes without a turnover.  Duke only had 5 turnovers in the game (11 assists: Curry 2, Austin 2, Tyler 3).  Curry had some terrific stat line: 9-18 (3-8 from behind the arc) and 5-5 from the line.  All in all, it was a wonderful win.  Austin said it was a bad game, great win, and we have to stop doing this.

Duke has 5 games left in the regular season: BC (next in Chestnut Hill), Va Tech and Wake — all at the bottom of the ACC — and two huge games against Florida State in Tallahassee (February 23; might be worth watching) and a rematch against the Washed Out Blues in Cameron (Senior night for Miles).  It is still a season on the brink, but Coach K made the point:  22-4, top 5 RPI all year; not a great team, but a very good one.  Let’s see, when was the last time he said that about his team at this point in the season?  (Hint: Heywood’s shot missed and they cut down the nets in Indianapolis.)

MORE JEREMY LIN ( Hint, Alan lives in New York): Linsanity is beyond the ability to describe.  On February 3, nobody had really heard of him.  Two weeks later, the NY Times today tells the story.  The Knicks didn’t play last night; so nothing newsworthy.  David Brooks has a Jeremy piece on the Op Ed page about sports and religion (Lin is the centerpiece).  A second op-ed piece is about Lin as breaking the stereotype of Asian athletes (by Grace Jen).  The sports page is all Lin.  Landry Fields and Lin (friends since Lin was in high school, who has flourished recently); Lin’s impact on Harlem (by Harvey Araton); Lin’s impact on MSG (they carry the Knick games) — ratings up 109%; Lin’s impact on labor talks between MSG and Time Warner (coverage suspended; sort of a strike); Lin named to play in the All-Star game for first and second year players; Lin’s podcast on the Michael Kay show (I listened; he’s eloquent, funny, honest and insightful, got 800 on Math Sat…for starters) most listened to with clips on radio and Sports Center; and he’s going to be Shumpert’s supporter in the slam dunk contest.  Two weeks!  Seven games.  I caught Wednesday’s game, and he was even better than Seth Curry — 9 assists in the first half.  The game before, when the Knicks came back against Toronto, he drove the lane, got fouled, made a circus shot, hit the free throw to tie, and then calmly sunk a 3 with 0.5 seconds left.  Today is only February 17.  It really is nothing like anything I’ve ever seen.  Oh, and by the way, the Knicks, who were the most boring ineffective team in the league (with sports talk radio calling for the coach’s head) are playing beautiful basketball.  Just a joy to watch.  Lin makes everyone around him better.

DUKE  75 – BOSTON COLLEGE 50 

Fortunately, this game lacked none of the excitement and drama of the N.C. State and North Carolina  games. It was more like a pre-season exhibition game. The Blue Devils exploited their size advantage and, after a sluggish start, went ahead for good midway through the first half, led 30-21 at intermission, and cruised the rest of the way. While the Duke players seemed a bit fatigued and on auto-pilot, they played very good defense holding the Eagles without a basket for more than 14 minutes early on and their season low point total of the season.  Keep in mind, this could have been a dangerous game, B.C. upset Florida State.

Duke has the regular season championship on its racket. All they have to do is hold serve against Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and North Carolina, which is no easy task. However the rest of the season unfolds, this is one of Coach K’s best coaching jobs. Prior to the start of the season, the talk was that this team would focus on its experienced post players. But neither Miles or Mason Plumlee have consistently produced the offense, so Coach K  shifted gears and reverted to Three-Ball, which produced a 23-4 record– but is like playing basketball Russian Roulette.

Some observations:

·          Austin Rivers is growing up before our eyes. He is playing more minutes than any other player, is seemingly (like Hurley) indefatigable, and most importantly, making much better decisions. The question is when will the refs give him the same respect on his drives that they give other stars? Hopefully, before he is injured.

·          Those who contend that Duke has only one player who can create off the dribble obviously haven’t been watching Seth Curry play lately.

·          Hubert Davis, a terrific Carolina shooting guard two decades ago (and Michael Jordan’s nephew), was an announcer for the game. He, like Jay Bilas, is pleasant and comfortable before the microphone, very fair, and very knowledgeable in his assessment of both Duke and UNC. Jimmy Dykes, on the other hand, just can’t keep from auditioning for a coaching job.

·          Prior to today, I had only seen video highlights of Jeremy Lin. He did not develop his unusual court vision, anticipatory instincts, and feel for the game two weeks ago. How could a player with these rare gifts go undrafted and waived so many times? It reminded me of the scene in Moneyball when all the scouts were talking about what a great physical specimen a prospect was and Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) asks: “Yeah, but he play the game.”

·          [Alan]: Yesterday was, I thought, a true test of the phenomenon.  The phenomenon was perfectly defined by a local sports TV station showing one of his D League games yesterday morning (He was quite ordinary).  Yesterday was National TV against the defending NBA champions, renowned  for team defense and on a six game winning streak.  Dallas had obviously done some scouting and determined to defend Lin with hard double teams that did not abate until he got rid of the ball.  These were big mobile talented defenders.  The Lin stat line speaks for itself: his 28 points were actually dwarfed by his 14 assists.  What I thought was special was his defending, especially off the ball.  He seemed to anticipate cuts and disrupt the Dallas offense (sometimes leaving his man, but rightly believing he could do more damage even if he left Jason open for some 3s).  He was shrewd against the hard double, having patience and making Dallas pay when he got through the double team.  He just seemed quicker than everyone else.  Certainly tough enough.  He made believers out of the skeptics, brought the stars back to the Garden (Spike Lee wearing Lin’s Harvard jersey; have you ever seen anything like that?).  But most importantly, he willed his team to the victory.  His post-game statements were terrific.  This game shows us we (not I) can get to where we want to go.  He talks only about the team, yet is candid about himself.  It is one of the best sports stories of the year, and maybe ever.  Let’s hope it is Johnny Unitas all over again.

Alan Adds:

Defense and rebounding were Duke’s keys to a blowout win over BC.  BC is not very good, but Duke held them to their lowest point total of the year on 34% shooting (even though BC connected on 6-18 from 3), and out rebounded  BC 42-20 (BC was limited to 2, yes 2 offensive rebounds).  Coach K was enthusiastic about the defense and the rebounding.  Following up on Bill’s Austin take, he (Austin; not Bill) had 7 boards, all defensive.  Only Miles had more (10-4 of them offensive).  Kelly had 8 (2 offensive), meaning Austin had the most defensive rebounds on the team.  It was a nice win for sure, but Duke did not look smooth, sharp or in sync on the offensive end, though when Duke got the outside shot finally falling (10-22) that was all she wrote.

For the first 15 minutes of the first half, Duke was agonizing to watch on offense, scoring only about 20 points.  Duke took the lead at the 10 minute mark of the first half for the first time, but had scored only 15 points.  The Devils rolled from the 15 minute mark of the first half.  Duke never really took care of the ball yesterday with 18 turnovers (only 14 assists).  Curry, who played another splendid game, was responsible for 6 of them.  Very Linlike.  Mason had his least productive game of the year (perhaps due to a painful blow to the groin and foul trouble), collecting four fouls (3 in the first half, two of those on offense) in his 17 minutes of play, in which he grabbed 3 boards (2 on offense) scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting.  He had 3 of the turnovers in his abbreviated playing time.  I predict he will have a big game against Fla. State.   Kelly had only 5 points in his 30 minutes, the most minutes of Duke’s big guys.  But the backcourt shot well and eventually began dissecting the BC defense.  Austin scored 16 in 32 minutes, was 7-13 from the floor (2-5 from behind the arc) with 2 assists against the same number of turnovers.  He has become an excellent defender, and committed only 1 foul.  Curry was terrific in spite of the turnovers,  with 18 points on only 8 shots in 27 minutes.  He was getting into the lane and was money from the free throw line (7-7) and 4-8 from the field including 3-4 from downtown.

Let us acknowledge the vastly improved play of Andre Dawkins.  He has bought into defending and rebounding, and is demonstrating some toughness.  He played 26 minutes (a telling stat) going 5-11 (3-7 from 3) and collecting 5 boards.  He committed only 2 fouls and had only 1 turnover.  Nice game.  Curry played point for the 12 minutes that neither Cook (13 minutes) nor Thornton (15 minutes) were in the game.  Thornton gives toughness and on the ball defense, but scored only 2 points (took only 2 shots) and was blanked on assists.  However, he committed 0 turnovers and only 2 fouls.  Cook’s minutes were mostly garbage time, but he compiled a nice stat line in his 13 minutes: 4 points, 3 assists and a turnover.  He finally hit a 3 (1-2) and made both foul shots.  He has been an hard to evaluate.  He seems to play better against lesser opponents.

This weekend has NCAA like scheduling: Florida State away on Thursday night (yes, it’s a big game) and Virginia Tech at home on Saturday afternoon.  Tough turnaround.  Of the 3 contenders, tied at the top of the ACC with 10-2 records, only Duke plays the other two, and thus has the toughest schedule.  Florida State will be a fair litmus test for this team in Tallahassee.  This is the next to last week of the regular season, and it is still really exciting.

DUKE 74 – FLORIDA STATE 66

There are the Jimmy Dykes types who like to talk about what this Duke team can’t do, what they aren’t — but I’ll tell you what they are. They are smart, tough, resilient, competitive basketball players who have been inoculated by Coach K’s fire and desire to win and find different ways to do it. No one personifies this attitude more than Austin Rivers, who has grown into a mature, big time playmaker. He’s not just a scorer anymore.

In the first half,  the enigmatic Andre Dawkins had five threes and 18 points in eleven minutes to propel the Blue Devils to a 39-33 lead. However, all three big men were in foul trouble, Curry had 0 points, and you had to think the second half couldn’t be over fast enough. It was a physical war of attrition as Rivers, who had taken over the offense, appeared to have seriously injured his ankle with 11 minutes left. Mason was having a frustrating night, having, among other things, missed another point blank dunk and, due to foul trouble, played limited minutes– and this was the hostile venue in which Carolina had lost by 40. And, oh yes, this was billed as the basketball “Game of the Century” for the Seminoles. So, there were a lot of legitimate reasons why the Blue Devils should lose.

But Miles (10 pts. & 8 rebs) and Ryan (13 pts. & 6 rebs.) picked up the big man slack. Rivers came back into the game and, after throwing up a disconcerting air ball, made several winning plays, none of which was more important than intercepting a long inbounds pass at half court that would make an NFL corner back proud. Down the stretch with the game on the line, Duke ran the more disciplined, precise offense, hit open threes and foul shots, and was the better defensive team (held Florida State to 39.7% overall and just 3-15 threes)  as they pulled away from the Seminoles in Tallahassee in front of a frantic, sold out crowd. During the last few weeks, the boys have become men.

One down, three to go.

Coach K: “It was tough to get shots; our three-point shooting was probably the difference in the game. The two biggest shots in the second half, when they got it down to three twice, were Seth  and Ryan  hitting threes– huge shots.”

Coach Leonard Hamilton: “I thought Duke’s defensive pressure tonight kept us out of any type of offensive rhythm. We fought back several times, but couldn’t get it done. Whenever they had opportunities to get a good look from the perimeter they did (get it done). That’s what good teams do and you have to give them credit for that.  I thought we took care of the ball well but we had too many empty possessions. You have to give them credit for that. They defended our system better than we defended their system.”

Some observations:

·          The Virginia Tech game is like a NCAA Tournament game in that there is such a short turnaround time for the game Saturday at noon. The only difference is that the exhausted Blue Devils probably didn’t get home until well after midnight. Get some sleep, go to class, practice, get some rest, play at noon Saturday. The recipe for an upset.

·          Kelly and Curry both were offensively unproductive in the first half but, nevertheless, had the confidence to hit key shots to preserve the lead and secure the win.

·          Mason Plumlee has been named a Capital One Academic All-America first team selection. Mason has a 3.44 grade point average as a double major in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology. The last Duke basketball player to be so honored was Shane Battier, who earned that distinction in back-to-back years (as has Tyler Zeller) in 2000 and 2001. Ten  Duke players have earned Academic All-America recognition. MP2 picked up his second academic major of Cultural Anthropology this year after being inspired during Duke’s preseason trip to China and Dubai over the summer.

Alan adds:

Leonard Hamilton’s  pithy observation after the game was right on: “They defended our system better than we defended their system.”  This was Duke’ best defensive performance of the season —  real team defense.  Consider that even with Duke’s bigs in serious foul trouble all night (at half time both Plumlees had 3 and Kelly had 2),  Duke limited Florida State’s big guys to a total of 21 points.  Fla. State made only 3-15 from behind the arc (ok, some of it was just bad shooting; but a lot was really intense defense).  Florida State shot under 40% (39.7) for the game.  The announcers attributed the Seminole’s inability to finish at the rim to ineptness, but I disagree; Duke’s bigs contested and altered shots.  The perimeter defense was the best it has been all year.  Seth, Tyler and (yes, this is really true) Andre were absolutely outstanding.  But the Duke anchor on the defensive end is now Austin Rivers.   He anticipates, communicates and moves with grace.  Once again, he had as many defensive rebounds as anyone on the team (4; Miles and Mason also had 4).  It did seem that Florida State got every rebound from their own missed foul shots, and indeed they grabbed 16 of the 41 rebounds off the Duke backboard.  Duke’s defense won the game.  I went back and read some of my own pre-season comments.  I said Duke’s season would depend on its defensive development.  This game was real development.  Now for Duke to display consistency from game to game.  Outside of a devastating 3 point barrage (13-28), Duke got hammered on the offensive end, and indeed lost every other statistical battle.  Florida State out rebounded Duke (41-36), forced more turnovers (11-8) had more blocks (5-1) and shot 21-48 from inside the arc while  Duke was 9-24) .

It was a performance of will, as Bill has so accurately described.  Duke used only 7 players really.  Cook (6 minutes); Hairston (4) and Gbinije (less than 1) almost did not count, and did not score.  Only 4 contributed to Duke’s scoring.  Thornton and Mason each scored only one point.  Mason was limited to 17 minutes in a genuinely subpar performance.  He had 3 turnovers in that short span, but contributed 5 rebounds.  Thornton was a defensive whiz and had 3 boards on the defensive end.  In 24 minutes, he was 0-2 from the floor with 2 assists and 2 turnovers.  Seth has so much heart and even though his shot was missing, still contributed in wondrous ways.  He played 33 minutes (second only to Austin’s 37; Coach K might never have taken Austin out if he hadn’t rolled his ankle), and was a disappointing 2-8 (1-4), but both hoops were huge (a crucial 3 and a drive when Duke really needed to stop Florida State runs).  He only turned it over once (2 assists) and played lock down defense.  Miles opened with a scoring burst — 6 points in the opening minutes, and finished 5-6 for 10 points in 28 minutes before fouling out with a bit over a minute to play.  He had 8 boards and was a presence.  Kelly played 30 minutes, and was critical to Duke’s win, especially in the second half.  He is so efficient with 13 points on 6 shots (2-5 from behind the arc, with one critical 3 that brought Coach K’s praise post-game) and 5-5 from the line.  He had 6 boards, 2 assists and a block against only 1 turnover.  He and Miles had heart and competed with Florida State’s tough front line.  Dawkins was awesome on offense  (6-9 from behind the arc, but 0-3 from 2 point land and 4-6 from the line for 22 points in 21 minutes.  He  kept Duke in the lead in the first half with his 3 ball and played very well throughout.  To me, he
has been a revelation on defense, though still fouls too often.  He had 3, which limited his playing time.

Which brings me to Austin.  I’m not sure I have ever seen a freshman develop the way he has — on both ends of the floor.  If you are a Duke fan, you feel secure when the ball is in his hands.  He scores — 20 points on 6-16 (4-8 from 3) shooting.  While only 4-7 from the foul line, he gets to the line.  He had 4 assists (to lead the team, which had only 12 altogether) and a steal against only 1 turnover (Duke had 11).  And what a steal it was.  Florida State kept getting offensive rebounds when Austin picked off the long pass (he had just missed on two earlier) and that sealed the game.  He has  become the star and the leader.  He will surely be ACC first team and may earn other major post-season honors.  But for now, it is enough that he is Duke’s leader in every way.

The Virginia Tech game on Saturday afternoon is a classic trap game.  The turnaround time is very short.  Duke played with real heart and emotion.  Bringing the same intensity will be difficult, and Virginia Tech always gives Duke trouble.  Don’t take this one for granted at all.

Duke 70 – Virginia Tech 65 

Whew!! Don’t let the score fool you. This game could very easily have been lost. As I pointed out after the Duke–Butler Championship game, “In sports, you never know. Just like this game, who wins and who loses often turns on fractions of inch or so which is affected by pressure and/or degree of difficulty.” Well, it certainly held true today as Virginia Tech was several times within fraction of an inch of upsetting Duke. Hudson’s foot barely on the line on a step back three which was changed to a two; a missed Green shot (identical to the one he hit on the prior possession) and put-back at the buzzer which hit the backboard and bounded off the rim  much like Butler’s Haywood’s last shot. The game and maybe regular season championship was that close to vaporizing. But, as often the case with Virginia Tech, it was not meant to be. Seth Greenberg’s Hokies have always been a tough out for Duke but usually an out nevertheless. Seth is a good coach who makes the most out of players Blue Chip programs often, for a variety of reason, pass on. He hates losing —especially all the heartbreaking ones to the Blue Devils. The blunt truth he is rarely playing with a full deck (of players). For instance, why would Cadarian Raines, after a clean mid-court pick on Tyler Thornton, taunt him while Tyler lies stunned on the floor? It was a boneheaded act and should have been a technical–and Tech was only down three.

Duke played like a fatigued team with tired legs. You saw it most in missed three point shots and drives not getting over the rim. However, in the end, it was defense that tied, then won the game. Thornton was, as usual, very effective, (holding point guard Erick Green to shooting 7-19 and forcing him to travel near center court with 40 seconds left with Duke down 57-58), and for most of the game Rivers and Curry carried what little offense there was—the score was 26-24 at the half and 58-58 at the end of regulation. Because Duke was in the Bonus+ (two shots), the obvious strategy in OT was to attack the basket and get to the foul line, which the guards did. However, it was Miles (15 rebs & 5 pts)  and Mason (9 rebs & 7 pts), playing in tandem (Kelly had fouled out and Hairston was injured), who altered shots, rebounded, and even scored like really good Big Men should that  sealed the deal. On Tech’s final possession, Mason challenged Green’s drive, altered the shot (much like Zoubek did on Heywood) and Miles consumed the missed shot like a bear grabbing his prey. In addition, it was a pleasure to see Mason hit one and Miles two pressure free throws to ice the win.

Krzyzewski made some interesting points in his press conference: He dislikes short turnaround games like this one (36 hours), especially after a physically and mentally exhausting away game; likewise he dislikes Sunday night games –especially away games, because of how it disrupts the life of players; Tyler Thornton, who is like Wojo in that their value does not appear on the stat sheet, epitomizes the grit this team  has–and that all his really good teams had players like them– the more the better the team; Miles Plumlee is a naturally good, athletic rebounder. In the last month, he’s become an exceptional rebounder playing to his natural talent; and Seth Curry is not just a shooter anymore, but a scorer who can create his own shot.

Winning all these close games is exhilarating but sooner or later the Law of Averages catches up with everyone.

Two down two to go (in the regular season).

Some observations:

·          The only skill that Austin Rivers has not totally mastered is free throw shooting (65%). He was 1-2 in the last thirty seconds in regulation (which would have put Duke up by one) and 3-6 in overtime ( which, fortunately, this time did not matter).

·          Miles Plumlee started instead of Mason, the only Duke player to have started every game. As a tandem, they were the dominant difference in the overtime.

·          The Hokies were an awful 7-16 from the foul line in regulation. You don’t have to be a math major to realize that is where they let a big, upset win escape them.

·          The Blue Devils are 16-1 against Virginia Tech in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

·          The baffling Andre Dawkins was missing in action, going 0-3 and 3 turnovers in ten frustrating minutes.

·          Actor Rob Lowe, who played Duke graduate Sam Seaborn on the hit television series “West Wing”,  and his son were in the house with front row seats behind the scorer’s table. It probably was a recruiting trip–for the drama department.

Alan adds:

The defensive resurgence, or perhaps development is the better term, was in evidence against the Hokies, and was the chief reason Duke prevailed.  Let us say wonderful words about Tyler Thornton’s 38 minutes of defensive intensity and leadership, not to mention 5 boards and a steal.  The quick turnaround from Florida State in Tallahassee at night (landing in Durham at 2:a.m. on Friday to a noon game on Saturday) was a real hardship that I believe really affected Duke’s shooting (from outside; 6-24 from 3; as well as in the lane — coming up short on effective drives).  But Thornton, Rivers (41 minutes) and Curry (40+) played the defense that enabled Duke to hold on in difficult circumstances.  Coach K’s post-game remarks lauded the team’s will to win (taking a page from Bill, for sure) and the rebounding of Miles.  But he saved his most effusive comments for Tyler’s defense and leadership; the stuff that does not show up in the statistics.  Those comments were warranted.  He noted that Duke has become a good defensive team (I add: finally).  Va. Tech shot less than 41% for the game and only 33% in the overtime.  Va. Tech was 4-13 from 3 (and one of them was a lucky bank shot — at a crucial time).  Miles played 33 minutes and pulled down 11 defensive boards and 4 on the offensive end.  He also was 3-4 from the foul line, and a couple were when they really counted.  Only one field goal in 3 attempts.  Mason reacted well to his removal from the starting lineup, playing 25 minutes, pulling down 9 rebounds —4 offensive and shooting 3-5 from the field and 1-2 from the foul line.

The key to Duke’s offense was the drive.  With the outside shots contested and not falling, Duke determined to have Seth and Austin get to the rim.  I thought the key statistic was Duke made more free throws (24) than the Hokies attempted (17).  The statistic would have been even more impressive if Duke hadn’t missed 10 — count ’em; 10.  I attribute that more to fatigue, but if Duke does that in the post season, it will bite the team hard.  The Plumlees were 4-6.  The chief culprit was Austin.  The good news is he attempted 17 free throws (that is 1 more than the entire Virginia Tech team), which means his drives are very effective even when he doesn’t score or get an assist.  But  11-17  is a weakness (as Bill has pointed out; perhaps his only remaining weakness).  Va. Tech was even worse and it cost them the game — 7-16.   Austin scored 23 points on only 12 shots (2-6 from 3; 3-6 on drives] with only 1 assist and two turnovers.  But once again, he has become a defensive presence; and let’s not forget his 4 defensive rebounds.  Seth scored 19 points on 15 shots.  He was off from behind the arc (1-6) even when wide open, but was 6-9 on his drives and pull ups.  Btw, wait until Austin adds a pull up and a tear drop to his driving repertoire (come back next season to do that, Austin).

Duke travels to Wake next Tuesday for a late game (9:00 p.m. on ESPN U) before the rematch at home on Saturday at 7 pm on CBS.  25 wins with two regular season games to go.   This has been a very successful season (So far) by any measure.  This team has grown and as it really defends has become a potential force for the post-season.  The Carolina game will tell a lot about that defensive growth.

DUKE 79 – WAKE FOREST 71 

I started to fall asleep midway through the second half with Duke up 23 points. I woke up when the announcer said that there was a 19-2 run and thought “what a blowout”. Then, I saw it was a 6 point game and thought I was either having a bad dream or the players had changed jerseys. Both thoughts were wrong, because it was just another disconcerting case of this team not closing out an opponent—a malady I thought had been cured by the overtime loss to Miami in Cameron.

Kelly, Curry, and Miles Plumlee finally woke up, got serious, and closed out the Demon Deacons in workman-like, if unimpressive, fashion. Kelly (23 pts) stopped the bleeding with a timely drive and free throws– as did Curry. MP1 (aka mini-Zoubs)  rebounded and chased down errant shots in the last minute to make sure Wake did not break Duke’s record for biggest comeback in the last ten minutes in ACC history.

Three down, one to go.

Some observations:

·          The Blue Devils have played a grueling schedule the last three weeks and are showing the physical –especially Rivers’ and Curry’s recent knee and ankle injuries– and emotional  effects of that grind. This is the time of year that separates the men from the boys.

·          The 2011-12 Blue Devils are only the 11th team in ACC history to go undefeated in ACC road play and the fourth Duke team to accomplish that feat. Duke last went undefeated in ACC road games in 1999-2000.

·          Duke shot 47.6 percent from three-point range, marking the 12th time this season that the Blue Devils have shot over 45.0 percent from beyond the arc. Duke hit 10-of-21 three-pointers, improving its season three-point percentage to .389.

·          K has really coached the hell out of this team.  Possibly, his post-game tirade after the St. John’s win was a turning point.

·          Ying – Yang: Mason (8-9 tonight) is much better from the charity stripe lately but now has a hard time finishing plays at the rim.

·          It was a pleasure to listen to and see a healthy, happy Jay Williams, who is transitioning nicely into a second career  in television, doing the game tonight.

Alan adds:

Last night encapsulated Duke’s season (they won; so not bad, right?).  For the first three quarters of the game, Duke’s defense looked sooo good that it was almost breathtaking.  The offense was humming, and Duke fans everywhere relaxed to enjoy the performance.  Bill went to sleep.  In some senses that says it all, and the Wake rally was all his fault.  But, I have to ‘fess up.  Maybe my transgression was worse.  I ride the exercise bike during the games, and so get a pretty intense two hour workout while I watch.  Last night I was tired (late game) and with about 10 minutes to go when Duke’s lead appeared to be commanding, I turned from riding the bike to dinner in front of the last 10 minutes.  As you can imagine, dinner simply did not go down well.  I think that the players’ psyches mirrored Bill’s and mine.  In any event, after Austin’s last foray to the hoop, Duke (and especially Austin) came to a screeching halt.  Austin picked up 3 fouls (uncharacteristic for him; he has become an intense defender who avoids fouling), had 2 turnovers and did not score again.  Worse, the defense became porous. Chennault began to shred the perimeter and score and/or get to the foul line.  (He was 8-10).  McKie came alive and Duke’s schedule caught up with the Devils a bit (3 games in 6 days).  Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry restored order, and while Wake made us all start breathing hard, the admirable comeback never quite got us into the panic pant.

I thought there were some interesting developments, especially at the point guard.  Thornton played 30 minutes, with 7 points on only 3 shots ( a 3 and 4-4 from the line) to go with 2 assists and only a single turnover.  Quinn Cook looked very good to me in his 17 minutes.  He played some terrific defense (looks completely healthy), made both his shots, including a 3 while racking up 3 assists and 2 boards.  He did commit 2 turnovers.  Duke, btw, again had more turnovers than assists (13-12).  Cook and Thornton were on the court together for some 7 minutes.  Interesting.  In spite of the Wake comeback, Duke showed a clear statistical superiority.  Duke made more free throws (21-27) than Wake shot (13-16); out rebounded the Deacs by 11, blocked 3 more shots, had 2 more steals and critically was 10-20 from behind the arc.  Wake wasn’t bad from the bonusphere (6-17).  Curry (26) played fewer minutes than Thornton.  Still, he is part of the heart of the Duke team (Rivers is the other part).  Seth scored 15 on 12 shots (3-5 from 3) with 3 boards and 2 assists; no turnovers.  Dawkins appears to be out of favor with Coach K, logging only 11 minutes, committing 3 fouls and two turnovers in his brief stint.  He launched a trio of threes, hitting 1.  He is the very definition of enigma.

The big guys all played well, but Ryan Kelly was special.  In 31 minutes, he had 23 points on 13 shots (Curry and Austin took 12 each), including 4-5 from behind the arc and 5-6 from the free throw line.  Throw in 8 boards, 2 blocks , and a steal against only 1 turnover, and you have a hummer of a stat line and game.  He played excellent defense and committed only a single foul.  MVP last night.  Miles had some big rebounds in a total of 11, and was a presence — especially on the defensive end — in his 26 minutes.  Mason got to the line and was 8-9 (really!) for 12 points on 4 shots to go with his 7 boards in 22 minutes.

At the start of the season who could have predicted that going into the regular season finale, Duke would be 26-4 (13-2 in the ACC) and 3rd in the polls, with impressive wins over Kansas , Michigan State, UNC, and Michigan?.   Of course all of this is prelude (but, not really, if one is truly a fan).  It is true, if not wholly desirable, that we will remember this season for the Carolina game (ACC regular season championship game), the ACC tournament, and, of course, the Big Dance.  This has been yet another coaching gem by our Hall of Fame Coach.

Duke 70– North Carolina 88 

Congratulations to North Carolina. The Tar Heels came into Cameron with the regular season title on the line and played twenty minutes of their best basketball. Duke didn’t. When the threes aren’t falling, this Blue Devil team can be very vulnerable—even against mediocre teams. However, Duke is still 26-5, has beaten Kansas, Michigan State, Michigan, Washington—and North Carolina. All teams are 0-0 as March (One and Done) Madness tournaments start.

Next game.

Alan adds:

The score is the score is the score, as Gertrude Stein might have written.  But there are some interesting aspects to take heart from, but some to leave us all on the verge of despair.  Despair for a sport, as opposed to economic or health, is a different kind of despair. Duke can take some offensive positives from the second half (Duke won 46-40), and got great interior production from the Plumlees.  Duke had a real offensive run in the second half.  With a little under 6 minutes to go, Duke was down 11 and Seth had a wide open 3 point attempt out of an efficient offensive set.  He missed.  Austin followed by missing the front end of a one and one, and that was essentially the end of any suspense as to the game’s outcome.  Duke did stop the bleeding on the interior; Carolina had only 3 offensive rebounds in the second half;  Duke shot 15 –29 from the field; 4-10 from 3 in the second half.  The game never got close because Duke’s defense might have been even worse in the last half than it was in the first one.

Duke dug a hole for itself in the first half because the ball just wouldn’t go in the basket for prolonged periods .  Consider 9-34 from the field; 2-11 from 3; 4-9 from the free throw line; of the 19 rebounds off Duke’s defensive boards in the first half, Carolina corralled 10 of them.  Duke had wide open looks from the perimeter that just wouldn’t go down.  Carolina’s interior defense foiled Duke (except for Miles in the early going) by contesting and altering shots in the paint.  Carolina hit everything — some because of Duke’s inferior defense, but some were well defended that just went in (think Cook’s defense on Marshall’s last shot in the half) and some were lucky uncalled bank shots that just went in.  And, let’s not detract from the fact that Carolina played a fantastic first half.  That occasionally happens.

But the defense!  Duke’s defense, which had improved greatly in recent games, was wholly absent.  In the second half, when Duke’s offense began to function, its defense — except for one stretch from about 9 minutes to go to 5 minutes to go — was dramatically awful.  Consider, Carolina was 10-13 to start the second half.  UNC was 32-53 from inside the arc (4-13 from 3) in the second half.  Carolina scored on an extremely high percentage of possessions — especially when you consider how many successful possessions were second and third shots.  It is hard to remember a worse defensive performance by any team in a major game that seemed as though it should have been competitive.   How does one square that with recent defensive improvement?  The depressing thought is that Duke can defend against mediocre teams without high level offensive weaponry, but not against elite offensive teams.

Final thoughts on perspective.  It would have been satisfying to have won the ACC regular season championship.  Still, the most meaningful part of the season is yet to be played.  Duke could and should be a # 1 seed if it wins the ACC tournament, especially if Duke beats Carolina in the final.  By finishing second, Duke will have to play Florida State in the semi-finals.  However, the lesson from the women’s ACC tournament is anything can happen.  Duke and Miami (#5 and #6 in the country and first and second in the ACC) each lost their first game in the tournament.  I believe that even if it had beaten Carolina, Duke would not have earned a # 1 seed without winning the ACC (unless someone else besides Carolina wins it).  No chance Duke falls to a # 3 seed; so the ACC tournament is critical for Duke’s NCAA chances.  Let us see how Coach K prepares for the ACC tournament, and how Duke performs next week.  That tournament is now more important than ever and is, in fact, “the next play”.

DUKE – LEHIGH

A promising season that started with wins over Michigan State, Tennessee, Michigan, and Kansas, that produced 27 wins, including thrilling come-from-behind wins over North Carolina and North Carolina State, ended with a disappointing loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to #15 Lehigh. Duke had no defensive answer for star guard C. J. McCollum and was uncharacteristically out-hustled and out played by the  Mountain Hawks.

How do you explain the loss?

First of all, there are there are more good players and better coached teams than ever– #15 Norfolk State also upset #2 Missouri.  In retrospect, Duke was a team that was more than the sum of their parts until Ryan Kelly, an irreplaceable part, was missing. Ryan is a subtle, not spectacular, player but his intelligent, efficient, and versatile talents are  easily underestimated and underappreciated. More to the point, he is a 6’10” inside/outside player who is a matchup nightmare. On the perimeter he can hit the three and open both the perimeter and the lanes for Rivers and Curry to drive and score, can take a smaller player into the post, and  also give a the Plumlees a rest t center. His absence changed the chemistry of the team at both ends of the floor. Neither Rivers or Curry were nearly effective since Ryan was injured and, consequently, Duke’s offense was not nearly as efficient. And Andre Dawkins contributed virtually nothing in Kelly’s absence. That’s a loss of about twenty points and eight rebounds a game—even half those numbers would have changed the outcome of the two last losses. However, the trend line was established before the injury to Kelly. After an impressive win at Florida State, Duke barely survived Virginia Tech, was sloppy at the end of the Wake Forest game, was blown out by Carolina at Cameron, and finished the season with three unimpressive tournament games. It was not the finish we are accustomed to, but then Duke Basketball has spoiled us. Coach K’s teams have usually found ways  to win games like this. But tonight, it was not to be. That’s one of the beauties of sports– you never really know. Consider the fate of last year’s hot tournament teams:  Arizona is playing in the NIT and UCONN is one and done.

While we regret the loss, we should keep it in perspective by remembering what a great tournament this is and that over the years, as Sports Illustrated said: “Duke is as much a part of March as the tournament itself. The Blue Devils have reached the Sweet 16 in 11 of the past 13 years, advancing to four Final Fours in that time, and won two national titles. So, we can take pride in our accomplishments and appreciate that Lehigh alumni and fans will remember forever the year that their team beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re not a juggernaut or anything like that,” Krzyzewski said. “We have known that throughout the whole season. You have to do it pretty precise, and we just didn’t play well offensively the last few weeks of the season. Actually we got better defensively, but offensively we just weren’t there.  I’ve been in it for 37 years and it takes you to incredible highs. And it also takes you to incredible lows. Tonight’s one of those lows. But it wasn’t just our doing, they played that well. They played that well. And again my hat’s off to them.”

“In that this is March madness, upsets happen,” Lehigh Coach Brett Reed said. “It’s why the general public and the nation really appreciate this tournament because anything can happen.”

Alan adds:

The first half of the UNC game on senior night appears to have been a major turning point; I think Duke’s dramatic failure and incompetence on both ends of the court completely eroded Duke’s confidence.  This team was never the same again.  From 26-4 on March 2, Duke fell to 27-7, losing 3 of the last 4.  I described my pessimism after the opening round ACC game against Virginia Tech.  Unfortunately, I was prescient.  Last night’s game put a spotlight on Duke’s season long problem — perimeter defense.  McCollum played 39 minutes and took 16 foul shots (by himself).  Lehigh, which did not shoot fouls particularly well made more than Duke took.  Duke took 23 free throws (made 16); while Lehigh made 25 of 37.  Lehigh attempted 37 free throws!  That was the game, and the cause was the porous perimeter.  And, of course, it is impossible not to notice that Duke’s shooting, a season long strength, evaporated after the win against Florida State in February.  Every game after that was a shooting nightmare.  Mason was 9-9 from the field last night.  The rest of Duke was 15-49 (6-26 from 3).  Seth fouled out in 25 minutes, going 1-9 from the floor (1-7 from 3).  In a sense, Seth’s frustration on both ends of the court told the tale.  I agree with Bill that Kelly is glue and so valuable to this team; his absence might have made the difference…in this game.  Another season long trend; Duke had the same number of turnovers as assists last night (12).

This team didn’t quite get there, but provided a season of pleasure and above all effort.  There was no quit in the team.  It will be interesting to see how Coach K tinkers with basically the same squad (if Austin returns) next season.  Quinn Cook has to be next season’s answer (Duke’s Jeremy Lin?).  I also believe that Silent G and Alex Murphy will infuse the team with more athleticism and defensive excellence.  As Coach K said, the sport produces some unbelievable highs and of necessity some bottom out lows.  Last night was one of the lows. It was a promising season, that didn’t culminate in championship success.  The last four games denied Duke the regular season ACC, the ACC tournament and last night’s first round (I don’t care what round the NCAA calls it) exit.  But 27-7 is nothing to be ashamed of.  Even if the end was a bit galling,  Duke has had more than its share of success.  It’s been fun writing this with Bill and sharing it.

The first half of the UNC game on senior night appears to have been a major turning point; I think Duke’s dramatic failure and incompetence on both ends of the court completely eroded Duke’s confidence.  This team was never the same again.  From 26-4 on March 2, Duke fell to 27-7, losing 3 of the last 4.  I described my pessimism after the opening round ACC game against Virginia Tech.  Unfortunately, I was prescient.  Last night’s game put a spotlight on Duke’s season long problem — perimeter defense.  McCollum played 39 minutes and took 16 foul shots (by himself).  Lehigh, which did not shoot fouls particularly well made more than Duke took.  Duke took 23 free throws (made 16); while Lehigh made 25 of 37.  Lehigh attempted 37 free throws!  That was the game, and the cause was the porous perimeter.  And, of course, it is impossible not to notice that Duke’s shooting, a season long strength, evaporated after the win against Florida State in February.  Every game after that was a shooting nightmare.  Mason was 9-9 from the field last night.  The rest of Duke was 15-49 (6-26 from 3).  Seth fouled out in 25 minutes, going 1-9 from the floor (1-7 from 3).  In a sense, Seth’s frustration on both ends of the court told the tale.  I agree with Bill that Kelly is glue and so valuable to this team; his absence might have made the difference…in this game.  Another season long trend; Duke had the same number of turnovers as assists last night (12).

This team didn’t quite get there, but provided a season of pleasure and above all effort.  There was no quit in the team.  It will be interesting to see how Coach K tinkers with basically the same squad (if Austin returns) next season.  Quinn Cook has to be next season’s answer (Duke’s Jeremy Lin?).  I also believe that Silent G and Alex Murphy will infuse the team with more athleticism and defensive excellence.  As Coach K said, the sport produces some unbelievable highs and of necessity some bottom out lows.  Last night was one of the lows. It was a promising season, that didn’t culminate in championship success.  The last four games denied Duke the regular season ACC, the ACC tournament and last night’s first round (I don’t care what round the NCAA calls it) exit.  But 27-7 is nothing to be ashamed of.  Even if the end was a bit galling,  Duke has had more than its share of success.  It’s been fun writing this with Bill and sharing it.

The first half of the UNC game on senior night appears to have been a major turning point; I think Duke’s dramatic failure and incompetence on both ends of the court completely eroded Duke’s confidence.  This team was never the same again.  From 26-4 on March 2, Duke fell to 27-7, losing 3 of the last 4.  I described my pessimism after the opening round ACC game against Virginia Tech.  Unfortunately, I was prescient.  Last night’s game put a spotlight on Duke’s season long problem — perimeter defense.  McCollum played 39 minutes and took 16 foul shots (by himself).  Lehigh, which did not shoot fouls particularly well made more than Duke took.  Duke took 23 free throws (made 16); while Lehigh made 25 of 37.  Lehigh attempted 37 free throws!  That was the game, and the cause was the porous perimeter.  And, of course, it is impossible not to notice that Duke’s shooting, a season long strength, evaporated after the win against Florida State in February.  Every game after that was a shooting nightmare.  Mason was 9-9 from the field last night.  The rest of Duke was 15-49 (6-26 from 3).  Seth fouled out in 25 minutes, going 1-9 from the floor (1-7 from 3).  In a sense, Seth’s frustration on both ends of the court told the tale.  I agree with Bill that Kelly is glue and so valuable to this team; his absence might have made the difference…in this game.  Another season long trend; Duke had the same number of turnovers as assists last night (12).

This team didn’t quite get there, but provided a season of pleasure and above all effort.  There was no quit in the team.  It will be interesting to see how Coach K tinkers with basically the same squad (if Austin returns) next season.  Quinn Cook has to be next season’s answer (Duke’s Jeremy Lin?).  I also believe that Silent G and Alex Murphy will infuse the team with more athleticism and defensive excellence.  As Coach K said, the sport produces some unbelievable highs and of necessity some bottom out lows.  Last night was one of the lows. It was a promising season, that didn’t culminate in championship success.  The last four games denied Duke the regular season ACC, the ACC tournament and last night’s first round (I don’t care what round the NCAA calls it) exit.  But 27-7 is nothing to be ashamed of.  Even if the end was a bit galling,  Duke has had more than its share of success.  It’s been fun writing this with Bill and sharing it.

As the fortunate and appreciative beneficiaries of our education at Duke University, Alan and I  again close the season with a short historical narrative that may give some insight into why we have such pride and affection for our alma mater:

After the endowment gift from the Duke family, President William Preston Few had the extraordinary foresight to take Trinity, a small college of the Methodist church, and  conceive the vision of a great university then enlisting businessmen, academicians, students, and alumni to fulfill his vision. The foundations of his dream were: a strong academic  institution with a religious underpinning , a stunning campus, an extraordinary teaching hospital, and outstanding athletic teams. The new West Campus was constructed in the form of a cross. At the apex of the cross was the magnificent chapel, to the right the library and classrooms leading to the hospital complex; to the left, the student union and dormitories leading to the football stadium. President Few recruited doctors from Johns Hopkins to be the nucleus of the hospital staff and, understanding the national marketing  impact of winning teams, Wallace Wade from national champion Alabama to build a football program.

While the whole is more than the sum of the parts, successful athletic teams have provided the university with free publicity that otherwise would not be affordable– first through print and radio, then through television. The athletic teams have increasingly been the lens through which Duke University is viewed by the general public and which, in turn throws a spotlight on  the rest of an exceptional institution. The truth of the matter is that while Coach K and his basketball program is the latest and most successful in a long, proud history of Duke Athletics, it is not just that his and other teams have won, it was the way they have won and the kind of players with whom they have won– and graduated.

A case can be made that Duke has come further, faster than any Top Ten University. Athletic Director Eddie Cameron was a major catalyst. He had the foresight to see that excellence in athletics was quickest way to attract national attention to a young, ambitious university. In 1930, he hired football coach Wallace Wade away from Alabama following his third national championship with the Crimson Tide. By the mid 1930’s Duke had a powerful football team that attracted national attention and played in the 1938 and 1942 Rose Bowls. From $400,000 of the proceeds of the 1942 Rose Bowl (played at Duke because of concerns about Japanese attacks on the West Coast), Mr. Cameron built Duke Indoor Stadium (fittingly renamed Cameron Indoor Stadium), which was, at the time, the second largest basketball arena (next to the Palestra in Philadelphia) in the East. Fortunately, the legendary two sport star Dick Groat matriculated shortly thereafter and a great basketball tradition was launched.

Legend has it that James Buchannan Duke established the Duke Endowment with $40,000,000 (over $500,000,000 in today’s dollars) after Princeton University turned down his offer of the very generous bequest with the caveat to change the name of the school to Duke University. The gift to Trinity had two caveats: change the name to Duke University (after his father Washington Duke) and build it to look like Princeton.

Whatever the truth, building a campus as beautiful as Duke, establishing rigorous entrance and educational standards, then building  nationally ranked football and basketball teams as well as baseball, golf, tennis, and lacrosse were the lynchpins of the meteoric rise of Duke University as an elite institution (Yale on steroids is how one of President Brodhead’s former students characterized the school). It could not have happened without all of these elements –and it would be difficult to maintain that status without preserving a dual excellence in both academics and athletics.

Alan adds:  Duke has always had athletic teams that presented the university in the light that we all admire.  There have been no academic short cuts to success.  I wasn’t around for the Wallace Wade days, but no person in college athletics has had a more profound impact on his university, college basketball, and the national sports scene than Coach K.  I think it puts the point perfectly that Coach K runs a leadership course at the Fuqua Business school.  He is, in fact, a leader who happens to coach basketball.  He makes us proud because he seems to be able to do everything the right way.  Even his involvement with our Olympic team and USA Basketball brings great prestige to Duke.

I do think his program epitomizes the ideal of college athletics.  His players grow under his tutelage, not just as basketball players, but from boys to men (like Grant Hill; what a wonderful article he wrote on the Fab Five).  There is no coach now active that has his resume as a teacher, leader and icon.  There are other coaches who may be his basketball equal, I believe (Ole Roy comes to mind), but none of them is in the same league for accomplishments as a human being and as, what he really is– an educator.  I’m not sure this could happen at a different institution (Stanford, maybe).  Duke is a perfect blend of the old Greek philosophy of keen mind and strong body.  The basketball program is seamlessly a profound and important part of the university, and enhances all that Duke does and promotes.

I join Bill in saying what a pleasure our writing has been for us.  I have reveled in the effort and enjoyed the camaraderie with a treasured friend (and ex-intramural doubles partner). Thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts with you this season.   Next Play.

 

This should be an especially exciting season for Duke Basketball fans.  I believe this team is as talented, as athletic, and as deep as any Coach K or Coach Bubas has had. They will probably start the season ranked number 1 or 1A (along with Michigan State).

As most of you know, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are returning to provide maturity, experience, and the all important component of senior leadership. The other intriguing component is freshman Kyrie Irving, a point guard in the mold of Cris Paul and John Wall. The other projected starters are the Plumlee brothers, Miles and Mason. Coming off the bench will be Seth Curry, Stephan’s brother who transferred from Liberty where he led all Division I freshman in scoring; Andre Dawkins, who displayed flashes of exceptional ability last year; Ryan Kelly, who has added 35 pounds over the summer; Josh Hairston, a power forward who played on the 18 and under National Championship Team with Kyrie this summer; and Tyler Thornton, a defensive oriented point guard.

What to look for: With the quicksilver Kyrie running the point and with the athleticism and fire power of the other players, this team should run and gun and press most opponents into the ground. How many big men have the speed and endurance to run baseline to baseline with Plumlees and Kyle Singler for forty minutes?

The most interesting question is how Coach K manages his substitution pattern/mix and the minutes of Curry, Dawkins, Kelly, and Hairston. The best case scenario is that the starters will not have to play thirty-seven or forty minutes every game and, therefore, will be fresher for tournament time.

Traditionally, Coach K takes the first ten or so games to give the new players an opportunity for extended minutes, then shortens his rotation for the start of the ACC season. However, this year there are fewer cupcakes games. There are two exhibition games, then only three real games before Duke plays Marquette, Kansas State or Gonzaga, Oregon, Michigan State, and Butler (all except Michigan State are road games)—and that is just before December 5^th.    After that, things get less challenging until January.

It is apparent that the strength and depth of this team is the back court and that the front court is talented but relatively unproven. The question marks will be whether or not the Plumlees (as athletically gifted as they are) have put in the off season work to take their games to the next level and, if so, have they matured to the point that they can stay out of foul trouble; has Brian Kelly developed a toughness and mindset to go with his additional bulk; and can Josh Hairston be counted upon to be a dependable, productive freshman?

Of course, the fall back front court option is that Singler (who has also added upper body strength) can move down low to the one or two spot as he was forced to do his first two years and play three guards. However, as he proved in the NCAA Tournament, Kyle has the size and skill to be a number three wing player from hell– and that is where he will have to play in the pros. In college, a big man cannot cover him on the wing where the oxygen is thin and the real estate is large and he can take a smaller guard down low and score over him. Whatever develops, we can count on Coach K to make the whole more than the sum of the parts—and there are a bench full of parts with which to work.

As Duke proved last year, staying healthy, having team chemistry, and having good luck trumps talent. A case in point: Kentucky had six players drafted in the NBA first round and they didn’t make the Final Four while Duke had none of their three seniors even drafted– and that if either of Haywood’s last two shots had been a quarter of an inch shorter, Butler would have won the title.

In any event, I will let Coach K sort it all out as he has won four more NCAA Tournaments and one more Gold Medal than I have. I’m just going to relax and enjoy watching the season unfold on my 60” HD television. That strategy worked pretty well last season.

Here are some additional comments by my hoops buddy Alan:

I predict that K will end up using Singler at power forward and Dawkins in the starting 3 guard lineup with Seth Curry as 6th man (ala Scheyer in his sophomore year).  The point of concern is no proven big guy.  Lots of potential, but look at the difference between the past accomplishments of the perimeter (putting Singler there for a moment) by contrast.  I suspect K will like the firepower of a 3 guard offense with Singler up front.  But like you, I am four NCAA championships and a gold medal behind the maestro.  And, of course, the key is staying healthy (ask Purdue).

It is ironic to note how much higher expectations are at the start of this season than they were at the start of last season (which worked out in a satisfactory way).  This should be an enjoyable ride.  We should not get ourselves into the state that if Duke doesn’t repeat it was not a good season.  We should enjoy the efforts of a bunch of young men that seem to be standouts in many arenas in life and are a proud contrast to many of the top tier teams in college hoops.

Pretty cool tonight that the kids who played on the 19 and under team (Irving and Hairston) and those who played on the select team to help get the FIBA gold medal team ready (Singler and Smith) are being honored along w K.  It’s nice to link Duke and USA BBall.

 DUKE – PRINCETON

The methodical, fundamentally sound Princeton offense was designed by the basketball purist Coach Pete Carril to frustrate and beat more talented but less disciplined teams. They play a patient, time consuming good-shot-only offense and a match up zone with the goal of keeping an opponent’s score in the 70 point range. However, it has only worked against the school that copied their architecture but not their playing style when they had a player named Bill Bradley, who broke his commitment to Vic Bubas to go to Princeton. This defection probably cost Coach Bubas a well deserved NCAA Championship—although it was a good career move for the former senator.

On the other hand, Coach K molds each team to fit the talent with one exception—each features a strong man-to-man defense geared to producing turnovers and transition baskets. Last year’s Championship team was a methodical half court offense and defense with limited minutes for a few bench players. This year’s team is a high octane offense and defense with potentially a much deeper and versatile bench rotation that is geared to wearing down opponents mentally and physically. It worked pretty well last night against a team coming off an upset win over Rutgers and the favorite to win the Ivy League.

Princeton more or less hung with the Devils for most of the first half when a patented Duke run increased a six point lead to fourteen in the last ninety seconds. The second half was target practice as the Blue Devils wore down the over matched Tigers and cruised to a 97-60 win with everyone getting into the act.

Kyle and Nolan picked up where they left off last year and are again the back bone of the team. But the lynch pin of the new look is freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who adds a whole other dynamic dimension at both ends of the court demonstrating why he is so highly rated with 9 assists, 1 turnover, and 17 points. On the first two Princeton possessions he had a steal, then a block/steal that led to two fast break scores. Andre Dawkins (13 pts) is a much more mature player this year and with his athleticism can play small forward as well as guard. Seth Curry (14 pts) is not as versatile and athletic as Stephen but like his brother and father is a terrific spot up shooter.

The question mark of this team is the consistent contribution of the big men. Mason is very athletic and a very good passer in the high post but still does not appear to have a confident shooters touch from beyond a few feet and Miles is athletic and powerful but still is not a polished post player. Both were susceptible to foul trouble last year and that was again the case last night. Their defensive lapses also put Singler, who covered for them, in foul trouble. This cannot happen against top teams. Eventually, I hope the Plumlees will follow the Brian Zoubek model of rebounding and kicking to an open perimeter player for a three—the math is better. Ryan Kelly has added weight and has a fine shooting range but still is unproven as a low post presence. Thornton and Hairston, the other freshman, appear athletic and eager defenders. Each had steals that they converted to dunks.

Some interesting stats: Duke was 14/26 from the 3pt. arc; forced 27 turnovers (vs. giving up 14); and shot 92% from the free throw line. Numbers like these almost guarantee a win. If you watched Training Days: Duke on ESPNU, you saw how execution and repetition at full speed teaches the type of optimum performance for forty minutes we have come to expect from Coach K’s teams. As he emphasizes, most games are usually determined by one or two plays but you never know when they will occur so you have to play every minute like it is the crucial one. Kyle Singler is the personification of this work ethic.

We will know a lot more in a week when Duke plays Marquette, the winner of Kansas State/Gonzaga, then Michigan State. Kansas State and Michigan State are pre-season picks for Final Four teams.

DUKE – MIAMI (OHIO) 

In the initial games at the beginning of each season, which essentially are exhibition games played on the home field, Alan Silber, my long time hoops buddy, and I are most interested in evaluating the new talent, trying to anticipate whom Coach K thinks is ready for prime time and what his substitution pattern will be in once the real season starts. Last night he started Ryan Kelly for Miles Plumlees and because Kyrie Irving got two quick fouls, he had an opportunity to see how Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry could perform with the other starters. Here is how Coach K explained his approach:

“We’ll try some different things to see where our chemistry might be with different units. It’s not like a demotion or a promotion. We look at how do Ryan and Mason play together, bring Miles in. Friday we might do something else to see how that would work. Whereas the perimeter is going to be those three guys. And I don’t want to look at yet where you would start Kyle [Singler] at the four and have Andre [Dawkins] or Seth [Curry] start. We have a bunch of possibilities there, and we just wanted to take a look at that one today and then we’ll see about Friday night. But Ryan did a really good job. He played about 16 minutes which is probably what he played against Princeton. But it did mean that Mason was closer to the bucket because Ryan is more of the shooter, and that’s one of the things we wanted to look at.” The subtext: If Miles only gets four rebounds against a team as small as Princeton we need to find another starting center. Let’s see if Mason is more productive as a center than a forward, (He got 14 rebounds, but, in all fairness, Miami dropped four men off the offensive board to prevent Duke fast breaks). The blunt truth is that both Mason and Miles are shooting challenged and we need more offensive production from our two big men. In addition, we can’t afford to have two players on the floor at the end of the game who shoot 50% or less from the foul line and Ryan Kelly is clearly superior shooter. Let’s see if he can also contribute on defense. The 79-54 win proved that when Kyrie was off the floor with two quick fouls Nolan Smith is much more confident running the point than he was the last few years; that no matter who is on the floor this is a terrific defensive team: that Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins can light it up; that even when Singler has an off night offensively, there are plenty of other options. However, when I started playing tennis the pro told me:” There are three levels of performance in this game. You have to be able to hit the shot in practice, hit it in a match, and hit it on a big point.” The same holds true in any sport. Hitting shots in a blowout in the friendly confines of Cameron is a lot easier than hitting them on the road on an opponent’s home court with the game on the line. There are many reasons for Coach K’s extraordinary success. Miami Coach Charlie Coles explains one not often mentioned: “Do you know why I respect him so much, and I think he’s such a great coach? I can’t remember a Duke player that was an underachiever. Has there ever been one? I’m not talking about a guy that’s playing bad, but I’m talking about the guy that gets up off the bench and looks around and he’s mad. I don’t ever remember a guy at Duke that didn’t at least pretend like he’s going out on that floor to overachieve…… It seems like those kids just “Hey, let’s all agree on everything.’’

DUKE- COLGATE

Apparently, ESPN3 is a 3-D channel. Whatever the case, I could not locate the Duke game on any one of my 800 or so DirecTV channels. I also have a new computer loaded with Windows 7 and its vast galaxy of unfamiliar options ( most of which I probably will never use), so I am struggling to master enough moves to send this email in decent form. Here (hopefully)  is the DBR take on the game:

“Against Colgate for the first time we saw a glimpse of what this team could become:  an aggressive defense joined with an explosive fast break, deadly outside shooting, and a powerful inside game.

For the first part of the game, Colgate, a better team than we expected actually, stayed relatively close, but it was an unachievable task.  Duke simply has too many ways to attack.

Obviously the Big Three from last year is no more, but Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving are a great building block.  We’ve talked before about how the backcourt, with Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry coming off the bench behind Smith and Irving, is a devastating weapon.

Tonight, for the first time, we saw glimpses from all three big men:  Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and most of all Mason Plumlee. Kelly showed some flashes throughout.  He’s willing to fight for rebounds, stand and take charges, take the occasional three pointer and really just give the team whatever it needs.

Miles Plumlee, who has come off the bench the last two games, came alive in the second half.  He defended, ran the floor, rebounded and played a much more solid game than he has so far this season.  He finished with nine points, eight rebounds three steals and a block and an argument for more minutes.  We didn’t realize how badly he jammed his finger last game, but he seems to have put it behind him.

Mason Plumlee had some tremendous plays, mostly in the second half.   His stat line wasn’t as impressive as his brother’s (nine points, four boards, an assist, a block and a steal.  Plus he only played 13 minutes after fouling out.

Doesn’t sound so great, right?  But here’s what was great: he was ferocious.  When he blocked the shot, he went after it.  When he had an alley-oop, he slammed hard.  He played with a lot of emotion, aggression and passion.  It was great to see him with a mean look on his face.

If all three guys can build on the high levels they reached during parts of this game, Duke will really benefit — and soon.

After the game, we learned that Singler was getting over a case of food poisoning and didn’t eat on Thursday at all.  Given that little nugget, his game looks pretty solid: 18 points, nine boards, and two steals.

At the beginning of the game, Irving looked like he was going to completely dominate — and one of those games is not too far away.  He is figuring things out pretty quickly and we’re going to start seeing things in the play-by-play like: Irving for three.  Irving steals.  Irving fouled.  Irving assist to Ma. Plumlee.

As it was, he had 13 points, nine assists and no turnovers and was 3-5 from behind the line.

We’re just saying, it’s coming.  That ain’t bad, but more is on the way.  Did you know, by the way, that Irving on the season has 20 assists to three turnovers?  Wow!

This should also be said: Dawkins is dramatically — dramatically — better than last year.  It’s not just his confidence on offense.  He’s become not just a good defender but a better-than-average defender.  He’ll be picking up a lot of mid-size opponents on the defensive end.

Curry had a bit of an off game offensively, but big whoop.  The kid plays his butt off.  Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton both got in and showed toughness and intensity.  They’re most likely understudies right now, but you have to like the apparent trajectory.
As we said after the Miami game, things are about to get a lot tougher.  The next five games are Marquette and then either Kansas State or Gonzaga, Oregon out there, Michigan State at home, and then Butler in the Meadowlands.  This will require a higher level of play and we’re excited to see what comes out of it.”
My comments: The good news is that the big men showed up and played well but the bad news is the both Plumlees fouled out, which is something that cannot happen against top teams;  Kyrie’s assist to turnover ratio (9:0) continues to be amazing; Andre Dawkins continues to play up to his talent; and despite the fact that Kyle and Nolan have yet to shot well, others have.

Coach K had these observations aboutthe fact that while two of these freshmenare mature abd “shovel ready”, there are limittions as to how deep the regular rotation will be:

“If there are emergency situations where guys can come in you know Tyler [Thornton] and Josh [Hairston] can come in for a few minutes and give us some minutes. You can’t get a ten-man rotation, but you can have ten guys ready to play. I mean you can, but then you’re not using your key guys well,  Nolan [Smith] and Kyle have to get major minutes for us to be really good.”

DUKE – MARQUETTE 

The serious season started last night and Duke, led by a very impressive performance by an up-to-now intriguing but inconsistent role player, performed well enough in spurts to win 82-77. There are certain truisms in today’s college basketball: While every year basketball players are more and more athletic, they are not necessarily more fundamentally sound; with the three point line, virtually every team can make several runs in a game; if you don’t answer an opponent’s run with one of your own and regain the momentum, you probably will  lose; most mid major teams are undersized but compensate by playing a pressing, up tempo enervating game; most competitive games come down to defense, protecting the ball, and making free throws; the basket is smaller on the road; and Duke gets every team’s best shot but in every game the Blue Devils have the best coach on their bench. The bottom line is that after totally dominating three overmatched teams at Cameron, Duke played a bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic, more talented opponent away from home. The result was a reality check for the younger players—and some fans.

The good news is that last night we saw something for which we  have been waiting  almost a year—a dominating, sometimes dazzling, thirty-two minute performance by Mason Plumlee. The explanation—other than maturity– is that he is much more effective on both ends in the low post than playing strong forward. We also learned that Kyrie is the real deal but needs more games at this level to adjust to the speed, strength, and size of top teams; that Duke is versatile enough to win when Kyle and Nolan are not carrying the team; that in close games there will be a tight 7-8 man rotation; and Coach K still has fire in the belly.

Well into the second half, Duke was cruising with a 14 point lead, when Marquette made a run to tie the game with eleven minutes left. Coach K called a time out and gave one of his patented, politically incorrect assessments—Chicago style– of the player’s effort. In the next six minutes, the Blue Devils went up by 13. However, they did not really finish off the game with authority or gusto like a top team should as Curry, Irving, and Smith all missed the front end of one-and-ones throwing away six potential points. For those who think that just because this team has more talent that it is better than last year’s edition, reflect on how many games Jon “Money” Scheyer iced by hitting his free throws? That team knew how to finish off a game!

Aside from Mason Plumlee (and to a lesser degree Andre Dawkins, who each game is playing himself into more minutes) having a break out performance ( 25 pts; 12 rebs; 5 blocks, 4 assists), there are some interesting stats that identify why this game was as close as it was and those areas that this team must improve upon: 19 turnovers (Smith 6, Irving 5) vs. 20 assists; 6-12 free throws (Mason1-4); only hitting 6-18 threes; only going to the free throw line twelve times means that there were too many jump shots and not enough attacking the basket. (In most victories, Duke hits more free throws than their opponent take). These are not the statistics of a  Final Four team but then March Madness is four months away.

DUKE – KANSAS STATE

Anytime a team is able to force an opponent or a key player out of the comfort zone of what they do best, the mental game-within-the game is usually won. You can see the frustration in the body language of players who are faced with the challenge of performing blue collar chores they really don’t enjoy—like playing tough defense possession after possession or grinding their way back into contention on offense. That is what has always been the lynchpin of Coach K’s teams. No matter the talent pool, they always play as hard—or harder—on defense than on offense. And when he has the diversity and depth of talent that he has this year, well, you saw the possibilities tonight.

Kansas State, like a lot of big, athletic teams, wants to run and gun on- on-one, but do not yet have the patience or versatility to run a disciplined half-court offense against a team that is swarming your every possession.. Of course, it doesn’t help to have a head coach impersonating a mental patient off his medication for most of the game. Tonight Duke just cut the heart out of Kansas State by doing all the little things (plus the big things)  that define a dominant team. In fact, Alan thinks that this game ranks right up there with any of Duke’s defensive gems. If you doubt that, consider these statistics: Duke held  Pullen, State’s preseason All-American, to 4 points on 1-for-12 shooting, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range; forced 12 turnovers; made 11 steals; hit 6 of 12 threes (vs. 3-17); and 24 of 31 free throws (vs., 11-23). While Kyrie got most of the headlines,  just as impressive was the fact that all eight players contributed in ways large and small.

Duke only trailed once at 11-9. After failing to extend their eight point half time lead for the first eight minutes, the Blue Devils went on a patented 18-6  run. Then they finished the game in more impressive fashion than last night. Kansas State had no answer for either Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith running the point or in the open court. We know what Nolan can do but we weren’t quite sure how Kyrie would fare this early in the season in a hostile environment against a Final Four level team. Well, he was the MVP.

Here is Seth Davis (Full disclosure: He is a Duke grad and the son of political talking head Lanny Davis)  of Sports Illustrated and CBS somewhat breathless take: “ Given how gifted Irving is, it’s almost unfair to surround him with so much veteran talent. Krzyzewski’s motion offense is tailor made for Irving’s skill set. He has an explosive first step and is highly adept with both hands, not only at dribbling but also finishing at the rim. If he gets by his defender, Irving has a bevy of options to choose from, including the team’s two snipers off the bench, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry, who were a combined 4 for 5 from three-point range against Kansas State. Sophomore center Mason Plumlee was also impressive in Kansas City. He followed up his 25-point, 12-rebound performance in Monday’s semifinal win over Marquette by going for 10 points and five rebounds against the Wildcats.

It all starts with Irving, but it can end anywhere.

“They run an NBA-spaced offense. Coach K has this down to a science,” Pullen said. “With that ball screen action, there’s nowhere you can help from. You have to pick your poison. Either you live with [Irving] dribble driving, or you help and they lob up to the bigs, or you help from the corner and they shoot the ball. They’ve got a lot of upperclassmen, and Kyrie is a poised young freshman. Right now they’re No. 1 in the country for a reason.”

As much hype as Irving got coming out of high school, it turns out he is actually better than advertised. Through his first five games as a collegian, he has 33 assists and only 11 turnovers. He has made 48 percent on field goals, 42 percent on three-pointers, and 91 percent on free throws. The most pleasant surprise is his prowess as a defender, which was on full display Tuesday night. Even Krzyzewski said during a practice last month that he didn’t realize how committed Irving was to that part of the game.

“He can say he’s surprised, but when you come in here as a freshman point guard, you’re expected to play defense,” Irving said. “That’s what Duke is built on. That’s our foundation. I have confidence in myself, and I believe I can guard great players.

Irving is a great player himself, and he’s only 18 years old.

“This was really fun,” he said Tuesday night. “This is what I came to Duke for, playing in a big game on a big-time stage.”

Kansas State and its fans threw everything they had at Irving, but in the end they could only stand there shaking their hands. Give the young fella his due. He handled it, man.”

A word of warning to the irrationally exuberant: Too much early freshman hype can be hazardous to your game. Harrison Barnes of UNC was named to the  pre-season All-American Team and has, to be charitable, had a rocky start to his season. The bottom line is that this was one impressive game in a long season. There are a lot of speed bumps between now and another NCAA Championship—among them, injuries, illness, fatigue, cockiness, and petty jealousies.

DUKE – OREGON

One of the reasons Coach K is able to recruit nationally is that he showcases his team live and in person all over the country– especially in the backyard of stars from faraway places. For instance, when he had Trajan Langdon and Carlos Boozer, he scheduled a game in their home state of Alaska. Last year, he scheduled a game against Iowa State in Chicago for Illinois native Jon Scheyer, who had a career night. As I noted at the time:

“For me, one of the joys of following Duke Basketball each year is watching a player’s development.  A case in point is Jon Scheyer. He came in with the reputation of being a big time scorer–maybe the next JJ Reddick. Obviously, Coach K loved his game, because he was a starter from day one. The reality is that he has been Mr. Consistency–a versatile, very good, very dependable player (especially at the foul line)– but not a flashy, superstar. Surprisingly, Jon has been a somewhat reluctant shooter but rather a more subtle, efficient and complete talent who seemed more interested in being a good teammate than putting up a lot of points.

Perhaps as a two guard, he was a little physically disadvantaged. However, moving to the point has allowed the full range of Jon’s skills to flourish to the degree that it occurs to me that he is right there with Grant Hill as the most complete Duke basketball player I can recall. A 30 minute stat line tonight at the United Center of 36 pts. (on only 13 shots), 9 assists, 8 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal speaks volumes about his efficient talent. Play on, Jon!” ( And play on he did, right to a NCAA Championship.)

Well, after Kyle Singler decided to pass on the NBA draft and return to Duke for his senior season, Coach K found a way to schedule a “thank you” game for Kyle in Oregon, which just happened to have his brother E. J.  as a starter. It is hard to pick out a “career game” for Kyle as he has had so many over the last three plus years. As for consistency, Singler has scored in double figures one hundred times in his Duke career–that’s out of 117 games. Johnny Dawkins is Duke’s career leader with 129. Kyle showcased his skills with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.  I cannot recall any player who has led by example by willingly and effectively played whatever position asked of him and played every play harder and received more skin burns,  bruises, and stitches than Kyle. Surely, at the end of the season his jersey will be hanging from the Cameron rafters with all of the other great Duke players.

How can a team win 98-71 against a decent team like Oregon and play such a sloppy game,  committing  19 turnovers (vs. 11) and allowing 15 steals? Granted , it was their third road game in a row and they haven’t been home in a week, but they aren’t in high school anymore. Well, the answer is that the team is so talented that even with all the sloppiness, it can still go on a 19-1 run. However, just when you think that Nolan Smith can play the point, he turns the ball over six times. The good news is that Kyrie Irving consistently makes sensational plays seem almost routine plus  Mason and Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and Andre Dawkins  continue to play at much higher and effective level than last year. Unfortunately, Curry is in a two game shooting slump and the two other freshmen are not yet ready for prime time.

Alan adds:

The Plumlees are making a significant difference on this team, especially Mason, who has made dramatic and gigantic strides on both ends of the floor.  He’s become a real force at protecting the basket (as has Miles, but not quite as dramatically and Miles is still fouling excessively) while only committing two fouls in 30+ minutes.  Mason is becoming quite a talented shot blocker and he had 12 boards (not shabby).  The thing that is impressive to me is that he’s getting better each game; more confident and efficient with the ball.  He doesn’t have any real range yet, but other than that, he’s ahead of where Laettner was at the early stages of his sophomore year.  I am also being impressed with Kelly.  He’s not the athlete that the Plumlees are, but he’s a basketball player.  He got called for a couple of fouls that weren’t, I thought.  He plays intelligent defense, he’s a competent rebounder and he is becoming a reliable ball handler.  We know he can shoot and it’s just a matter of time before he (and the coaches) have the confidence to let him do it more.  In short, the Duke question marks pre-season (how does Duke replace the size, rebounding, and  defensive intensity that Zoubs and Thomas brought to the team last year?) are in the process of being answered positively.  But, even Kansas State (tough as nails, but not as long) wasn’t the test of the front line that Michigan State will be.

The Blue Devils better bring their “A” Game against #2 Michigan State Wednesday night.

DUKE – MICHIGAN STATE

Going into this game, Duke appeared to have a number of advantages over Michigan State: they were playing in the friendly confines of Cameron, where the Blue Devils have not lost a non-conference game in fourteen years;  they were undefeated and coming off an impressive road trip where they beat Marquette, number two Kansas State, and Oregon; they were just unanimously voted the number one team in the country; and Michigan State,  a potential Final Four team,  was coming off a long trip from Hawaii where they were upset by UConn. Despite  these advantages, it took an sensational, mature performance by freshman Kyrie Irving for Duke, who lead virtually the entire way but could never totally put the Spartans away, to win 84-79. Kyrie, who had 11 points in the first eleven minutes when everyone else was cold, finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, & 2 blocks. Fortunately, in the second half Smith, who overcame a series of four sloppy turnovers, and Singler finally heated up at  opportune times.  Mason Plumlee continued to be an impressive, vital force down low with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals. Andree Dawkins played 28 minutes when Curry struggled defensively contributing good defense and two timely baskets. Ryan Kelly also played more minutes than usual because Miles Plumlee just can’t seem to stop committing foolish fouls.

Michigan State is a talented, well coached team but have been prone to turning the ball over (which they did tonight with 20) and missing free throws (which they did tonight going 8-15). The Blue Devils were not exactly stellar in those departments either as they had 15 turnovers and missed too many free throws–especially in the last few minutes. The defense was not consistently up to Coach K standards but then this Michigan State  offense will score a lot of points on any team.  However, top tier teams find ways to win when not everyone has their “A’ game and a Tom Izzo coached team will test you in ways that most others won’t.

Coach K made some interesting observations: “I didn’t think Kyle [Singler] had a great game but he made great plays for us, those two threes in a row, that stick back with one second to go on the shot clock and then he in-bounded the ball without any mistakes the last four minutes when they were pressing. So did he have a bad game? He didn’t have a bad game, but he didn’t have a great game. That’s what a good player does you know. When he hit those two threes he was 2-11, so it’s not like you’re hot and you still have to have the courage to take the shot and hit it. Nolan [Smith] was struggling with fouls, he only played 12 minutes in the first half and we had a couple of exchanges were he got five points for us right away. I thought, the two kids were obvious but Mason was right up there and if we don’t have him playing tonight the way he did, we don’t win.”

Tonight also demonstrated the thin line between winning (making or missing threes and free throws) and losing and that a bad fall like Kyrie, Mason, and Nolan took can cause an injury and diminishes a team’s chances for a championship. So far, so good. Everyone appears to be nicked not injured and I do not think Duke has yet to play their best forty minutes of basketball. Hopefully, that will be in the NCAA Tournament.

Alan, who missed some of the game because he was delayed travelling to Key West (on business, he says), adds: “Michigan State is really good.  They worked for good shots against Duke’s energetic defense.  More really good Michigan State offense than lackadaisical Duke defense.  Kyrie put on quite a show.  He is better than advertised (and his hype was considerable. Harrison Barnes will inevitably be compared, and is certainly coming up short in the very early going; UNC is another story).  He couldn’t or didn’t keep Luscious in front of him in the late going, but he sure did everything else.  His cross over drives are out of this world.  I was thinking of who he reminded me of as a freshman- Isaiah Thomas as a freshman at Indiana.”

DUKE – BUTLER

Coach Brad Stevens  of Butler ranks right there with Coach K and Tom Izzo as coaches to respect and admire. Today, he devised a clever hybrid man/triangle zone defense to inhibit the slashing drives of Kyrie and Nolan that make Duke’s offense so very lethal. In the first half, the Blue Devils took the easy path and settled for taking half of their shots from beyond the arc—but hitting only 25%. In addition, they were out hustled by the smaller, less talented, but very tenacious Bulldogs motivated, undoubtedly, by payback for their heartbreaking loss in last year’s championship game.

After a  one sided discussion with Coach K at half time, the players went to the tried and true Plan B: amp up the defense and attack the basket. That combined with Butler’s  injuries, foul trouble, and fatigue eventually took its toll as Nolan Smith fueled a 12-0 Duke run to increase Duke’s lead to double digits.  However, Butler countered with a run of their own to cut the lead to three. Then Kyrie calmly drained successive treys from the top of the key, Duke took the air out of the ball and hit their free throws to secure the win that was much closer and more difficult than the final 82-70 score indicated.

Like the Marquette game, this was a good lesson for the players—get used to it, the Duke jersey brings out the best in every opponent and they get every team’s best shot. While talented and deep, the Blue Devils potential Achilles heel is that they do not have a dominant low post scorer to bail out a night of poor perimeter shooting.  The Plumlees are big and athletic, but anything other than a dunk is problematical, so they do not have to be double teamed—and fouling them usually turns 2 points into 1 point. Of course, keeping Kyrie and Nolan out of the lane is defensive objective number one; priority number two is  praying for an poor shooting night.  For instance, Duke shot 30% vs. Butler’s 50% from three point land. Counter intuitively, Duke hit 83% of their free throws vs. Butler’s 50%. All the rest of the stats were about equal, so you can see that by switching any combination of the shooting stats could produce anything from a Butler upset to a Duke blowout.

Coach K scheduled these tough, early games because he thought he potentially had a very good team and a stretch of tough games replicates the ACC and NCAA Tournament challenges. If you recall, in 1991 UNLV was the 1990 NCAA Champion returning with all their starters. They had beaten Duke by 29 points for the championship the previous year and was undefeated until Duke beat them in the semi-final round. Krzyzewski felt that UNLV lost, in part, because they had not been challenged all season and had forgotten how to respond to a close game.

Just about a year ago, I wrote enthusiastically about Andre Dawkins talent. [“Andre Dawkins may be the most intriguing talent on the team. Athletically and skill wise, there are times he  shows flashes of Johnny Dawkins, Jayson Williams, JJ Reddick, and Gerald Henderson.  While he has a very smooth, quick release jump shot and can drive and finish with authority, what I like the most is that he seems to be fearless and has the look and demeanor of a confident junior or senior. The fact that Andre pulls the trigger like JJ did tells me that Coach has given him the green light to shoot. But he is a freshman and he will be inconsistent.”] Then, I couldn’t totally understand why—except for flashes like the two big threes against Baylor– he appeared to mentally and physically regress. I wondered how he would respond this year to Irving and Curry being added to the rotation. Well, it is apparent that he is playing himself into a key sixth man who plays more minutes than the fifth starter and, more importantly, is on the floor at the end of a game. Today, he and Mason both had eight rebounds apiece—and he leads the team with 19 threes while hitting 50% of his  attempts. The player he most reminds me of is a bigger version of Thomas Hill, a key player on the 1991-1992 championship  teams.

A note of concern: Kyrie injured his toe(s) or foot, went to the bench and returned for a few minutes but was noticeable limping. A sprained big toe, commonly referred to as “turf toe” can dramatically effect a players performance for an entire season or longer. A case in point is Antonio Gates, the all pro tight end for the San Diego Chargers, who has a chronic problem. Let’s hope that this is a minor injury, because it is doubtful Duke would be 8-0 if Kyrie had not been playing.

Incidentally, this was Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 876th win, which ties him with Adolph Rupp for third place in all-time career coaching wins..

The reason I referred to this game being played in Cameron North is that there are a lot of alumni and parents of students and players in the New York area and Coach K’s teams are 19-1 at the Meadowlands arena.

DUKE – BRADLEY

With Kyrie Irving out “indefinitely”, there is an opportunity for this team to demonstrate that they can continue to win until/if he returns. This is not unprecedented situation for a Duke team. Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Elton Brand, and Carlos Boozer all had injuries that forced them miss a significant number of games yet their teams still made it to the Final Four and even won championships. Most memorable was the 2001 championship run. In the next to last game of the regular season against Maryland, Carlos Boozer broke his foot and was not available until the Sweet Sixteen game of the NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, Coach K, in his most impressive coaching performance, rotated the improbable trio 0f bench warmers Casey Sanders, Matt Christianson, and Reggie Love at center and ran the table against Carolina, in the ACC Tournament and in the NCAA Championship.

Coach K on how the team changes without Kyrie:

“Everybody’s game changes, including mine. Your game changes. That’s what good players do. When a great player gets hurt, can’t play, it changes everything. It doesn’t mean a whole sale change on what you’re doing, it just changes everything, including the habits of having played with that great player for the entire preseason and eight games. So there is just a period of adjustment that our team has to go through and hopefully we’ll get him back but we don’t know when. We have to go on and make these adjustments. We tried to make a few tonight. But again, it was a limited practice time and it’s a really tough week for every student here because it’s the week before exams when so many things are due for these guys.” The classic example of a player being prepared to take advantage of his opportunity due to an injury to a starter is Johnny Unitas. Unitas, hardly a classic figure in his high top cleats, was cut by the Steelers, played semi-pro ball, and signed as a backup to George Shaw, the Colts number one draft pick from Oregon. Shaw broke his leg in 1956 and never regained his starting role as Johnny U stepped in and redefined the position of quarter back. Well, whenever Kyrie returns, he will have his starting position but my point is that this is an opportunity for Dawkins, Curry, Kelly, Miles Plumlee, and the two freshmen to gain more experience and, hopefully, more confidence for themselves and prove to the coaching staff that, if needed, they can be counted upon in pressure situations.”

As for the game, it was a shooting game of two halves as the new lineup took twenty minutes to adjust to a different point guard. The Blue Devils settled for being a jump shooting team in the first half but only hit 5-17 threes (four of which were by Andre Dawkins ).  The second  half they were 10-16 (four of which were by Andre Dawkins).  I won’t again remind you at length how early on I was in the tank for Dawkins, but my man Andre’s eight treys were one short of the record held by Shane Battier and J.J. Redick—not bad company. Miles Plumlee started in place of Brian Kelly and had an impressive performance going 7-7 from the field. Nolan Smith struggled scoring from the top of the key but had 10 assists and only 2 turn overs. Kyle Singler, who so far has not been shooting particularly well, otherwise had a typically strong game. Mason Plumlee just seems to play with more confidence and maturity with each game. The longer Kyrie is out, there is an opportunity to see if Seth Curry can fill in at point guard. If he can, there are more minutes available because Nolan is more lethal on the wing.

Alan adds:

Yikes!  I’m sorry I wrote what I did about injuries and an unbeaten season.  Let’s hope Kyrie’s injury isn’t season ending.  That would be a shame…especially for Singler and Nolan.  But for the near term, it will work to Duke’s advantage, meaning players who need the minute to improve will get them now.  Cases in point: Dawkins and Curry.  It was fun to watch Dawkins realize how hot he was; because he didn’t slack off a bit on the defensive end or doing the little things.  28 points on 17 shots is pretty efficient.  Plus, I predict that the reputation that will go with this shooting performance will open up driving lanes for him.  He can penetrate and when he makes that a more prominent part of his game, the sky is really the limit.  He can play all aspects of this game.  Curry really looked energized, especially on the defensive end.  When those two threes went down late in the game, you could see him sigh with relief that his shooting slump was over.  But I thought he played intense defense (he’s really quick) and handled the backup point pretty well.  He played 26 efficient minutes.

Before extolling the mobility and intensity of our big guys, I should say a word about the defense.  It’s true Bradley was undermanned and outclassed.  But Duke played really intense defense, especially in the early going when the offense looked so ragged.  [NB: the difference between the ragged offense and the second half was the difference in whether the ball went in or not on jumpers.  They were the same open looks.]  Duke’s switching was ballet-like.  The talking heads at half were saying Duke missed Kyrie’s on the ball defense.  Bradley was scoring less than a point a minute (18 in the first half).  All of those points (except a couple) came on well defended shots.  Both Plumlees were fierce around the basket and Bradley’s inability to finish at the rim was more about Duke’s interior defense than Bradley’s offense.  Miles looked really athletic and coordinated.  Huge improvement.   Kelly does a lot of little things and you can see he’s a confident shooter, even when he misses.  He can’t run the court like the Plumlees (who are really fast and in shape), but I like his game.

The other thing that made Duke’s offense look ragged was Nolan’s shot was really off as he ran the team (efficiently: 10 assists to 2 turnovers and some great passes to Miles).  He was 0-8 from the floor and 2-4 from the line.  If he’s hitting in the first half, no one would be describing Duke’s offense as ragged.  Still, weak competition, virtually no penetration except the lob over the zone, and no post offense could be signs that Duke will struggle when the competition returns to a high level.  PS: Mich State’s poor performance against Syracuse takes a little gloss off that win.  This is a very good team even without Kyrie, but…

DUKE – ST. LOUIS

With the prognosis for Kyrie’s return from his toe injury uncertain at best and not-at-all  a distinct possibility, the Duke coaching staff met with each player individually and discussed what was expected from them. The only good news is that this injury happened early in the year giving Kyrie plenty of time to recover and the opportunity for the younger players to gain invaluable playing experience. Today, it appeared that Seth Curry (11 pts. & 6 assists), Miles Plumlee (9 pts & 9 rebs), Josh Hairston (12 pts & 4 rebs), and Tyler Thornton (4 asts & 0 to’s) made the most of their increased playing time.

Miles, who started in place of Kelly for the second game in  a row, played consistently with more poise and maturity than in previous games. The St. Louis defense focuses on taking away the three point shot as Andre Dawkins ( 2 shots & 2 points) coming off a 28 point, 8 trey  performance, learned so well. He is no longer an unknown quantity and his going to be defended differently, so he is going to have to work harder for his points. The upside is that it will open up the floor and space the lane for the rest of the players as well as himself. Andre has the ability to pump fake, put the ball on the floor, drive, and finish strong. In is worth noting that the defense, which must carry the team during the transition period and beyond, was terrific in the first half limiting St. Louis to only 16 points.

It has occurred to me that often seniors seem to start their last year of eligibility slowly, as if pacing themselves to finish with a flourish. That seemed the case this year with both Singler and Smith. However, today they got the message that they have to pick up the slack and lead they team in ways they didn’t when Kyrie was healthy. Nolan’s role changes the most because he is a instinctively a hybrid score first/ pass second guard. But as quick as he is and as well as he penetrates, he should be more than adequate at the top of the key. I’m sure we will at times see Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton, a Tommy Amaker clone, running point with Nolan on the wing, where he plays more instinctively. The move to the point worked pretty well for Seth’s brother Stephen in his last year at Davidson and in the pros.

Seeing a very animated Kyrie Irving on the bench  tells us that in addition to being a terrific basketball player, he is also a terrific person who loves his teammates and, playing or not, has a lot of emotional investment in this team.

It’s final exam time so we won’t see the Blue Devils for nine days. In the meantime, I’m sure the coaching staff will be working overtime.

Alan adds:

One can’t take too much from the St. Louis game because of how depleted their team was, resulting in a dramatic difference in talent and experience (not unlike Bradley).  What we can say is that none of the negative things that could befall a team in that situation, befell Duke.  Duke played defense in both games very impressively.  This team now (and even with Kyrie) will go as far as its defense takes it.  Similar in that respect to last year.  It was defensively that Lance and Zoubs contributed so meaningfully in the last two plus months of last season.  Kelly, Miles (yesterday) and Mason (in previous games) are stepping up defensively.  Only the caliber of the competition leaves room for doubt.  Both Bradley and St. Louis had some trouble finishing close to the rim because of the mobility and potential shot blocking of the big guys.  Singler is fun to watch defensively.  He is such a good player in every aspect of the game.

Mason and Dawkins, who played so outstandingly recently, did not light it up at all yesterday.  Mason had two quick fouls and then played only 11 minutes in the game (4 minutes less than Hairston).  There must be a story behind that fact somewhere.  Injury?  Discipline?  Attitude?  Something.  Miles played 30 minutes and looked terrific with growing confidence (a left handed jump hook off a smooth move was jaw dropping; again can he do it against high level competition?).  So did Ryan Kelly.  He played 20 minutes and is also growing in confidence.  Hairston played 15 minutes and looked for the first time like a shooter.  (Level of competition question again).

I am liking Seth’s energy and ball handling skills.  He could become the starting point guard if Kyrie is lost with Dawkins coming off the bench as 6th man.  I predict that K will look at that option if the Irving story tilts to bad or very bad.  Mentally, it is hard for the team not to be wondering about what Kyrie’s role will be this season.  K will make them mentally tough enough to ignore that issue and keep developing as a team.  Two softies before ACC season opens with Miami on Jan. 2.

 DUKE- ELON

Not much to say about this scrimmage except that Duke played at times as though they had just finished exam week, but here are some observations:

As versatile and valuable as Kyle Singler is, the truth is that he still is not shooting as well as he did the last half of last year…..Nolan Smith is getting the hang of playing the point, which for him is score first and distribute second….Ryan Kelly appears to be getting better and better right before our eyes… Seth Curry, who started ( but don’t read too much into that) for Andre Dawkins,  is trying very, very hard. However,  Andre Dawkins is a much more complete and confident player this year and the more versatile and lethal of the two……As Miles progresses, Mason seems to regress.  And finally, Mike Gminski is a very good and knowledgeable announcer.

This win tied Coach K with Dean Smith for second in most wins (879) in NCAA history. It is appropriate that the top three coaches—Bob Knight, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski achieved their wins without cheating, without bogus SAT scores, without hundred-dollar-handshakes, while coaching young men who are/were successful in their post-college careers.

Alan adds:

The game was not on here (and I went to an amazing Roche sisters concert) and so I am limited to the DBR 2 reports and looking at the box score.  K’s rotation was interesting in a non-challenging post exam game.  You will remember that I predicted K would think about starting Curry and bringing Dawkins off the bench.  Curry played 30 minutes and Dawkins 32.  Only Singler played more (37).  Nolan was obviously limited by foul trouble, though he still scored efficient 22 points on 11 shots in 21 minutes (2-2 from behind the arc and 2-3 from the foul line).  4 turnovers though – against Elon – in that amount of time is not a good sign.  Also no assists for Curry (or Thornton in 7 minutes).  Finally, is Mason in K’s doghouse?  He played only 16 minutes.  He had 7 boards, took a 3 pointer (hmmmm) and 2 points.  Miles played 28 minutes and Kelly (the upfront scorer with 13) 21 minutes.  Interesting.  I’m anxious for your take.  UNCG and then the season starts in earnest with ACC comp.

Coach K’s post game comments were right on the mark:

“Look I love Dean and we competed really hard against one another. But I think the ultimate thing a competitor can say about another competitor is that he respects him 100 percent. I really value our friendship. And when two teams that are coached by two guys who are as competitive go after one another, you’ve got to make each other better. And in that respect, it made the ACC one hell of a conference. I mean no one’s done a better job in the ACC, by far, than Dean. We’ve done our share, but what he did was set a standard that the league then had to adopt or else you drop by the wayside. He’s one of the great pioneers.  He built a program when no one else knew what the hell a program is. He built one hell of a program at a great school by recruiting unbelievably good kids, developing great relationships with them and then they played a brand of basketball where they showed up every night. And we’ve, I think, done a lot like that in our own way. And that’s produced some unbelievably good basketball.”

DUKE – UNC GREENSBORO

The biggest surprise tonight in this milestone game was that Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly started instead of Andre Dawkins and Mason Plumlee as Coach K won his 880^th game. Other than that this scrimmage was just another warm-up game bracketing exams before the real season starts.

Some observations:  Nolan Smith appears to be more comfortable playing the point, which he will have to play at times even if Kyrie returns, and Miles Plumlee appears to be playing with more and more confidence in the low post– both of which are keys to a championship season. I wish I knew what is going on in practice and in the coach’s conversations. I like Seth Curry’s game but Andre is the better and more versatile talent. I assume it has to do with energy and defense. Seth is the better perimeter defender but Andre is the better, more versatile athlete, interior defender, and rebounder. Mason is clearly more talented than Ryan Kelly—except that he cannot shoot nearly as well. Maybe this is all a motivational ploy but I have to believe that when a game is on the line, the two current subs will be on the floor. The good news is that with these mix of players and depending on the opposition, there are a lot of combinations to deployed. I guess I’ll let Coach K figure it all out.

Jay Williams was one of the commentators and, incidentally,  very good and informative. He pointed out that it is very difficult to win the six game NCAA Championship without low post scoring because there will be night(s)– especially in a dome arena– that the jump shots aren’t falling. To that point, just remember Sean May carrying Carolina to the 2005 NCAA Championship.

I never was in favor of comparing players from different eras. The same goes for coaches. While Coach Smith and Coach K careers overlapped, the game and schedules have changes a lot since Dean retired. Dean Smith was a great, very innovative coach who developed the concept of a “program” before there were “programs.” In addition, he might have been even a better man than a coach. He personally and quietly  integrated Chapel Hill by example –taking Charlie Scott, his first black recruit to dinner in a restaurant on the strip. We as fans are the beneficiary of what these two great coaches have brought to their respective schools—the best rivalry in college basketball. Alumni and fans of both schools have every right to be proud.

Coach K: “You have to have good players and a strong commitment from the university to succeed so often. So, I don’t know if that’s so much an achievement as the result of having all those things. I want to thank the  players from Army, from Duke and I want to thank my coaches. A coach wins because he has good people, and I’ve had great people.”

Jay Bilas: “Congratulations on becoming the winningest basketball coach in ACC history! You’re a giant figure in the game, but more importantly, you have been a transformative figure in the lives of your players. You have been coach, leader, mentor and friend to all of us, and it has not just been a four-year relationship. It has been a lifelong relationship. It has been 25 years since I played for you, but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t rely upon what you taught me. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for you and how proud I am of you. Congratulations. You are the best”.

Alan adds:

I’m not sure what to say about last night’s game.  Most important: nothing bad happened (which is not something even good teams, like Tenn. can say so far this year when they have gone up against overmatched teams).  There is nothing negative to say about this game except that it came against inferior opposition, so one can’t take huge significance from the nice performance.  If one got picky, (and you know I do sometimes), one could note that Duke was not as intense defensively as usual (though certainly not bad) and the support for Kyle and Nolan didn’t appear until the second half when Dawkins, Miles and Seth contributed big time.  Duke had 6 double figure scorers – starters + Dawkins.  Nolan had a stat game that astounds: 26 points on 12 shots; 9 assists, five rebounds, 3 steals and NO TURNOVERS!  Singler is rounding into shooting form and is such a sound player.  You are never nervous when the ball is in his hands.  Something good is likely to happen.

I have previously said that Seth might be the best replacement for Kyrie with Andre coming in as a micro-wave 6th man.  That is still playing out.  Both looked much better in the second half.  They are very different type of defenders, but both good.  Even without Kyrie, this can be a very good team.  It will all depend on how the bigs match up with top-of-the-line competition.  It’s impossible to judge when Duke is playing competition at the UNCG level.  Still, Miles is looking athletic and intense.  23 minutes, 5-6 for 11 points and five boards.  He’s still a half-step late defensively, but getting better.  Best part was only 2 fouls.  Kelly and Mason are more enigmatic; each played 18 minutes.  Kelly was 4-10 (0-3 from behind the arc) with 4 blocks, 2 steals and an assist.  He doesn’t run well, but he has skills and is improving.  Will he be able to defend effectively against the good big guys?  Why has Mason’s offense gone south without Kyrie?  He played well (2-3 from the floor, 5 defensive boards and 4 assists, but something seems missing.  I don’t think Thornton and Hairston will help this year, but they are each going to be very good college players, I think.  If fouls or injury compels them to play at crunch time, I predict that they will do ok.

Season really starts Sunday.

 DUKE – MIAMI

The real season without Kyrie Irving started tonight against Miami and Nolan Smith played point guard about as well as any college player can. He scored 28 points on the ball, off the ball, and played pressure defense against the ever dangerous Durand Scott (3-14), who had such a good game against us last year. I have always thought Nolan had the skills to play the point, he just lacked the confidence and/or experience  that he could. Well, if tonight (and the last several games)  are any indication, he is gaining the confidence. When Nolan is in an aggressive and attacking mode, he is a handful. Kevin Durant, the sensational young pro who averages 28 points a game for Oklahoma City Thunder, was his best teenage friend in the Washington area, they played AAU ball together, and still work out together in the summer. So, Nolan knows big time competition. He just has to accept the fact that until/if (ever) Kyrie  returns, he  has to play Batman not Robin.

Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly started again but as we all know, minutes played and who is on the floor in close games are what matter more. If tonight is any indication, Kelly has worked himself into major minutes (rotating with either Mason or Miles) with his defense and heady  play. Seth, on the other hand, just is not physically the player that Andre Dawkins is—as was demonstrated when he stole the ball and was caught stuffed from behind by a Miami player (Memo: you’re not at Liberty anymore). Andre, on the other hand, with 16 points (plus four steals) at crucial times on a variety of shots, was a much needed scorer because Kyle was 5-15. Two lethal scorers normally do not consistently win tough games—most good teams can shut down one of two but not two of three. Also, 14-15 from the foul line helps a lot.

It is apparent that the best way to beat Duke is to zone them on defense, penetrate and dish on offense, and pray they are not hitting threes, because the big men are not a treat to score many points. As long as no one else gets hurt and the defense plays like they did tonight (holding an opponent to 37% from the field and 18% from three point land), the Blue Devils put themselves in a position to win—but there is not much room for error when they only shoot 43% and commit 13 turnovers. Without Kyrie, Duke is a very good but no longer a dominating team. And, shades of JJ Redick, Smith and Singler played the entire game in a seven man rotation.

Alan adds:

No way to have any complaints about Duke tonight.  You have to be impressed with the consistency of the Duke defense.  Miami had maybe 3 uncontested shots the whole game (and missed those).  Our big guys are very active and Miami’s shots near the hoop were always contested and caused a lot of misses.  Miami is a good team.  Their big guy, (42) Reggie Johnson played very well, and scored whenever he had the ball near the basket regardless of what Duke defenders did.  He was 9-10 from the field and 4-6 from the foul line with 9 boards (5 offensive), 2 blocks and a steal in 23 minutes.  Duke is glad he picked up 2 quick fouls, and should worry about the return game in Miami on 2/13.  He looked like a beast for whom Duke had no answer.  Other than that, Duke looked very good (slightly off excellent) on defense.  They switch like a ballet troupe and are intense.  Fun to watch.

Offensively, Duke fans keep seeing the vision of what the team looked like with Kyrie.  They no longer look like that, but still…not bad.  Nolan was wonderful and his run late in the first half was basically the difference in this game (13 straight points, including 3 3s).  Even more than Singler, he’s the example of the benefit of staying all 4 years in college.  His game has taken a wonderful jump each of the last two years.  Singler didn’t shoot well, but Nolan and Dawkins picked up the slack.  I share you admiration of Dawkins’s maturation process.  He is already a good player (better say than Smith was in his sophomore year), but his skills make you think he can get much better – be an All-American type player by his senior year.  There is nothing he doesn’t do well on the court.  Nolan and Singler played the entire game (40 minutes); Andre was third in most minutes played with 29.  His last 3 was an absolute dagger.  Curry is still my starter, but his foul trouble really curtailed his value in this game. He played 18 minutes without scoring, Even having a bad shooting night, Singler is the consistent reliable glue.  That takes us to the big guys.

The Plumlees are athletic, graceful and can run and jump (like I said, athletic), but nothing that either shot had even a prayer of going in.  Miles shows amazing moments, but he is still not a really good basketball player (by a smidgeon in several different types of plays), but he is close; I have to think he’ll get there …eventually.  23 minutes; 6 points; 6 boards (4 offensive) and a block.  Mason similarly, but actually more effective.  In 25 minutes, he had 4 blocks, and 10 boards (4 offensive), but only 2 points.  Neither Plumlee could stop Johnson, but they really became efficient guarding the rim after the first 6 minutes or so.  Neither Plumlee made you feel, as a Duke fan, that you wanted either of them to shoot.   Kelly is earning his minutes.  He’s not as athletic as either Plumlee, but he knows more about basketball, hustles, and makes surprisingly good plays and exercises pretty good judgment.  He, too, played 25 minutes (both he and Mason played a couple of minutes more than Miles), was 4-5 from the field (his only miss was his only 3 point attempt) and 6 boards (2 offensive) and 3 blocks.  How these three guys develop during the year will tell the Duke tale this year, I think.  All pretty optimistic (I think Miami is pretty good), and if Kyrie comes back and is the same player…Right now, the rotation is only 7 players.

DUKE – UAB

For the opening minutes of tonight’s game,  Duke’s defense, offense, and  the Cameron Crazies were in near perfect sync. After the seven minute tsunami passed, Duke was leading 26-4. Except for the continued excellence of Nolan Smith, who had 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, the rest of the game was fairly mundane. Nevertheless, individually there were some interesting developments. Andre Dawkins started for Seth Curry, played 32 minutes, and proved that with 6 rebounds and 3 steals, to go with 8 points (on only 4 shots), he is not a one trick pony in that he does not have to score a lot of points to be contribute. Ryan Kelly continues to improve as a savvy defender and efficient rebounder (8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 23 minutes). Surprisingly, he does not yet appear to be a confident shooter, which was supposed to be his calling card. Mason Plumlee had his best, most assertive  game since Kyrie was injured. No matter which of the big men start, clearly the minutes will depend on who is playing the best defense and individual foul situation. Tonight, Miles started but got a few fouls and made a few awkward plays so Mason came in, was energetic and effective, so got the most minutes.

After Kyrie’s injury, I wrote that for this team to continue to win, Nolan Smith had to step up and play a pro-active  Batman rather than a reactive, side kick Robin. There were times last year when he just took a game over and looked unstoppable. However, for whatever reason, he didn’t do it on a regular basis as he has in the last several games. I think he understands that as long as Kyrie is out, this is  his team and he has  the skills to run the show—and run it he did tonight with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Actually, on his drives, he looks more like Spiderman than Batman as his long arms, quickness, and leaping ability allow him to play much longer and taller than 6’ 2”.

Nolan is not going to be able to score like this every game. UAB has no real center and played a perimeter defense with no inside presence, allowing Smith, once he broke past his defender, a relatively clear path to the basket. Other teams (like Maryland Sunday night) with different personal will not be so accommodating. While Kyle is consistently playing his usual all-round terrific game, he has been a streaky shooter all year. After a fast start, he was 1-11 in the second half. That is why Dawkins, Curry and the committee of three Big Men (2 Plumlees & Kelly) have to be viable scoring options—and nobody else can get hurt—for the Blue Devils to continue their winning streak.

Coach K’s post game comments provide some insight into his mind set:  “I’d like to have those top seven guys think of themselves as all starters and the two freshmen coming in when they need to so that you have a starter’s mentality. We can rotate the bigs in that third perimeter position– we might, we might not. I want those seven guys to feel like when they are in the ballgame that is a starting unit in the ballgame. Like the way Mason played tonight.  He was talking, he played with a presence, getting 14 points and nine rebounds and four blocks. He didn’t play tired either. We kept him in there a long time. Ryan Kelly is playing well. He just keeps improving.  Andre didn’t shoot the ball much but he played well and that’s a sign of maturity…. The number of minutes with older players like Nolan, if you don’t over-practice them, it’s inconsequential. I mean, trust me I do this for a living and then we make sure we don’t wear them out in practice. I think what they do as far as weight training, conditioning and eating, is also important. He is a guy who after this year is going to be a pro basketball player and that’s what we try to do, to teach them how to do that. So playing this number of minutes is what he wants to do. I thought there wasn’t a phase of the game that he didn’t play at the highest level, including management which leads to team stats.”

DUKE – MARYLAND 

Everyone knew this would be a tought game because Gary Williams is a very good coach whose players personify his tenacity and aggressiveness. For about twenry-two minutes the Terps played with more intensity than the Blue Devils and gave them all they could handle–and more. As I mentioned after the UAB game, Coach Williams would not let  Nolan Smith drive the lane at will and let the Blue Devils the freedom to make easy baskets. These two factors changed the entire offensive dynamic for Duke and contributed to a poor shooting night (40%). Uncharacteristically, it was Maryland, not Duke, who ran off seven straight points to start the seconf half to go up by 6 points as the game was on the verge of getting out of hand.

Then, Coach K demonstrated why he has won more basketball games than any coach not named Knight. He called a timeout and had animated, Chicago style  “discussion” with is starters, and inserted Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton into the lineup.  These two players turned the game around as they sparked a 14-2 run. To no one’s surprise, Seth hit some jumpers but to everyone’s surprise, it was Tyler, the freshman, who was the energizer bunny catalyst for th on-the-ball intensity that disrupted the Terps offfense. In twelve minutes, Tyler had 4 steals, to 2 charges (even scored 2 ponts) and allowed Nolan the comfort to provide offense from his old position on the wing.  After that shot of adrenalin, Duke was a different team.

This was an important test because it answered the questions as to what happens when Nolan Smith goes 5 for 18 from the floor and a very good center outplays our Bigs, and going for 23 points, 13 rebounds and fouling out Mason Plumlee with 5:20 to go. Fortunately, Nolan was 8 for 8 at the foul line and Singler had his best game of the season with 25 points & 10 rebounds. After all the poor shooting and sloppy play, Nolan and Kyle executed a perfect exhibition of a high pick and roll as the shot clock expired to help protect the lead. Singler set the pick, slid left, took the pass from a driving Smith, and drained the three. However,  the key to the season is how Coach K and his staff mentally and physically coach up the supporting cast to fill in the missing blanks. I suspect that on any given night, it will be a different combination of players. Unless they are in foul trouble, you know Smith and Singler will each play 40 minutes, score 40 or 50 points, and play great defense. So there are 120 minutes to divide up among the others, who are like a box of chocolates– you never know exactly what you’re going to get from these younger players. Coach K says that he wants his top seven players all to feel like starters. After tonight, make that eight.

A win is a win but a note of caution: Duke only won by seven points. As tough and gritty as they played tonight, other than Williams, the Terps are not a very good shooting team—39% from the floor, 53% from the line, & 21% of threes are not atypical numbers for this team. These numbers will not win most games.

Coach K on calling the quick timeout after halftime and substitution patterns:
“We couldn’t score. I thought whatever we told them at halftime was not working.  In fact I was sure it wasn’t working. We gave up seven points in a minute and two seconds and we shot two air balls I think and we didn’t run what we were supposed to run. In this league you can get knocked back because you play good people. We got knocked back and I thought at halftime we could collect ourselves a little bit but we didn’t. Then we did at the timeout, got a little bit more emotion and then we started to score. Our defense picked up immensely after that first timeout and then our offense kind of caught up to it.”

“I don’t go into a game expecting anybody to play a certain amount of minutes except Nolan and Kyle, I expect them to play most of the game. Really I am more instinctive about subbing and reactionary to how a kid is playing or what they are doing against us and things like that. You know at that moment I just felt that we needed a spark and Tyler Thornton was ready to provide that spark.”

Alan adds:

There was a huge TV snafu; and I couldn’t find the game on the tube until the second half.  [it was on a “sports extra” channel].  Duke was down 38-32.  I doubt that Duke would have won if we hadn’t found the game and watched the rest.

Tyler Thornton and Seth immediately pulled Duke out of the hole with energy and a couple of shots.  Duke never got clearance, but Maryland never put Duke in real jeopardy – i.e. like Ohio St and Kansas were yesterday — after that (but no comfort for Duke either).  Duke plays the end game as well as any team.

Big guys continue to plague Duke.  Jordan Williams was a beast (not unlike Reggie Johnson) that Duke had real trouble handling.  Mason fouled out.  Ryan did not play very much in the second half.  I see he was 0-4 from behind the arc.  Duke went smaller in the second half and got good play from the three supporting guards (the aforementioned Tyler and Seth + Dawkins).  Dawkins hit a big shot in the second half.  This was Kyle’s game.  As much as he has been slightly overshadowed by Nolan in the last few games, he really showed why this team needs him (and he delivers).  I note that he is better than Harrison Barnes (as in way better that Singler came back than if Barnes had enrolled at Duke instead of down the highway).  Kyle and Nolan played 40 minutes.  Nolan had a tough time offensively, but played like the player he is in the last few minutes.  His drive from the left side with the shot clock running down was the 1 in the 1-2 punch (Kyle’s 3 at the end was the haymaker).

With 5 road games in the next 7, we will see if Duke continues this improbable run.  The road in the ACC is difficult even in a down year.  It will tell a lot.

 DUKE – FLORIDA   STATE

Playing Florida State in Tallahassee has recently been difficult for Duke. They have lost there three times in ten years as the number one ranked team in the country. Tonight, the Seminoles, who usually play very tough defense, also played very good offense as they pressed on the perimeter and dared Duke to beat them inside. Smith and Singler had just 39  (on their low range) of 61 points but, more significantly,  no one else broke into double digits. That kind of production will not beat many teams.

Live by the three, die by the three. The numbers tell the story:  Duke shot 31% with 35 of 61 shots being threes. Florida State shot 46% with 13 of 54 being threes. Even with these numbers, Duke was in a position to win the game but the Seminoles, not Duke, finished the game off. Florida State played a very smart, intense game and certainly deserved to win. Singleton and Kitchens were the offensive lynchpins as they outscored Nolan and Kyle and the entire Florida State team outmuscled and out played Duke on both ends. Duke’s late run demonstrated how much difference hitting the three point shot can make—or not.

Gary Williams had the right game plan to attack Duke offensively and defensively but did not have all the players and the venue to pull off a win. So, it’s no secret what Duke will face from here on out. Deny the three, keep Nolan out of the paint, get back on defense, and attack the lane on offense. Now it is up to the three Big’s to man up and Andre, Seth, or Ryan to provide consistent double digit scoring to take the pressure off Nolan and Kyle. Otherwise, there will be more nights like tonight.

This game had some similarities to the Georgetown game last year in that the loss was a wakeup call and motivational lynchpin to the championship drive to the conference and national titles. However, that was a more mature, experienced team where everyone knew their roll and could execute under pressure.

Alan adds:

Here was a game that went badly from the opening tip.  There isn’t much good to say about Duke’s performance other than there was no quit and both Kyle and Nolan were semi-heroic (the semi derives from their collective shooting percentage).  The rest of the team was in collapse.  K’s rotation selection was an interesting response to the absence of any offense close to the basket.  There was a clear main five, and a supporting bench that was almost non-existent.  Kelly played 15 minutes.  The rest of the bench totaled 14 minutes [Miles played 6 minutes; Hairston 5 and Thornton 3].  Dawkins and Seth shot a combined 2-17 and Mason, who fouled out after playing 32 minutes, took only 3 shots to go with his 14 rebounds.  It was a disappointing offensive effort.  Fla. St defense is good and deserves credit, but Duke’s offense was stagnant, without penetration, and with pretty awful shot selection.  Duke hoisted up 35 3 pointers (making 11: 33 points on 35 shots), many of them forced under defensive pressure.  It is so obvious to say that Duke missed Irving’s unstoppable (in 8 games anyway) penetration.

Duke has to fix its interior somehow.  Whether it is Mason regaining his offense and playing with the smaller team (Dawkins and Curry are unlikely to have similar bad shooting games on the same night), which I think (and have said) is Duke’s best team, or having either Miles or Kelly (or both) step up and become reasonable offensive forces, this is (as I have also previously written) the key to the season Duke will have.  This game was a wind of reality, but doesn’t diminish the potential for the season.

DUKE – VIRGINIA

Duke started the game playing at the same inefficient level than they did against Florida State, except that the opposition today looked like they never found the weight room. You had to wonder who were these imposters wearing Duke jerseys as they only scored 25 points on 35% shooting(1-12 threes) in the first half and trailed by 6. Then, the Blue Devils, down by nine with fifteen minutes to go, went on a 16-2 run and scored 51 points in the second half (4-8 threes) to win by 16. How can this can this disparity be explained?

Virginia’s the seven foot center Assane Sene went to the bench with his fourth foul just three minutes into the second half. Coach K went to a smaller lineup by moving Singler to the four position and inserting Curry to go with Smith, Dawkins, and Mason Plumlee at center. Duke’s defensive intensity amped which created open court opportunities that led to a momentum shift.

Andre Dawkins finally tapped into his ability to be a crucial, big time playmaker both offensively and defensively—yes, you heard right, defensively! Once Andre drained two successive threes, stole the ball and fed Nolan for a jam, the team began to play like a contender rather than a pretender.

Mason started and had another good defensive game with 16 rebounds. Curry and Kelly also contributed at both ends. Coach K  had Thornton and Curry play some point guard, allowing Smith to operate from the wing where he is more comfortable. However, Nolan appears to be seeing the floor better as he had several very nice assists. On offense the ball went into the post more often, which, while not producing a lot of inside  points, achieved better spacing and more challenges for the defenders. But make no mistake, long periods of inept offense are not the trademark of a Final Four team. Duke cannot afford to play like they did at Florida State and the first half against Virginia and be a contender—or beat State at State on Wednesday.

It is obvious is that Tony Bennett is a terrific young coach, who is just needs a few more quality players.

Kyrie was an animated presence on the bench as usual. For whatever it means, his crutches have been replaced by a walking cast with his toes exposed so, I am told, that he can exercise them. Coach K has told the team not to plan on him returning. However, there has been no definitive statement and, apparently, as long as there is no surgery, there remains a possibility of his returning. Even if he does return, it would take some time for him to regain his early season form.

Alan adds:

Very right on.  Interesting questions: 1) What is the Miles story?  Tyler Thornton logs 2 and ½ times as many minutes as Miles (4 for Miles and 9 for Thornton).  Is he hurt?  Is it the turnovers? (2 boards and 2 turnovers in 4 minutes).  Few have fallen from so high so far so fast. [Note: he may have a touch of the flu] Dawkins was indeed the catalyst on the positive side and Sene’s 4th foul was an equally important catalyst.  And let’s not forget Nolan’s quite amazing scoring burst as well as Kyle’s solid all-around game (even though he only took 9 shots (1-6 from 3) and scored only 13.

While Mason had a good rebounding game (16 may be better than good), he is missing badly from point blank range.  He simply does not go up strong.  Also all the Duke postmen catch the ball and come out rather than be than force inside.

It was a good bounce back and got some of the bad taste of those 3 uncharacteristic halves out of Duke’s mouth.  But you can see how on the brink this season is going to be.

DUKE – NORTH CAROLINA STATE

What  a difference a year makes! What a difference a week makes! Last year  State led by Tracy Smith overpowered the Blue Devils inside to win at home 88-74. A week ago Florida State overpowered the Blue Devils at home 66-61. Tonight the brothers Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and others did not let Duke get overpowered or out played inside or out. Duke had both their “A” defensive(+10 rebs; +4 blks) and “A” offense (51% shooting) in gear for about thirty-three  of the forty minutes. Uncharacteristically, the beginning of the second half was the only extended let down as a fourteen point lead shrunk to six.

During the course of most games, an opponent, depending how talented they are, will make a run or two or three. The key is how a team responds to that challenge. An undermanned UVA, for instance, folded when Duke finally made their run Saturday. Tonight, Duke responded to every run by tough interior defense (37%) and timely offense (92 pts).  The most encouraging development was that every player contributed—even Tyler Thornton (5 pts; 2 charges; and tough defense). The little guy has no fear—as Coach K is obviously trying to give the underclassmen the playing time to develop confidence and play to their potential. No one demonstrated more improvement than Miles Plumlee, who put up Zoubek type numbers (11pts; 8 rebs in 21 minutes), and who got a well-deserved bear hug from Coach K as he came off the floor  at the end of the game. Mason was again a tower of strength rebounding (10) and blocking shots (6) to go with 7  points.

Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are so consistently dependable and good, it is easy to take them for granted. Again playing nearly the entire game, who stemmed all State’s runs with drives or long three’s in the final seven minutes? “Spiderman” (how does he make all those stretching, twisting drives?)  Smith attacking and Singler popping. Jay Bilas, who is the most incisive college basketball analyst this side of Bobby Knight, defined Nolan accurately as not a pure point guard but as an “attack” guard.  This was the best team effort of the year. When they play like this with everyone contributing,  Duke is capable of beating any college team.

As Coach K said: “Those seven guys outside of Nolan and Kyle, they just need experience,” Krzyzewski said. “They need to do things like they did tonight and they need to do it a few more times so they say, ‘That’s what I do. It’s not what I did on Jan. 19 against State. That’s what I do.’ That’s how roles are developed for us.”

Alan adds:

First and foremost, it was just a fun game to watch.  NC State appeared to be a very talented team with a genuine inside game and the best rebounding margin in the conference.  It does not take insight to say that Duke’s big guys had (collectively) their best game of the year and it made the difference.  One could say something nice about each of Duke’s 9 roster players.  The Plumlees, of course, get star billing – especially Miles (for whom this game was like Redemption).  There were a few defensive lapses, especially in the early and middle of the second half when State went to its huge lineup (Howell, Leslie and Smith in the front line and Wood and Harrow being very effective scoring in the backcourt).  But, when it mattered, Duke ratcheted up the defensive intensity again, and made the winning runs.

Nolan continues to be brilliant.  Coach K continues to be brilliant in his development of this team.  Kelly played more than Dawkins and contributed everywhere (though Leslie beat him badly on one drive – you could hear Rafferty intoning in his head “lingerie on the floor”.  Both he and Miles had 11 points and exuded something that has been missing from the bigs – confidence!  Everyone also showed that there is much room for improvement.  Seth got scorched and torched defensively, fouling out in 16 minutes with one turnover and no assists (but 8 points in those 16 minutes on 2-4 shooting, including 1-2 from 3 and 3-3 from the line when he was fouled on his missed 3 pointer; not bad).  Thornton really contributed, but still fouled out in 11 minutes and did create fouls at a time when fouling wasn’t smart.  Both Plumlees had rebounds in their hands that they lost and are not finishing from point blank range (especially Mason).  Kelly, too, sometimes doesn’t hold onto balls that he seems to have the best shot at corralling. Sometime their defensive rotations exposed the weak side to offensive rebounding.  Even though Duke won the battle of the boards, State impressed with its inside play.  Hairston contributed on offense, but still doesn’t have a clue defensively and isn’t strong enough yet to hold his own on the boards.  Dawkins was wonderful (especially in the first half) but seemed to sink into a funk after his (not smart) foul on Woods’s 3 point attempt (he made all 3 foul shots).  Of course, Nolan was astounding in the open court, even as he had a bit of trouble from the perimeter.  Kyle is so reliable even after a desultory first half.  They are such a pleasure to watch (and watch play together).

All in all, a very satisfying win and even more important and encouraging building block.

 DUKE – WAKE FOREST

When Duke plays an ACC team at home after they have been blown out on the road, it is often a dangerous situation. While Wake Forest is at the bottom of the standing, they are a young team with talent that has not meshed or adjusted to the talent and intensity of college basketball. Nevertheless, they played Duke even for about ten minutes, five of which I missed because I do not have a Time-Warner cable password to access espn3.com.  Spiderman Smith, who may  have lingering effects from physical contact in the State game Wednesday, was not shooting well and as a result the Duke offense was struggling.

Coach K apparently has decided that in order to cover the weaknesses of this team without Kyrie Irving  to mix and match complementary players on the floor with Smith and Singler. Today the starters were struggling, so he substituted Miles Plumlee and Tyler Thornton.  Tyler has proven that he is a smallish (for basketball)  but relentless  defensive player whose on the ball pressure takes teams out of their offensive comfort zone and is not afraid to hassle big men or take charges. He also is a solid point guard  who gives Nolan a rest from ball handling duties. From the point of this substitution, the Blue Devils defense was more effective and they started to take charge of the game and the crowd out of it. And, for the second game in a row, Miles played with confidence and intelligence to go with his athleticism and strength—and he can shot free throws.

The most important development is that Ryan Kelly is growing up right before our eyes to be the solid third starter. Among other things Ryan, presents real matchup problems and has earned his playing time by understanding how to play Duke Basketball and doing all the little things that do not necessarily show up on the stat sheet. For instance, today Singler got a rebound on the left baseline and Ryan screened two Deacons in the paint so Singler had an easy, uncontested, driving layup. Now that he bulked up over the summer, the only thing Ryan has lacked is confidence in his shot, which was supposed to be his strong suite. Well, he has been working overtime on that after practice and today his line was 20 points on 6 shots from the floor (6-6; 4-4 from 3;  4-4 from the line), 6 rebounds, 2 steals, no personal fouls, and no turnovers  in 31 minutes. Play like this is another piece of the puzzle.

Speaking of puzzling, just when you think Andre Dawkins is maturing, he just sort of disappears during some games. And when that happens so do his minutes. Today he was 1-3 from the floor, 0 rebounds and 2 turnovers in 13 ineffective minutes as Thornton played 22 effective minutes. Curry is becoming a better on ball defender as demonstrated when he dove on the floor and passed it up court to Smith for a transition basket. Mason had 10 rebounds and is channeling Zoubek by passing offensive rebounds out of the paint for open three point shots rather than shooting himself.

The bottom line is that without Kyrie this is a different team with everyone (except Singler) having different roles.  Uncharacteristically, Coach K is utilizing playing more players, trying to put the younger plays in a position to succeed in small increments to add to their confidence (while covering their weaknesses) and  waiting to see who deserves more minutes.

Alan adds:

Jim Summers’ article on DBR makes almost all the points that I wanted to make.  So, I deviate a bit.  What is the Dawkins story?  He only played 13 minutes and picked up two fouls and had two turnovers and made a three pointer.  I missed the first few minutes of the game and when I saw him, he really had that whiney bad body language and then he didn’t play much.  Sick?  Another interesting time stat is that Hairston played only 3 minutes while Tyler T played 22 and looked very capable.  Tyler played more than Curry (21 minutes) or Dawkins.

The game was so satisfying because Duke got really competent play from all 3 big guys.  Thornton’s minutes bode well for Duke’s depth and K’s plan for Duke to be a bit different depending on the opponent.  You can see the team’s role players developing.  Duke needed a third scorer when Irving went down.  They don’t have one consistent third scorer, but different guys are stepping up in different games.  So that third scorer was Ryan yesterday with an amazing stat line. Other games it has been Dawkins or either of the Plumlees.  Mason didn’t finish well yesterday but he has obviously been a rebounding machine in the ACC games.

Duke hosts BC on Thursday and then comes to my neck of the woods to play St. John’s in the World’s Most Famous Arena.

 DUKE –BOSTON COLLEGE

Boston College is an undersized  but dangerous team that has undergone an offense transplant by new head coach Steve Donahue. Gone is the grind-it-out inside muscle game; instead, it spreads the floor, attacks, and kicks to the open man. Playing no real post player takes Mason or Miles to the perimeter, leaving the lane open for back door cuts and one-on-one action.  It is a dangerous but vulnerable approach.

The makeup of this Duke team enables Coach K to be creative in whom he puts on the floor with Smith and Singler. Tonight, he started Seth Curry in place of a struggling Andre Dawkins to better defend the perimeter. The strategy worked  because Seth not only defended the perimeter well but also scored (20 pts. 5-7 threes) like his father and brother. Mason’s rebound and a patented Wes Unseld two handed seventy foot pass to Seth for an NBA three was the highlight play of the night.

Spiderman Smith (28pts, 8 assist, 1 to) fed on the Eagles lack of inside defenders. Ryan Kelly finally missed a shot but still had his usually efficient game of 14 pts, 4 rebs and 4 blks. Mason, the rebounding machine, had 14 rebounds in 23 minutes.

The key to the season is the maturation and development of the younger players—and watching that process is interesting and exciting. Second and third scoring options are there for the taking as Smith and Singler are unselfish players who welcome sharing the load. The journey gets more difficult as the Blue Devils have conference road trips coming up.

Mike Gminski, is a terrific analyst. In response to a comment about the fatigue factor of all the minutes Smith and Singler are playing, he made the cogent point   that when a team is on television, the commercial timeouts dictate that the game is essentially played in four minute increments. The result is that when you combine those with the normal team allotment, Smith and Singler have time to recover without sitting out the action.  Of course, Duke is in television more than CSI reruns.

Alan adds:

The game was not on in the NY area and I find ESPN.360 a pain.  So I followed the score on the bottom line and got details from time to time from the ESPN website.  Of course, I scoured DBR this morning.  So it seems from the comments and the box score that Duke’s big guys continue to improve, which makes the team grow.  One does wonder what the Dawkins story is.  He’s only played 23 minutes in the last two games and has one field goal.  The good news from the 3 post-Fla St games is that different guys are stepping up in scoring roles.  Curry was efficient last night (20 points on 9 shots; 5-7 from 3 and 3-4 from the foul line); Kelly too and especially against NC State.  Mason is rebounding well (2-6 from the foul line has to improve because he gets there so often.  He can’t be in the game at the end if Duke is nursing a lead) and Miles had 4 steals in 14 minutes.  All in all, good signs.  Not to forget that NC State, UVa and BC are not nationally ranked teams and are not in contention for the ACC title.  So, there is the potential of the progress being misleading.  Four of the next 6 are on the road (St Johns, Maryland are the next two; then home against NC State and UNC (a real test); and then on the road again to face Miami and UVa.  It will be interesting to see how Duke’s big guys play against Reggie Johnson and Miami, and, of course, against Zeller, Henson and Knox.  Once again hats off to Coach K, who is doing some job with this team.

 DUKE – ST.  JOHN’S

Just when it appeared the Blue Devils had found a reliable third and possibly fourth scoring option, the team played about thirty-three minutes  of their worst basketball of the year without any scorers.  Smith(32) and Singler (20) final numbers are misleading because they came long after the game was decided and St. John’s had gone into their “prevent” offense.  St. John’s outplayed Duke in every phase of the game. Behind 46-25 at the end of the first half, the Devils shot an pathetic 1-13 threes and 29% from the floor.

Previously, when the Blue Devils were not shooting well, their defense kept the game close until the offense returned from vacation. Not today. Long rebounds from missed threes turned into open court baskets for St. John’s and the half-court defense was shredded by the quicker Red Storm.

A loss is a loss and this one was a wake-up call much like the Georgetown game was last year. You can count on teams attacking Duke like St. John’s did. A full court press on defense, spread the floor and a patient, attacking half-court offense.

We will learn a great deal by Wednesday night’s game Against Maryland. If Duke responds to this loss with an impressive win in College Park and a few games later against UNC at home this game, like the Georgetown loss, will be seen as an anomaly. If not…….

Anything more would just be redundant, because Alan’s comments are so comprehensive.

Alan adds:

Well that wasn’t very much fun at all.  I’m not sure what to say after that blitzkrieg by St John’s, who played virtually a perfect game.  Duke started out defending well, but when Duke couldn’t get its offense going against the St John’s press, the defense fell apart.  The offense was very ineffective against the press.  Part of that is because to beat the press, you have to make the pressing team give up easy baskets as a result of the gambling pressure.  Duke got the ball up court (most of the time), but took time doing it and then did no more damage to the press than to begin to run the set offense 10 seconds later than normal.  Some of the bad set offense was just bad shooting.  The shots were there and most were not forced, but Duke just couldn’t shoot from long range.  (Kyle, Seth, Nolan and Dawkins were 4-26 and 1-13 for the first half.  Nolan had a wonderful stat line at the end and was all Duke had in the second half, but he had his four turnovers all in the first 10 minutes when the game got away from Duke.  Duke had only 9 assists against 17 turnovers!  Wow!

It did feel as if Duke wasn’t at all ready to be challenged in this non-conference game.  The Duke focus seemed as if it was on Maryland.  Now it surely will be.

It was a year to the day after Georgetown beat Duke like a drum in D.C.  This certainly brought back memories of that collapse.  The rest of that season turned out pretty good.

Some more thoughts.  First, Duke really was complacent and not ready to play.  I know how they felt.  I just didn’t take this game seriously.  Second, Duke’s complacency was less deserved than met the eye.  After the Fla State game, Duke had four wins where one of the role players (sometimes two) had games that made Duke fans feel good.  I’ve alluded to this before.  The four wins were against really inferior teams and Duke was not that dominant throughout the games, except maybe BC, which I did not see.  Duke beat UVa, NC State, Wake and BC.  You can’t name the starting point guard for any of those four teams.  Each one is a bottom team (except BC, which was picked pre-season at the bottom and which seems to have descended in recent games to its predicted level.  I also point out that the Duke “killer schedule” (played with Kyrie) early in the year has not panned out to be a killer schedule in retrospect: Michigan State (has been hammered and has the look of Team Dissension from the outside), Marquette (a little better than St John’s but not much and maybe not at all), Kansas State (makes the Mich St season look successful by contrast), Oregon and Butler (playing better now that the competition has receded, but handled early by mediocre teams) all look inferior to what they appeared pre-season.  So, there is a real possibility that the early season success has been accomplished by K’s genius and the undeniable talent of Smith and Singler, and that the team really is overrated.  There is very little chance to prove otherwise in this down ACC year.  Duke’s games are all low reward, but high risk.  Beating Maryland or NC State won’t be considered a big accomplishment by those who vote in the polls, but a loss (real possibility as the St John’s game makes clear) will be critical to how Duke is perceived on the National scene.

UNC  looks as if it has emerged as a power.  UNC just cremated NC State and looked dominant (far more dominant than Duke; though to be fair, Duke played State in Raleigh while UNC was home) in doing it.  So, if Duke can squeeze out two games (at Maryland and home against State), the UNC game will be quite large.

Last year Duke was 4-3 in January and we were all pretty down after the Georgetown drubbing.  This year Duke was 7-2 in January, but both losses were big downers and put a bit of a pin in the Duke balloon.  Wednesday night will be an illuminating litmus test.

DUKE – MARYLAND

While I was out of town and did not have access to my email address book, I did see the game and did talk to Alan. His comments are both prescient and comprehensive, so I will leave it to him to cover the details and just make a few observations.

Coming off a horrible loss to unranked St. John’s, I thought this game at College Park, with their crowd’s obstreperous hatred for Duke, might be the most important test of the of the season. Lose it and the possibility of an ACC Championship and number one seeding in the NCAA Tournament is severely diminished. Win it, and the possibility to beat Carolina at home and run the table on the rest of the regular season is a distinct possibility. The key is how the younger players respond to such a crushing loss on national television. We know that historically Coach K’s teams rarely lose two games in a row and he has a long memory of tough losses like the one last year at College Park–and Gary Williams teams have long dry periods between wins against Duke. On the other hand, Gary Williams gets the most out of his players.

St. John’s shredded Duke defense to get into the lane for easy baskets. Maryland is a similar type of team but with a dominant center, so Coach started Tyler Thornton for two reasons: he is the best on- the- ball defender and very proficient at running the point. This keeps Nolan Smith fresher for the end of the game when he is so effective at spreading the floor and protecting a lead and it also allows him to operate from the wing where he has more angles from which to attack the basket. Then, shockingly, he ran the  first few plays for the offensively challenged Mason Plumlee to attack Jordan Williams to let him know that he would have to play both ends of the floor.  It also had the effect of energizing Mason to have perhaps his best game at Duke. And, just as importantly, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry also responded with terrific games because Ryan Kelly was in foul trouble and only played six minutes and because both Nolan and Kyle also were flagged with multiple fouls early.

Coach K also devised a clever ploy for Kyle to stack down low with the center and forward, sort  of like three wide receivers  stacked to one side of the line of scrimmage so he could pick off his man on a curl into the paint for a fall away jump shot. It worked like a charm as Singler hit a few and was on all night. Then, with five minutes to go Smith took over and did his Spiderman impression, driving the lane and scoring or getting fouled. The bottom line is that this Blue Devil team that was humiliated Sunday on the road on national television played their third game in a row on the road against a tough, relentless team with three straight wins with twenty thousand frenzied student waiting for an excuse to burn down College Park and they more than met the challenge as Singler and Smith played like All Americans and the younger players played like veterans. Now comes the do-it–every- game part.

Alan pre game comments:

Good Morning, Bill (possibly worth including, depending on what happens tonight)

I went back into your fabulous tract on last year’s team to see how Duke fared after the Georgetown debacle last year.  It reminded me that Duke wasn’t playing that well.  They were 4-3 in January, culminating in the Georgetown blow-out, but they had been blown out by lowly NC State just a couple of games before that and were struggling even in the wins.  Things did not turn around right after Georgetown.  Duke eked out some tough wins before the season turned when Duke played Maryland at College Park (Lance returned even though it appeared that an injury in the previous game might have been season ending; and Zoubek emerged with the first of game of what became a tremendous season – 16 points and 17 boards).  That’s when the season turned into something special.  My instinct is the way this season could turn special is Mason has that transformation.  You can see all the pieces are there.  He’s got the right attitude and is trying.  He’s just a micro-click away from morphing into a consistent force as Zoubek did last year.  Tonight will be a great test because of the skill and talent of Jordan Williams.  Lightening may not strike twice, but then again it might.

After game comments:

Mason made me proud and a prophet.  It is time for him to be consistent now.  K called it his best game at Duke.  He had a double double – 12 points (6-7 from the field) and 11 boards; a big negative is 0-3 from the line.  Foul him on a layup attempt and it is (so far) like creating a Duke turnover.  It’s time for this to be the kind of game that Duke counts on him having.  He’s got the potential to morph into this year’s Zoubek.

There were many excellent aspects to the game: 1) Duke pulled to a big lead with Nolan and Kyle on the bench with foul trouble; 2) Duke’s last 17 points of the first half were scored by players other than the two All-Americans; 3) Both All-Americans played like All-Americans when it really counted.  Nolan was astounding in the last 5 minutes (the only negative was his 2-7 from 3land).  Kyle made all the plays (including taking down some key defensive rebounds at the end); 4) Tyler Thornton joined the rotation, which shored up the defense that was so shaky against St. John’s.  He did get pressured (4 of Duke’s only 8 turnovers in 28 minutes), but the team looked confident with him running the point.  He has terrific upside.  So maybe Duke does have a freshman point guard; 5) the re-emergence of Curry and Dawkins.  K sent them a message by starting Tyler and having Tyler play more minutes than either of them.  Dawkins had 11 points in 20 minutes and Curry 8 in 23.  Curry played intense and came up with one huge rebound in traffic; 6) Miles made a left hand hook shot.  He gave 22 good minutes even though not dazzling in the stat sheet (3 points; 5 boards – 3 offense – an assist and a turnover; and 7) The Mason offensive breakout.

Here’s an interesting stat that may have hidden meaning: Duke had 0 blocked shots last night.  My take is that the shot blocking mania for Mason & co has Duke’s bigs leaving their feet too soon, resulting in openings for good interior passing and easy opponent layups (against St. John’s for sure).  That did not happen last night, and I infer that might be one of K’s post St. John’s defensive adjustments.

NC State has all the makings of yet another “trap” game.  They looked terrible against Va. Tech last night and against UNC over the weekend.  Tracy Smith is an effective inside presence – very athletic scorer around the basket even if a bit undersized.  They have the talent to be a better team.  Duke is back home and gearing up for its biggest game of the year (so far) – UNC in Cameron next Wednesday.  It will be easy for Duke to look past NC State (though maybe not so easy after being ambushed in the Garden).

What could be more enticing than two home games against NC State and UNC (bring back Everett Case, Jimmy Valvano, Frank McGuire and Dean).  Bring back the Big Four Xmas tournament.  It is amazing how much more interesting Duke Basketball is this morning than last Monday.

DUKE – NORTH CAROLINA STATE

Any concern that this might be a “trap” game for the Blue Devils as they look forward to the Carolina game quickly dissipated as they played the first half with great energy and intensity. The efficiency of the

on-the-ball pressure and off-the-ball overplays created turnovers, steals, and general offensive ineffectiveness by N.C. State,  a team in which the whole is less than the sum of the parts. One of the keys was Kyle Singler’s limiting Scott Wood, a lethal three point shooter, to a bagel in 36 minutes. Another was the play of Mason Plumlee, who has added stronger offensive moves to the basket (if not a free throw touch) to his defensive repertoire.

Coach K on Mason Plumlee’s  performance: “Mason has led with his strengths during this last month, being a rebounder and a runner and a shot-blocker. He’s helped us tremendously with that. We just felt that, along the way if you keep playing to your strengths, your scoring will come. That hasn’t been a strength for him, but it’ll come just like his free throw shooting will come at some time. Hopefully sooner than later, but the fact is he’s getting to the line. It’s just a process, but when you’re going through that process, [he can’t] forget about [his] strengths because he’s been one of the really outstanding rebounders in the country and he’s doing a heckuva job.”

Seth Curry also appears to be more comfortable playing at this level now that he has become a more effective defensive player to go along with his sweet stroke.

I went to dinner after the 53 point first half confident that unless someone was injured, Duke had put the St. John’s game behind them. When I returned home and saw that Duke had only scored 23 points in the second half, I thought it was a misprint. Watching my recording of the second half reminded me how much basketball is a game of a fraction of an inch as shots that went through the basket in the first half, rolled around and out in the second. That of course does not explain shooting about the same percentage from the free throw line (53%) as from beyond the three point arc (50%).  But that was an anomaly as Duke, even with Mason shooting 43%, is shooting in the mid 70’s for the season.

Since the unfortunate injury to Kyrie Irving, Coach K has retooled the team very nicely as Smith and Singler have stepped into the breach and the younger players have matured into their roles. With the inexplicable and selfish departure of Drew II, look for Nolan Smith against Marshall and McDonald to be the key to a Wednesday night victory against Carolina.

Coach K onKyrie Irving’s injury:
“The main thing that we’re optimistic about is that there’s more healing. You can only get so much healing in a cast. Now for the next couple weeks, he goes through therapy. He’ll have a CAT scan and an MRI in a couple weeks to see if that therapy has helped with the healing also, [and] it should. We still fell he’s not going to play and we have to go forward with that. He’s a long way from playing. Just because you’re out of a cast, you have to be 100 percent before you come back and he’s a ways from that. It’s progressing well for his career. It’s being done the right way and he’s got to be honest with us about how he’s doing.”

Alan adds:

Duke scored enough in the first half to win the game.  Duke scored 53; NC State scored 52 for the game.  Even though Duke only scored 23 points in a horrible shooting second half (19%), State never got closer than 21.  It was some first half explosion.  Only Ryan (1 board; 1 assist; 1 block 1 foul and 1 turnover) and Hairston (5 points, 2 fouls and a turnover) were not really integral to it and their respective stat lines were not bad for playing only 12 and 10 minutes respectively.  Curry had 13 points in 23 minutes and played well on defense.  One of his best games, I thought (3-5 from behind the arc).  Dawkins and Thornton were solid in 26 minutes and 23 minutes respectively even though they each made only one hoop (Dawkins’ was a three pointer in the first half that started Duke’s separation from State).  Miles played 18 minutes with only a field goal (on 4 shots) and 1-2 from the line, but had 6 boards (4 offensive).  Duke’s offensive rebounding was stellar – they got 19 of the 45 caroms off the NC State backboard.

Duke had a trio of stars in the two All-Americans and Mason.  Mason had a monster game with 7-8 from the floor for 16 points (yes, 2-7 from the foul line; ouch!), 12 boards (4 offensive), 3 blocks, 2 steals and no turnovers.  Not a bad stat line.  Nolan had an amazing first half, and even his futile shooting (from outside and finishing) couldn’t detract from how impressive his stat line is.  However, take out his 2-2 from 3 and his 6-6 from the foul line and he was just 4 for 13 from the floor.  Still, 20 points, 7 assists, 6 boards, a block and 2 steals against one turnover.  A second amazing stat line.  Kyle was his steady self-playing amazingly good defense and getting 9 boards (3 offense), but was slowed by foul trouble and uncharacteristic inaccurate shooting (5-13; 1-2 from 3; 3-6 from the foul line to go with an assist, a block, a steal and a turnover.

All in all, it was an excellent tune-up to face the resurgent Tar Heels.  They play Fla. State today; we’ll see if Drew’s shocking departure harms them or is addition by subtraction.  After today, all ACC teams will have played 9 games except Wake and Carolina (8).  I think Carolina will have a difficult game today, but I hope they win to set up what could be a classic Duke-UNC game and a viable rivalry for this season.

K is trying to keep all of us from fantasizing about Kyrie returning and being Kyrie in time for the tournament(s).  But…

 DUKE – NORTH CAROLINA

In one of the most improbable and memorable turnarounds in college basketball’s best rivalry, Carolina won the first half by 14 points but Duke won the second half by 20 to win the game by 6. It was almost as if the teams switched uniforms at half time.

How could there be such a role reversal?

In the first twenty minutes, the Tar Heels, led by Tyler Zeller and John Henson, totally dominated Duke on the boards, in the paint, and in the open court. Against Carolina, if you impatiently jack up threes that miss, there is often a long rebound that plays right in the strength of Coach William’s patented primary and secondary fast break–  and Kendall Marshall orchestrated it to perfection as Carolina just about ran the Blue Devils out of the Cameron. The defense was so ineffective that Coach K went to a zone late in the half. Duke was lucky to not be down by twenty some points as they took three offensive charges on fast breaks that negated six points.

I don’t know what Coach K said at halftime but it sure worked wonders. Contrary to rumors that there is no paint left on the walls of the locker room, Coach said that he merely told the team to calm down and play their game in four minute segments. Whatever the truth (a legend has many authors), the result was that Duke played with a lot more intensity and energy on defense and more patience and precision offense.

Such a dominant comeback was a total team effort but someone other than Smith had to put the ball in the basket. The lynchpin was Seth Curry, who was all over the floor and gave Smith’s right arm and legs a rest by getting hot and personally shooting the Blue Devils back into the game. Then Smith, in another All-American performance, took over as he scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half. The other crucial factor was that the Cameron Crazies, Duke’s invaluable sixth man, never gave up in their vocal and foot stomping support of their team—probably causing Carolina a couple of turnovers and traveling violations. While Kyle Singler, who continues to get little respect from the refs, had only 10 points (8 rebounds, & 2 assists) but held Harrison Barnes to 9 points and hit three free throws to help seal the deal. Kyle, a high school quarterback, was also the lynchpin for an crucial inbounds play in the last seventeen seconds. Carolina had caused one pressing/trapping turnover and scored to cut their deficit to four points, then made Duke call a time out when they couldn’t inbound the ball. After the time out, Nolan faked coming to the ball, broke long and Kyle hit him in stride with a perfect sixty foot pass for a dunk–game, set, match!

Savor this win because Carolina is a talented, much improved team and Duke will probably play them two more times. I don’t know what Coach Larry Drew I had on Coach Williams but Drew II is not nearly as talented a point guard as Kendall Marshall, who reminds me of a young Jason Kidd at Cal (fundamentally sound, great passer, mediocre shooter). Drew II,  as he modestly referred to himself, did Coach Smith and the Carolina team a huge favor by taking his game and ego back to LA. If, as rumored, he had left after last year, this team would be even further along.

Similarly, Tyler Thornton’s injury gave Seth Curry an opportunity to star. As I noted when Kyrie was injured, Seth could  be the player to spell Nolan Smith at the point (he  had 5 assists to go with his 22 points). That’s not a knock on Tyler Thornton but I think that he is role player not a starter. Seth has an instinct to be at the right place at the right time and, now that his defense and confidence have improved, he just brings a lot to the floor. His comments after the game are interesting: “It was more than what I thought it would be.  The atmosphere was crazy, just seeing all the people come back for Duke-Carolina that in previous games I watched them play.  I was looking around before the game, and I thinking that this is what I dreamed about growing up.  So just coming out, playing well, and getting that win just adds to that classic rivalry.”

On a lighter note: a recently departed North Carolina basketball coach was quoted as telling his players Duke had ugly cheerleaders. That is debatable as some of his other judgments but I don’t think it is debatable that Duke has really attractive mothers and Seth Curry’s mom is right there with Josh McRobert’s, Jon Scheyer’s, and Kyle Singler’s as ladies who could pass for co-eds—and the camera loves them.

Alan adds:

Well, our conversation after the second half was just a tad more upbeat than that at half-time.  I am in Norfolk for court tomorrow.  I went to the gym to ride the exercise bike while I watched the desultory performance.  As I told you, Duke in the first half reminded me of the Jim Carroll story from “The Basketball Diaries”.  The high schoolers always went to Central Park before the game to score drugs — uppers (for before the game) and downers (for after the game).  They mixed them up before one game and were down 20 in the first five minutes.  Duke looked like that.  Beaten to every loose ball and rebound, humiliated by the UNC bigs, stuffed inside whether on drives or post-ups.  Barnes looked superior to Singler (unthinkable).  So, I left the gym and went to the bar (I know Dean Cox would have approved).

It was a good move.  A great sports bar by the hotel (Black and Tans to go with a good steak sandwich). The sauce was Nolan’s amazing second half.  But wait.  We need to look at Seth Curry’s contribution as he played Robin (as you like to analogize) to Nolan’s Batman.  Seth played 35 minutes (K does go with who is playing well) and scored 22 points on 12 shots (6-7 inside the arc); 4-5 from the line; 5 assists; 6 rebounds (4 offensive) and a steal.  He and Nolan had 54 points between them.  Nolan was simply awesome.  Kyle shot so poorly you wondered (3-17).  The final, and in truth, probably the most important aspect of the Duke second half was their defense.  Carolina was held to 30 points in the second half while Duke scored 50.  Quite amazing.

I think this was as good a comeback as I can remember.  It was thrilling and fun.  I believe this will be a serious jump in how this team thinks of itself.  It could be a season changer. We will see.   For one night the second half had us all giddy.

DUKE – MIAMI 

Coming off a thrilling victory against North Carolina, this was a challenging game for Duke—as UNC’s  two point win at Clemson demonstrated. In addition to being a never easy road game, Nolan Smith committed two early fouls and received a poke in  the eye that sent him to the locker room for treatment. Visions of a Jon Scheyer type eye injury flashed through my mind. However, Seth, Mason, Miles, Ryan, and Tyler filled the breach with a variety of impressive contributions and Nolan returned to score to score 16 second half points.

Seth had 16 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds; Mason had 12 points, 5 rebounds, & 3 pretty assists; Miles played  a strong, physical defense against 6’ 10” 300 lb. Reggie Johnson; Ryan, playing on a recently sprained ankle was an efficient and timely 4-5 from the floor; and Tyler hit 6 straight free throws in the last minute. The only mystery was Andre Dawkins, who continues his inexplicable disappearing act. Fortunately, Seth Curry, a physically less gifted player (but, as most of us know a good work ethic and high basketball IQ trumps athleticism) is maturing right before our eyes into a very complete playmaker in all aspects of the game (a team high 35 steals) as well as a third reliable, lethal shooter who now is able create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. Kyle Singler appears to be assuming the Shane Battier role of doing whatever is needed to balance the team and produce a victory. Against Miami, it was 14 points, defense, rebounding, and committing no turnovers while inbounding the ball against the Hurricane’s press.

Tonight, the most impressive development was that the points and assists came from anyone and anywhere. Holy Wilt the Stilt, Mason even hit two free throws—in a row! The bottom line is that, after the loss of Kyrie Irving,  this team is retooling  and developing into more than just a two trick pony.

Mike Gminski, the anti-Dick Vitale, was one of the announcers. He reminds me of Ray Scott, the announcer for the Green Bay Packers during the Lombardi era—a Detective Joe Friday “Just the facts, Ma’am” type. He adds calm, informative, knowledgeable commentary at the appropriate time and allows the action on the floor speak for itself, which is a welcome relief to a traditionalist like me.

Alan adds:

What a joy to watch!  My adrenalin never ran.  Even when Duke was behind in the early going, I felt confident.  Duke played well; Miami just shot amazingly well and Duke needed to tighten up the defense.  I enjoyed watching this excellent performance.  The defense against Reggie Johnson was very effective, even though his numbers were not paltry.  In Durham, he was a man among boys and only foul trouble, which limited him to 22 minutes, kept him from dismantling Duke’s interior.  Last night, he was handled by Duke’s bigs effectively.  Not perfectly; but Miles (especially), Mason, and the exquisitely inventive double teams — sometimes Mason; sometimes Curry – kept Johnson from impacting the game more than slightly.  The big guys all exuded confidence with the ball and are improving visibly.  I am gaining confidence that our big guys can compete at a high level.  I believe the second half against UNC may have been a turning point for them.  They were so embarrassed in that first half.

Kelly regained his shooting touch, which was a nice complement to the zone attack.  He hit 3 nice shots from just below the foul line – the open spot in the Miami zone.  Thornton made real contributions.  You can see K respects and trusts him.  He’s in at the end hitting 6-6 on crucial foul shots at crunch time.  I think Thornton reminds K of K as a player (Sean Dockery a bit also).  Duke’s rotation is a strong 8 (only Josh Hairston is not in it of the 9 scholarship players Duke has).

Now the fun of discussing the three stars.  Yes, three.  Curry’s game yesterday was as good as what Irving did in the first 8.  He played 39 minutes with panache, energy, calm and clutch scoring.  Four boards were impressive.  16 points on 10 shots.  The defense and 5 steals were impressive.  Truthfully, his performance was Irvingesq yesterday.  I agree with Bill that Singler is morphing into Shane.  That is as high a compliment as can be given (After all, Shane was Player of the Year and MVP on a National Championship Team).  He is so steady; can score when needed making difficult shots, he is a tough rebounder, reliable ball handler and great defender.  Nolan’s stats are dwarfing Kyle’s, but no one should underestimate how valuable Kyle is to this team.  Nolan in the second half was…well. Nolan.  He gets to the rim as well as anyone.  He has just turned into a great college basketball player.  He has no weakness in his game on either end of the court.  He’s an amazing rebounder and collector of loose balls.  He’s offensive magic and defensive perseverance.

So, it was a very good game for Duke.  Here’s a sobering thought, though.  The only team that Duke has beaten this year that is currently ranked in the top 25 is UNC.  Those seemingly great early season (w Kyrie) wins against Marquette; Michigan St; Kansas State, Butler and Oregon turn out to be against overrated mediocre teams that are now unranked and not really contenders in their own conference (except Butler). [Yes, Alan, but some teams are more formidable at the beginning of the season and, because of injuries and a variety of other reasons, fade while others become stronger. UNC is an example of the latter.]   Virginia in C’ville, Ga. Tech and Temple (ranked for now) at home before the sort of brutal last three regular season games: at Va. Tech; home against Clemson and UNC at Chapel Hill.

DUKE – VIRGINIA

The only good things to be said about this game is that, hopefully, Duke got this offensive offense play out of their system – 56 points, 18 turnovers, Singler with only 2 points, only  two players in double figures, and that it is a relief to get a win on the road in this part of the season.  Part of lowest point total of the year was the result of the strategy of Coach Tony Bennett’s  depleted Cavaliers; part of it was sloppy execution on the part of the Blue Devils.

The good news is that Nolan Smith continued to play like an All American,  Player of the Year candidate and Duke’s defense was very good and/or Virginia’s offense was  very bad (they shot 29% from the floor); Ryan Kelly continued his fundamentally sound and subtle but impressively efficient play ( 5-7, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 steal) as he consistently displays a very high basketball IQ; the Plumlees made the most  impressive assists of the night: Mason on a steal and behind the back pass to Kelly for a dunk and Miles on a half court pass off a rebound to Nolan for a breakaway three point play just before the half to send Duke into the locker room up by eight.

While Seth Curry and the three big men are performing on a much higher level, it is difficult to imagine the Blue Devils running the table in the regular season much less being a Final Four team with Kyle Singler shooting like he has recently (15-47 the last four games) and Andre Dawkins appearing clueless on offense.

Alan adds:

Neither team ever thought the outcome of the game was in doubt.  That about sums it up.  UVa was simply awful at the offensive end.  It is a whole different game if UVa simply makes its wide open shots.  But they did not, and Duke’s defense did not let up much (except for those open shots; adjustments would have been made if any had actually gone in).  It was an odd game to be sure.  Duke looked very ragged on the offensive end.  The box score reveals the oddities of the game.  Minutes played always gives an insight into Coach K’s mindset.  Only 3 players played less than 23 minutes: Hairston (2); Thornton (5) and Miles (13).  It wasn’t that Miles was playing badly at all (6 boards in 13 minutes); it was that Ryan Kelly and Mason were playing very efficiently.  Kelly was superlative.  Only Nolan (36) and Curry (39) played more minutes than Ryan (33).  Ryan made the most of his minutes: 5-7 for 11 points; 5 boards; 4 blocks and a steal against 1 turnover and 3 fouls.  No wonder Miles was on the bench so much.  Mason also had an efficient game and his athleticism is being harnessed.  In 23 minutes he was 4-5 for 9 points and 9 boards; 3 assists (one had real panache) a block and a steal (3 turnovers).  Duke was dominant close to the basket.

The other stat that gives insight into K’s assessment of the team is Curry’s minutes.  Curry was not hot and his shot selection occasionally left something to be desired.  He played almost the entire game; most minutes of any Duke player and now seems to be the point guard (sort of).  He’s becoming a really good defender.  He had a block and 3 steals for an efficient floor game even though his shooting was off (2-8; 1-5 from 3land).

Nolan impresses every time these days.  22 out of Duke’s 56 points.  He is so athletic.  Watch his rebounding.  Also his quickness to loose balls and in the open court.  He has become a complete player, leader, and should have his jersey in the rafters.  He and Singler are wonderful to watch.  I have no concern about Singler.  If he was going to have an off-game, you knew it would be when Duke didn’t need him.  No matter his shooting; he is such a hard-nosed defender and tough rebounder.  His ball handling is a big part of Duke’s game.  He is security; though last night Security’s shot was really missing.  Which brings me to Duke’s enigma that has to be solved if Duke is going to have a successful post-season: Andre Dawkins.  What is up with his disappearance?  He played 26 minutes and took only 3 shots (all 3s; making 1).  I thought he looked a step late on defense.  No blocks, assists or steals.  3 boards.  No turnovers either, but 3 fouls.  He is not playing up to his considerable potential (He’s been a Bill favorite for 2 years)  It is time for Andre to become a significant contributor.

Home for 3 of the next five, but it is a tough schedule.  Temple is ranked and is sort of a trap game.  Va. Tech and UNC on the road will be very difficult games for Duke.  Ga. Tech on Sunday and Clemson at home in between Hokies and Heels.  The season is heading toward the REAL STUFF.

DUKE – GEORGIA TCH

Home for 3 of the next five, but it is a tough schedule.  Temple is ranked and is sort of a trap game.  Va. Tech and UNC on the road will be very difficult games for Duke.  Ga. Tech on Sunday and Clemson at home in between Hokies and Heels.  The season is heading toward the REAL STUFF.

Duke got off to another slow start, falling behind by five against Georgia Tech. For about ten minutes, it looked as though all of the top five teams might lose this weekend.  However, I felt like I had seen this movie before and know that a slow start is the M.O. of this team. We also know that Coach K stresses finishing the first half strong, starting the second half strong and, of course, finishing strong. So, I wasn’t surprised when the Blue Devils finally got in gear and pulled away by nine at the half. However, it was surprising that it happened with Nolan Smith on the bench for an extended period with two early fouls and that Mason Plumlee and Tyler Thornton were the catalysts.

Duke’s most talented teams have had the ability to dominate from start to finish. However, like last year’s team, the 2011 version is not yet a team capable of dominating for forty minutes. But, it does have its own personality, rhythm, and formula for winning games. One characteristic this team does have in common with other top Blue Devil teams  is that they are mentally tough, are able to take a punch, and are in better conditioned than their opponent (think Carolina).

Duke’s pressing, overplaying defense can be broken down for easy baskets—especially early in a game when an opponent is fresh and filled with adrenalin. However, as the game progresses, the pressure usually wears an opponent down mentally and physically so that they make mistakes that lead to patented Duke offensive runs. An added feature was that tonight, Coach K finally had enough of the referees letting Tech play rugby style defense on Smith and Singler while calling eight touch fouls in eight minutes on the Blue Devils. On the ninth, Thornton, who was his usual annoying self in defending Shumpert, was called for a foul after the Tech guard hit Tyler with a forearm and knocked him to the ground right in front of Coach K, who was then awarded a Technical Foul for his unique body of work in commenting on the calls. That apparently helped jump start the Blue Devils to begin taking charge of the game.

Other than Singler shooting better and Smith getting his usual twenty or thirty points, the continued improvement of Mason Plumlee, who almost had a double- double and whose offensive rebounding and redirection of the ball to an open Seth Curry was reminiscent of Brian Zoubek, Ryan Kelly, and Tyler Thornton, who even added some offense (6 pts) to his defense, was an encouraging development.

Home against Temple, at Virginia Tech,  home against Clemson,  UNC at Chapel Hill,  then on to tournament time and March Madness!

Note: I have established a website: wemillerii.wordpress.com  that has all the Duke Basketball Playbook postings from both last year and this year plus  “Remembering Rosecroft”, an article recently published in the Horseman Magazine about my family’s involvement in harness racing and the race track they built in suburban Washington, DC.

Alan adds:

I confess that I voluntarily missed the game …in order to participate in a belated Valentine’s Day celebration.  No only warranted; but I’d do it again.

I turned the game on once as Tech took a 24-23 lead.  I was still confident. So, my comments are brief: Andre Dawkins and Miles played 9 minutes only each.  It was a rotation of 6 (Josh had 4 and is pretty much an afterthought for the competitive remainder of the season)  with Tyler getting 24 minutes.  The bench contributed only 8 points (Tyler had 6 of them; Miles the other deuce).  Dawkins was scoreless.  The five starters all had good stat lines.  The final four games should/could be difficult.  Temple is a top 25 team and both Va Tech (now desperate for a tourney bid that might only come if they beat Duke) and Carolina away.  Only Clemson at home looks on the surface to be less formidable – the classic trap scenario.

Watching Kelly, Mason, Seth and Tyler reach for consistency in supporting roles is our work for the next couple of weeks.

DUKE – TEMPLE

Last night I found a more enjoyable way to watch this Duke team play. I recorded the game, ate dinner at the normal time, tuned in live with five minutes to go in the half, and caught the surge and the momentum changing,  buzzer beater by Curry to put Duke up by seven. Then, I went back and watched the game commercial free from the beginning without the anxiety of wondering when the Blue Devils would get in gear and take control of the game.

The second half went as scripted as Singler powered the Devils to a twelve point lead in the first few minutes and they cruised home against a well- coached but under manned Temple team. Speaking of Singler, offensively he played more like he did at Maryland by not settling for long jumpers but rather attacking his defender and the basket with strength not finesse. Duke is a lot more lethal when he, like Nolan and Mason, is aggressive, attack, and finish strong—or go to the line. Fortunately, tonight the referees remembered to bring their whistles. This approach also tends to create foul trouble for an opponent and puts Duke on the foul line. [Historically, the best Duke teams have made more free throw than their opponents attempt. That is what an aggressive offense does for a team. More about that later from Knight.]

Other than Singler having a big scoring night, this was an impressive team win against a top 25 team where everyone contributed. Once again, Tyler Thornton was the catalyst for a struggling offense in the first half; Seth Curry hit timely threes and demonstrated that he sees the whole floor with four nice assists; Mason had 12 rebounds;  Ryan Kelly played his usual heady game; Nolan was quieter than usual on offense but I felt part of that was because he sensed Kyle was hot and he needed a night like this; and Andre Dawkins hit two threes, one of which, was about from the scorer’s table as the shot clock ran down. All in all, this was the kind of resilient, versatile performance you like to see from your team late in the season.

Notes: Listening Bobby Knight do the commentary on any game is a seminar on the game of basketball. Last night, he commented that the were too many unnecessary fouls and that a foul is “at least as important as a turnover”….A comforting thought is that Coach K has the choice of six players (Smith, Singler, Kelly, Curry, Dawkins, and Thornton) who shoot 80% or better from the free throw line to have on the floor at the end of a game…This summer Duke is going to play in China (where a 200 acre satellite campus is being built in Kunshan and Dubai (if it doesn’t go bye-bye and implode with the rest of the Middle Eastern tyrannical quisi-monarchies/dictatorships) as Duke Basketball does their part to expand the Duke brand worldwide.

Alan adds:

When is the last time that Duke shot well in the first half.  Duke is ahead by 7, but Temple has played better.  They have worked hard for really good shots and missed them.  Duke has 11 field goals and Temple 10.  However Duke missed more shots than Temple has taken (26-25).  So Duke is 11-37.  Thank God for Tyler Thornton.  He’s Duke’s second leading scorer (6 points on 2 shots).  Nolan is 2-8 and Kyle is 3-8.  The four big guys (including Hairston) have a single bucket (Kelly, who is also 0-3 from behind the arc) for two points among the four of them.  Although Temple only scored 27, they moved the ball well and, as Coach Knight has been eloquent at demonstrating, Temple really exploited the double team on the ball screen.  They should have had another 10 points on lay ups (and they are 1-5 from the foul line compared to Duke 8-9).  Games have two halves, but this growing Duke tradition of turnovers, sloppy defense and bad shooting in the first half does not make for confidence. More later.

The motto of the Duke season is becoming, “Thank God the game has two halves.”

Obviously, the offense awakened and looked efficient in the second half.  Duke shot lights out in the second half (55% from the field; even better from 3; and perfect 8-8 from the line).  Curry, Smith and Dawkins were 8-13 from behind the arc.  In the second half, Duke had 11 assists (only 4 turnovers).  A complete reversal from the first half.  I do think Temple wore down and was not nearly as energetic on defense or on the boards as the game progressed.  But they never stopped passing the ball and getting good shots out of their offense.  I thought Duke’s defense really lagged in the second half.  Temple scored on a bunch of consecutive possessions, but gained no ground because of Duke’s efficient second half offense.  Welcome back Kyle, who still gets enormous credit for his defensive effort last night.  He is some wonderful player.  He is quietly becoming Battier-like in his overall ability and persona.

The big guys played better in the second half, and Tyler gave Duke a nice lift.  But to pick up on Knight’s erudition about fouls (good and bad), Tyler committed 4 in 11 minutes.  Duke’s bench is contracting.  Together, the entire bench played only 25 minutes – that’s four players.  Of the 25, Tyler got 11.  Dawkins played only 7 minutes (2-2 from 3) and Hairston 3.  Most puzzling is the quiet demise of Miles.  His facial expression on the bench was revealing.  He played only 4 horribly unproductive minutes (0-1; 2 fouls and a turnover) without scoring.  Hope he bounces back because we will need his power as the tournament opponents increase in quality.  Right now he looks miserable.  On to Saturday night’s important game against Va. Tech.

[Bill comments: Although the starting lineup appears established, the depth of this team gives Coach K the flexibility (unlike last year)  to adjust the players to the facts on the floor. Making adjustments during the heat of competition separates the great coaches from the good coaches. And these adjustments might be a partial explanation for the Blue Devils slow starts and fast finishes. The last few games, Duke’s opponents have played one center  and four guards and/or small forwards. Coach matched that by mostly alternating Mason and Ryan at center. In this small man matchup,  Miles the odd man out because Mason and Ryan are more flexible and are playing better. However, against bigger, more physical teams I suspect we will see more minutes for Miles as he is an antidote for physical, power players.]

DUKE – VIRGINIA TECH 

Coach Seth Greenberg sold this game to his Tech team and fans as their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, which had been denied them recently. The team responded by outplaying Duke in every facet except free throw shooting and blocked shots. If you heard that star guard Malcolm Delaney only scored 11 points, would you thought that Va. Tech won? Conversely, if you heard that Duke only scored 60 points, would you thought that Duke won? Well, that is a good indication of how well the entire Hokie team played offensively (they had five players in double figures) and defensively. Switching from man-to-man to zone coverage and back again was effective in keeping Nolan Smith out of the paint as other players settled for jumpers, most of which missed ( the Blue Devils only shot 39% from the floor). A team cannot consistently win by the three alone.

Nevertheless, somehow Duke was only down 33-31 at the half and thanks mainly to Kyle Singler’s hustle plays was up by five with five minutes to play. Usually, at this stage of a game, Duke executes well and wins. However, tonight the Blue Devils didn’t because Virginia Tech made plays and they didn’t. Duke scored only five points in the final six minutes. Singler misfired on three successive open threes, Tech thwarted Smith’s drives, no one else stepped up while Bell and Delaney did. The bottom line is that Virginia Tech deserved the win and the margin would have been more if they had not missed nine free throws.

Seth Curry, whose parents were star athletes at Virginia Tech (basketball & volleyball) and who has emerged as the third essential playmaker since Kyrie was injured, had a miserable night. He only played 15 minutes because he was in foul trouble from the first few minutes and scored no points. While Andre Dawkins (2) and Tyler Thornton(1) hit threes, Ryan Kelly was 1-6 for 2 points so there was no third player in double digits as Smith and Singler scored 40 of Duke’s 60 points. Sixty points will not win many games.

The only positive aspect of this game is that no one was injured and it was not a tournament game. Next play.

Alan comments:

Context is everything sometimes.  Va. Tech came off the annual bubble with what has to be their most satisfying win in a long time.  Just 5 guys (they got 7 minutes and no points off their bench) who all scored in double figures and all made clutch plays when it really counted.  Hats off to them!  On the other hand, this was the last game that Duke could lose without considerable damage.  Next up is senior night against Clemson and a game that sort of has some meaning against Carolina (now it’s for the ACC regular season championship).  Duke played well at the end of the first half and for the first 9 minutes of the second half.  Duke had 51 points and a 6 point lead with 11:11 to go.  Kyle had made a 3 (after missing one) on an offensive rebound and kick out and pass.  From there on, he took a lot of shots, but made only a lay-up and 2 free throws.  In the last minutes it was only Mason (steal and dunk + a foul shot) who scored.  It was so not Duke basketball in the last 4 + minutes of the game.

Once again the Duke bigs failed to deliver in tough situations.  Mason had good numbers, but all 3  were out-toughed inside in the first half.  Miles missed the dunk in a tie game with 4 minutes to go.  I actually think that was one of the major turning points.  As you pointed out, Kelly scored only a deuce and Miles not at all.  Dawkins and Thornton were 3-5 from 3land.  The rest of the team was 1-15.  Kyle and Nolan combined for 1-10.  Hopefully, this will be analogous to the Maryland game at the end of last year.

This has been a great season so far, and yet, it hangs completely in the balance.  ACC regular season title (UNC game); ACC tournament; NCAA.  We could look back at the end at a spectacular year, a disappointing year, or anything in between.  And the wild card is….”being op(toe)mistic” [Kyrie’s tweet from 2 days ago].

DUKE – CLEMSON 

On Senior Night at Cameron in a must win game for both teams, Kyle Singler (18 points. 11 rebounds and innumerable heady, hustle plays of winning plays that do not appear on the stat sheet) and Nolan Smith (21 pts. 7 assists and two emphatic late game finishes) demonstrated why they will be remembered as two of the great tandems in Duke basketball history.

Kyle was a starter and key contributor from his first game while playing out of position in the post and gradually moving to his present position on the wing. In all the four years, he never complained, he just did whatever job was needed and played every minute of every game as though it was for the NCAA Championship. When asked what position Singler played, Coach K responded: “He plays winner!”

It wasn’t always that way for Nolan. He started out as a project—a  role player ticketed as a point guard. He struggled for playing time in his first year, continued to struggle (compounded by the lingering effects of a concussion at Maryland) in his second, considered transferring that summer when his mentor Johnny Dawkins left for Stanford before finally finding his confidence and his game last year in the Championship Season. This year when Kyrie went down, Nolan was forced from his comfort zone on the wing to the less comfortable point position at the top of the key. He responded by having a Player of the Year Season. It difficult to remember any player who has improved more than Nolan Smith has in his four years at Duke nor anyone who has enjoyed the his last two more. While Nolan has evolved into the flashier player and a great ankle breaking finisher, Kyle has been a constant four year leader- by-example. They came in together, won a National Championship  and multiple ACC Championships together, will graduate together, and their jerseys should hang together in the rafters over Coach K Court as these two players are the personification of  Duke Basketball.

However, they did not win this game alone. Had it not been for the efficient scoring (18 pts.) and defense of Seth Curry, whose presence was sorely missed in the loss to Virginia Tech, and the interior defense of Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly, and Kyle Singler, this sometimes ugly contest, aided and abetted by 20 Duke turnovers, against a tenacious Clemson team, could have been a second disappointing loss. And speaking of Mason, last night we saw glimpses of a player tapping into a deep talent pool that goes beyond mere athleticism: a jump hook, recognition of defensive breakdown for a drive and a jam, 4-5 from the line, and passing skills rarely seen in a player so big.

There were a lack of calls and inconsistent calls that make you wonder what players the refs were watching or that maybe they suffered from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Historically, All American players in the ACC  have been given the benefit of the doubt—especially on offense. That has not been the case all year with Singler and was not that way tonight with both he and Smith.

Notes:  In their four years, Singler and Smith, Blue Devils have an overall record of 120-21 (.851) and a 50-13 (.794) record in ACC play and  65-2 in Cameron. Duke has now won 36 consecutive home games, the longest current streak in the NCAA. It is also tied for the third longest streak in school history.

Alan adds:

Senior night turned out to be a tense, but satisfying game.  Duke’s defense was as good as it has been all year.  The interior was way above even Duke par, and the perimeter defense was tough and fun to watch.  Tyler is a gadfly; other point guards must hate it when he comes into the game.  That said, all we can say is the first half – yes, or part – of the season has been successfully completed.  Now the real season starts:  Carolina for the ACC regular season championship and then the two tournaments.  Here are some thoughts as the real (in one sense only) season arrives:

I am concerned that Nolan is wearing down ala JJ.  He is no longer shooting well, especially around the basket.  He has been – maybe more than anything else – an incredible finisher when he gets anywhere near the rim.  He has displayed the full arsenal: getting to the rim, acrobatic lay-ups; pull ups; short floaters – the whole show.  It is only in the last couple of games that he has started missing.  Yes he scored 21 last night and a couple were really clutch, but he took 20 shots.  2-6 from 3 and 5-14 from 2.  He missed close to the rim a lot and he got blocked a lot.  And he is fouling on his drives.  He has been fabulous; I am just concerned about the recent trend.

Dawkins and Miles have just gone south as far as being effective.  Each played 6 minutes and each had 0 points.  Miles was 0-1 with a two boards and a foul.  Andre had a board and a turnover.  This leaves Duke with a rotation of 6 only.  Thornton played 18 minutes and Kelly 23; otherwise the four starters are playing big minutes.

Curry played a fantastic game.  A wonderful bounce back from his Va. Tech nightmare.  Duke needs a third scorer.  Last night he was wonderfully efficient, playing good defense, fighting for loose balls and handling it well.  He shot 3-6 from downtown and 4-7 from 2 plus 3-3 from the line.  If he can be consistent during the second half, Duke will be formidable.  Kelly too has been inconsistent.  I thought he looked very good last night, playing defense, and getting tough rebounds.  He was 2-2 from the field for 5 points and had 2 blocks to go with his 6 boards in 23 minutes (one turnover).  If he could do that consistently, that would be a big plus.  The concern is these two guys are good enough to play well against the teams that are a shade below elite, but not against the really elite teams.  I think Carolina is a good litmus, because they are playing like an elite team.  They are improving by leaps and bounds.  Both Marshall and Barnes have emerged and Carolina goes as its freshmen go.

We are watching the maturing and blossoming of Mason.  You can see everyone getting more comfortable with him handling the ball.  His pass to Singler was awesome.  He is getting tough rebounds and had 5 blocks last night, anchoring the interior defense.  His growth has been key and fun to watch.

Singler has been everything Bill said for four years.  He is such a wonderful defender.  He can guard any sized player effectively.  He is as accomplished on the perimeter as he is around the rim.  He understands the system so well.  Last night – as he has been throughout – he was an amazing rebounder.  He is a reliable foul shooter and ball handler (though he did get a bit exuberant last night).  He is just a great college player.  Reminds me a whole lot of Battier.

Saturday will be fun as will the next few weeks be.

DUKE – UNC 

What’s to make of a Duke team that is outplayed and outhustled in a game on national nighttime television against arch rival North Carolina for the regular season ACC Title ?

There is no way to sugarcoat it. Except for a brief run at the beginning of the second half, Duke shot and defended poorly—and the Tar Heels didn’t. An sign of how the game would unfold was that the Blue Devils couldn’t even score a point in the opening minutes against essentially the Carolina Blue team of seldom seen seniors, who started in an old Dean Smith tradition of honoring the graduating players.

Since the last five minutes of the Virginia Tech game, maybe longer, the Blue Devils have not  played like a fresh, improving, confident team and this game just puts an exclamation point on that fact. Since Kyrie Irving went down, inconsistent interior scoring has been the Achilles heel of this team, but good defense and Nolan Smith’s POY performances have masked this deficiency. Tonight, the defense and others, except for Curry, were missing in action. Recently, when Kyle Singler is turned into a three point shooter, he is just another offensive player.  Duke was a step slow to loose balls, rebounds, rotation into weak side help, and, except for Curry’s six threes, a pathetic 0-22 from beyond the arc. As had been pointed out: win by the three and die by the three—and they usually become tougher to hit as the season and the tournaments grind on. Smith (30 pts) and Curry (20 pts) were the only players in double figures. The rest of the stats, except for free throw shooting, are too one sided to dwell upon.

All indications lead to the inescapable conclusion that this was the performance of a team physically and emotionally exhausted from the overachieving efforts to meet high expectations after the loss of a franchise point guard.

On the other hand, Carolina has been rejuvenated by Larry Drew II’s fortunate defection as it gave freshman Kendall Marshall the opportunity to showcase his skills as the best freshman college assist guard since Jason Kidd was at California and being the catalyst for unleashing skills of a talented and well balanced offense that is playing vintage Carolina Basketball, which is a wonderful thing to watch—unless you are their opponent.

While this was an disappointing performance, we will learn a lot more about the resiliency  of this Duke team next week during  the ACC  Tournament. Seth Curry rebounded from a horrible experience against Virginia Tech to play his best basketball in these next two games against Clemson and UNC. If any combination of Singler, Kelly, the Plumlees, and/or Dawkins, whose demeanor and shooting touch have gone south, can catch fire to compliment Smith and Curry, this team can become a contender–and if anyone can make that happen, it is Coach K.

Alan adds:

It would be a mistake to think last night’s first half was just a replay of the first half of the first game at Cameron.  At Cameron, Duke played terribly in the first half.  Last night Duke played very well in the first half; but, Carolina would have led the Celtics at half time. [Bill disagrees: How could Duke have played well defensively and given up 51 first half points, many of which was due to slow rotating weak side help down low, not threes?]  They played an almost perfect first half and Duke played well, but was missing from long range.  I strongly suspected that the shooting percentages of the first half would reverse and the season long assets and weaknesses of the two teams would be visible.  It all turned to dust when Carolina withstood the first push of the second half when Duke reduced the margin to five.

The second half was all bad news.  Carolina really might be that good and just plain the better team.  Or maybe it was just a cold shooting night for a good team.  But here are some depressing facts: 1) Harrison Barnes completely outplayed Singler (and Singler still played great defense) all over the court; 2) Barnes isn’t even the best freshman on his own team; 3) Duke was wholly outplayed on the interior at both end, not only by Zeller and Henson, but by Knox and Ward; 4) Mason was scoreless 5) Kelly had a disappointing game at both ends; 6) Duke has no post-up game – when the ball goes inside a turnover is as likely as a bucket; and, finally Kyle had 8 points.

It was a dreadful performance by all except Nolan (not less than heroic, but he couldn’t keep Kendall out of the paint) and Curry (neither could he) – and Miles (a pleasant surprise).  Kendall is amazing.  What a treat it would be to see him go against Kyrie.  In the tournament.

The season is now on the brink.  Duke could still earn a #1 by winning the ACC tournament.  Winning it will be this team’s signature achievement; losing it will tarnish the season somewhat.

 ACC  TOURNAMENT

DUKE – MARYLAND

Coming off an unimpressive performance against North Carolina and with Nolan Smith having his worst game of the year before getting hurt with seven minutes to play, the Blue Devils were in a position to lose to a gritty Maryland team that always plays them Gary Williams tough. Not only did Kyle Singler (29 pts, 9 rebs, the flawless trigger man against the press & many hustle plays) take up the challenge but also it was the best offensive team performance of the year. Only up five when Nolan went down with a toe injury (have we seen this movie before?), Seth Curry took over at the point with a flawless closing night performance worthy of Nolan or Kyrie at their best.

Seth commented: “Once Kyrie went down I have been working on all aspects of my game, not just spacing the floor and shooting. And when Nolan went down today it kind of went back to last year in practice when I was running the Blue Team and handling the ball a lot and getting us into our sets so I was definitely comfortable out there and I didn’t feel any pressure at all.”

Tommy Amaker, Johnny Dawkins, Bobby Hurley, Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, Jon Scheyer, Kyrie, Nolan, Seth—Duke and North Carolina always seem to have a playmaker guard who know how win tight games.

Miles Plumlee, who started, almost had a double-double; Ryan Kelly (11 pts), had about a point a minute off the bench;  Andre Dawkins finally emerged from his funk and played with confidence and purpose at both ends of the floor; and Mason Plumlee did have a double-double, 5 assists and demonstrated a heady maturity in ball possession management (calling a time out in a floor burn scrum with Singler in momentary possession of the ball) and player management (pulling Seth away from a confrontation with a Terp player).

The true test of the character of a team or a player is how they respond to a disappointing loss, a poor performance, or the loss of a key teammate. Tonight’s win was a lot closer than the final score indicates even as the Terps contributed to their own demise by only hitting 15 of 28 free throws (Duke was 22-27). Despite spotty defense, Duke finished the first half off with a flourish, then after losing a nine point lead and Nolan Smith, finished the game off  with lock down defense and a 24-9 run.

Nolan Smith has a sprained second toe, the severity of which is undetermined. Whatever the case, this is not a good development.

Alan adds:

Before getting to the Duke-Maryland game and the prognosis for today and what comes after, I take a moment to say the Fla. St. – Va. Tech game was the closest game I can remember.  Tech was heroic.  There was one amazing end of the game play after another.  The winning shot was ruled late – the TV coverage was precise in its ability to see it perfectly in slow motion – by the narrowest margin imaginable.  With both Pitt and Notre Dame losing in the Big East semis, the door is open for a number 1 seed for either Duke or UNC if they can both win today.

I agree that this was Duke’s best offensive performance maybe of the season (certainly since Kyrie went down), but the defense was AWOL until the latter part of the second half.  Duke didn’t stop anyone in the first half (except by fouling Jordan W and having him miss the foul shots); and fouled very consistently in the first part of the second half while trying to ratchet up the defense.  Then everything kicked in.  Curry was outstanding and Dawkins looked and was determined.  The big guys closed down the lane, and (I think) Williams was little gassed and didn’t play with the same energy in the latter part of the second half.  Williams is not the defender around the interior that he should be.

I agree that everyone played well (I’m not sure we can include Tyler, who accumulated four fouls in 5 minutes).  The fouling spree in the second half put Duke players in foul trouble, but they played with the extra burden nicely.  Singler and Mason finished the game with 4 fouls each and Curry and Nolan had 3 each.  Ryan Kelly looked awesome on offense in the first half, but the Plumlees taking charge of the interior as the second half wore on, kept Kelly on the bench for most of the second half.

Today’s game is key.  Maybe (probably) without Nolan.  Curry and Dawkins would be a starting backcourt on most college teams and they have the talent to help Duke beat the Hokies.  Tyler will have to play better and more under control today if Nolan can’t go.  Duke should have an advantage inside and late in the game because the Hokies have a short bench and this will be their third game in three days.  Being swept by Va Tech this year would be a real downer.  Duke needs a rubber match with UNC.

 DUKE – VIRGINIA TECH

When Nolan Smith was introduced with the starting lineup started, there was a sigh of relief from Duke fans. However, when he missed his first two shots then two foul shots, the same fans had to wonder how much his injured toe would hinder his performance. After that, Nolan was his old POY self, scoring 16 first half points on the way to a 27 point, 7 assist night and harassing Malcolm Delany out of his gourd.

The Blue Devils, who played much better team defense, were up eleven at the half and never were really threatened in a rough, often sloppy game. The Hokies apparently are a team that thinks the way to beat Duke is to rough them up. There were flying elbows, and flapping—even  split– lips. Part of this was due to the refs, who were very inconsistent with their calls and almost let the game between two teams who clearly do not like each other get away from them. Let me get this straight: It is not a technical foul for a Tech player to intentionally throw the ball as hard as he can at point blank range and hit Andre Dawkins flush in the face (rather than any other part of his body) but it is a technical for Andre to go up for a jump shot and inadvertently strike a Tech player in the chin because he was bodying him up so closely that there was no room for the natural motion of a shot? And Jeff Allan, who has a history of anger management and consistent effort issues, took his frustration of a two point performance out on Kyle Singler with a flying elbow to the head on the way to fouling out.

And while I am at  it, can someone explain why ESPN cut to the Princeton-Harvard game for an interminable amount of time while the Duke-Va. Tech game was still live? I like a great ending to an Ivy League Championship game as much as the next policy wonk, but why linger for minutes on the small but enthusiastic crowd at Yale storming the court like Florida State, then interviewing the player who hit the buzzer beater with incisive questions like “How do you feel?” and “What does this mean to you?” I guess the television producer must have been a Princeton grad channeling the Bradley era.

The keys for tomorrow: Is Nolan Smith’s toe really OK after playing 39 minutes? Can Singler neutralize Barnes, who so far has had an unbelievable tournament? Can the Plumlees neutralize Zeller and Henson without fouling out? Can Smith stop Marshall from being an assist machine? Can Duke hit threes, keep Carolina from its patented fast break, and make Carolina play a half-court game?

Alan adds:

Preliminarily, I want to sing a hymn of praise for Kyle Singler.  He had “only” 13 points, but the rest of his game was so outstanding that he gets, in my opinion, equal billing with Nolan’s incredible performance.  Both Duke All-American candidates play so hard on the defensive end.  Kyle’s 11 boards (10 protecting the defensive end) was the key to keeping Va. Tech in check.  He was the primary defender on Allen (though the bigs did cover Allen at times) and switched off to stifle the perimeter players.  He handles the ball well.  In short, there is nothing that he doesn’t do superbly on the basketball court.  As Casey Stengel once said of Joe DiMaggio, “In his line of work, he’s rather splendid.”

Nolan was equally as wonderful.  Defenses are getting better at stopping him after he humiliates his defender on the way to the rim.  He has to make a slight adjustment, but yesterday his heart was on full display.  He defended Delaney with a gutty effort; got loose balls and rebounds, and broke Va. Tech with his scoring.  His passes to Mason (2) and Miles for dunks at game’s end were daggers in the Hokies heart.  He inspired and led his team.

Let us not forget the transformation of Seth Curry from his nightmare in Blacksburg.  Curry played 36 minutes, scored 10 points on 5 shots and solidified Duke’s backcourt and ball handling.  He played excellent defense with only 2 turnovers (4 boards — a couple of them were difficult and crucial – to go along with a critical steal.  He is becoming a solid and important component of this team.

Duke’s inside play was really good.  Kelly played more minutes (26) than either Plumlee (22 each).  Collectively, they had only 10 boards among them, but played solid defense and provided an inside scoring presence that Duke so desperately needs.  A key stat: Va. Tech had only 3 assists the entire game.

Duke was methodical in dismantling Va. Tech in an intensely played game.  I wish Duke would start playing defense earlier.  Once again the opponent started on fire.  Duke scored bunches in a row, but could not get a stop.  But one knew the law of averages would eventually kick in and Va. Tech would not shoot 85% for a really long stretch.

I (almost) never get into a referee controversy, but it really seemed to me as if Duke got the short end of the rough house calls.  [Duke was the beneficiary of some bad calls, too].  Although Allen fouled out eventually, he fouls on almost every post up move – rarely called yesterday.  Duke defended really well in the second half as they pulled away.  Some of that was Va. Tech’s fatigue.  They missed open shots that they made early in the game.

Dawkins fouled out in 13 minutes on some of the oddest calls of the year.  The last technical was so wrong: he had both hands on the ball and the defender leaned into him and fouled him.  (The defender did it partially with his chin; so it looked bad, but it was a terrible call) and there were others.

Duke is in as good shape for today’s title game as possible.  They have played well against both Maryland and Va. Tech.  It should be a great match up.  Bill put the issues for Duke perfectly.  How will the freshman Barnes, just really hitting his stride, defend and be defended by Singler.  How will Duke defend Marshall, who Bill and I both think is the key to UNC’s offense.  [Larry Drew was starting???].  The Plumlees and Kelly have a lot to atone for in their past performances against UNC’s two big guys this year.  It seems to me that they have grown over the past two games and have a good chance to prove up to the challenge.  But in the first two games, they were destroyed in 3 of the 4 halves.  Henson and Zeller are really good and give Marshall the inside target to feed.  They each finish well.  Zeller is an effective shooter from the post.

Nolan put it perfectly in an interview at the end of the Va. Tech game.  “We have to play really good defense.  We can’t give up 51 points in a half again.”  It should be a great game.  In my opinion, the winner deserves a # 1 seed since Pitt and Notre Dame both lost to UConn.  Btw, UConn’s winning 5 games in 5 days the way they did is some wonderful feat.  I have disdain for Calhoun and his program, but the Huskie gets his due.  Kimba W is some clutch player.

DUKE – NORTH CAROLINA

Eight days ago North Carolina scored 51 points in the first half against Duke at Chapel Hill and won by 14. Today, they scored 58 points for the entire game and lost to Duke by 17. How do you explain such an inexplicable  turnaround?

First, nobody motivates his players or consistently gets more out of them than Coach K. He would expect his team to win if he coached the Washington Generals against the Globetrotters.  K points his teams toward championships—and he hates to lose two times in a row to any team, especially to Carolina. Secondly, he values winning ACC Championships as indicated by the fact that his teams have won it an amazing ten of the last thirteen years. Thirdly,  and foremost, he coaches defense and intensity. For whatever reason, these traits were missing at Chapel Hill but apparent in spades today as Duke totally dominated the Tar Heels from the opening tip.

Let’s go to the video tape and review yesterday’s DBP keys for the UNC game:

Is Nolan Smith’s toe really OK after playing 39 minutes?

Can Singler neutralize Barnes, who so far has had an unbelievable tournament?

Can the Plumlees neutralize Zeller and Henson without fouling out?

Can Smith stop Marshall from being an assist machine?

Can Duke hit threes, keep Carolina from its patented fast break, and make Carolina play a half-court game?

The answers please: Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. Game, set and a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament!

Nolan Smith (20 pts, 10 assists, & 2 steals) was the obvious MVP. However, as against Va. Tech, his defensive on-the-ball pressure on the opponent’s point guard was the lynch pin for the rest of the defense being so effective. He forced Marshall (4 assists & 5 turnovers) to start the offense further out than he is accustomed and pressured him to turn his back to the basket which slowed the flow and inhibited Marshall from penetrating into the paint. The other piece of the puzzle was that Kyle Singler and Company didn’t give freshman phenom Harrison Barnes (6-15 & only 1 three)  all the easy open, target practice looks Clemson did. On the other hand, Marshall and the other Carolina defenders could not keep Nolan from penetrating and scoring or passing to Curry, Dawkins or Kelly, who hit 7 of 11 threes. Boy, the game sure is a lot easier when the threes are dropping!

Duke had the confidence and poise to answer every UNC mini-run. Mike Krzyzewski says Duke gets much of that poise from its senior stars. “We told them before the game that our team will go like they go. When you study leadership, you never see a leader who’s down. You never see a good leader that’s not enthusiastic, that’s not brave, that’s not outgoing. I just reminded them to remember that’s who they are, and the other guys will follow no matter what their stats are.”

Actually, the maturing productivity of the supporting cast was the most encouraging development of the tournament. Just a week at Chapel Hill,  all but Curry were missing in action; today in Greensboro, they played like veterans all three games of the tournament and made Duke a much more dangerous team going forward. Smith had a poor game against Maryland and Singler did not shoot well against Virginia Tech or North Carolina, so their consistent production was critical to the wins. Inserting Miles Plumlee into the starting lineup made Duke a more physical team and Ryan Kelly, rather than sulking, embraced the sixth man role to play his best basketball of the year. Curry just gets better in all phases the game and Dawkins has rediscovered his enthusiasm and sweet stroke.

And then there is Kyrie Irving. Nike has provided him with a specially designed basketball shoe to protect his injured toe and he is doing light basketball drills. This leads to speculation (which was sort of shot down by Coach K) that he will be available for the NCAA Tournament. All that is problematical and unknowable but what we do know is that through all his travails, he has been an exceptionally involved, supportive,  and enthusiastic teammate for those who are playing—even acting as personal coach for Nolan Smith on the nuances of point guard play.

Duke was obviously not as bad as they appeared in the loss against at Chapel Hill and Carolina is not as bad as they appeared today. Both are talented, formidable teams. However, the Tar Heels were flirting with disaster in their last few games and I’m sure some of their faithful thought they could rally any time against anybody. Well, Duke isn’t Florida State, Miami or Clemson. So, against top teams, the Tar Heels need to be prepared to play hard for forty minutes.

As disappointing as this loss was for Carolina, Coach Williams couldn’t have been more gracious in defeat as he applauded Smith and Singler when they left the game. In addition, he said: “Those are two marvelous seniors and you don’t see seniors hang around that much. . . .What they did was fantastic.” That mutual respect is one of the things what makes the Duke –North Carolina rivalry so compelling.
Alan adds:

Great analysis, Bill.  I actually don’t have much to add.  I want to add to your praise of Duke’s Hall of Fame coach.  I don’t know if he has ever done a better job than he has with this team, especially after Kyrie went down.  He has brought along all of his players to the point that the five Duke players in the rotation who are not Kyle or Nolan were strong support for the two stars.  The stats for the supporting five are amazing: 18 for 26 from the floor; 7-11 from 3.  43 points on 26 shots.  Wow!  And K has brought Nolan and Kyle to achieving the maximum of their potential, including their leadership skills.  This really is K’s season.  And he has had many great seasons.

The key to Duke’s win today was, without a doubt, the defense that Duke played to start the game.  It was not less than ferocious.  Defense is about emotion.  Nolan had said that the key to the game would be Duke’s defense, and that Duke couldn’t give up 51 points in a half.  Duke really bought into that thought.  Result: 58 points for Carolina in the entire game!  Carolina had only 8 points at the 11 minute mark of the first half.  Zeller’s hoop with 8:56 to go in the first half gave the Washed Out Blues their 10^th point.  By then Duke had a 15 point lead, and Duke never let Carolina back into the game.  In the first half Duke doubled the post so effectively that neither Henson nor Zeller got a decent look.  Singler hounded Barnes and got superb help; Barnes was absolutely mesmerized by the intensity of the defense (3 points in the first half).  You could almost see him thinking, “Hmmm.  This isn’t Miami or Clemson.”  Smith actually (here’s a tough word, but I maintain accurate) “intimidated” Kendall, and knocked him so far back off his game that Carolina was leaderless and confused for the entire first half.  It was not less than an astounding emotional reversal from what was extant only 8 days ago.  I don’t think that Ole’ Roy ever though UNC could win after the first 12 minutes.  Coach K gets kudos (not to mention Coach of the Year; Decade etc.)

Nolan is amazing, and had a yet another great game.  This one was better than his impressive statistics because of his iron willed leadership.  His 10 assists were even more impressive than his 20 points.  I give Coach K credit again.  He began whispering in Nolan’s ear early that he had always been Robin because he always had a Batman to back up (Jennings and Lawson at Oak Hill; Scheyer, Henderson, and Singler at Duke), and told him it was time for him to realize his full potential and be Batman this year.  What a wise move.  How wonderfully has Nolan responded in a way that has much more to do with life than just basketball.  Coach K is so subtly astute that we may tend to look past the astounding achievements that he creates on his way to hoops success.  As great as Nolan’s physical game is, he is a superb from the neck up, which at this level of sport is most important.

This team is validated by its ACC tournament win, regardless of what happens at the Dance.  Duke has a good draw in the NCAA, in my opinion.  Friday and Sunday against Michigan-Tennessee winner.  As Hubert Davis said, after the first round, you are playing a team that could beat you, so it really doesn’t matter who you are playing.  If Duke can get to the second weekend (I think they can), the game against (if form holds) Texas will be tough.  All the fourth seeds are really good teams who, I think should have been seeded higher: Kentucky, Wisconsin and Louisville.  They are all better than say Florida and BYU (2 and 3 seeds in SE).  Anyway, that’s for next week.  Let’s savor a very satisfying win and yet another ACC tournament title.

 NCAA TOURNAMENT

DUKE – HAMPTON

The only thing in doubt about this game was the health of Kyrie Irving’s toe and how much rust he had accumulated over the last three months he was inactive. Initially, it appeared Kyrie was favoring his toe and/or the special Nike orthotic in his shoe was hindering his movement.

Then in the second half, he took an outlet pass in the open court and blew the rust and defenders  off for a warp speed layup. After that, he appeared to be the old Kyrie. Next, he intercepted a long out of bounds pass like a NFL corner back and made  a spectacular, driving in-the-air right hand fake, left hand lay-up. Then, he finished the day off with two threes for 14 points in twenty minutes.

However, even more importantly, Duke picked up where they left off in Greensboro as every player continued to play their best basketball of the season—especially, Miles Plumlee. Miles and Mason (a combined 20 pts. & 18 rebs in 44 minutes) enjoy a rare chemistry and Miles gives Duke a more physical presence near the basket. If he can become a mini-Zoubek, this is a different team. Duke was 9-19 from beyond the arc. Inside / outside firepower is a lethal combination.

Hampton finished the game with 17 turnovers and only four assists. Krzyzewski again pointed out that defensive dominance like that starts with ball pressure: “Take away some vision, force an offense outside its normal area of deployment, and good things happen.”

Comment of the day: “Every college team (watches) TV and says, ‘I want to play Duke, I want to see what it’s like to play Duke,”‘ Hampton Coach Joyner said. “We sure found out.”

Note: Duke has participated in 9 of the 25 most watched college basketball games.

Alan adds:

It was good talking with you after the game.  Our euphoria over Kyrie’s return was genuine and appropriate.  Before the game, the expectation (and concern) was high.  What would Kyrie look like more than three months after he had, for 8 games, been everything that we had been told Harrison Barnes would be?  In the first half, the concern was central.  Kyrie looked tentative, without speed or explosion and none of his attempted moves looked smooth or confident.  It was, of course to be expected.  In the second half, coach K put Kyrie in again.  He still looked tentative.  He was playing longer with the other four non-starting scholarship players.  Then, in one play, it was as if Clark Kent had found the phone booth, or some secret announcer whispered, “Shazam”; and Captain Marvel appeared.  It was, I believe, an electric moment for every Duke fan.

For me, the experience of the game changed with 5 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game.  Kyrie made his first Kyrie-like play when he blazed to a long rebound on the floor, used pure speed to get clear and then exploded to the basket for an uncontested lay-up.  From there on, you could see the rust evaporating before our very eyes.  When he hit the lay up where he switched hands in mid-air, he was back.  Two for two from behind the arc added to the good feeling. Duke’s leading scorer today was Kyrie Irving w 14; most of it in garbage time.  I loved K leaving Irving in to play with the bench (Dawkins and Ryan + Thornton and Hairston) because that was when he blossomed and the rust came off. The key fact is that, from his performance, the inescapable conclusion is: “he’s back!”.  Duke’s chances for success in the tournament took a great upward leap yesterday.  And it wasn’t all just Kyrie.

Duke’s scoring was evenly spread with everyone looking good and playing well: 13 for Dawkins; 12 for Mason; 11 for Kyle; 9 each for Seth and Nolan; 8 for Miles and 6 for Kelly. [Tyler and Josh each also scored].  The level of competition could be misleading, but the three big guys continue to exude (what for me is a new) confidence, calmness and intensity.  Michigan will be a test and like all NCAA teams cannot be overlooked or taken for granted (Is Jalen playing?), but the real test will come in the Sweet 16 .  Both Texas and Arizona have talented big guys – especially Texas.

But, the coach would never allow his players to be ahead of themselves.  Michigan on Sunday to continue the season (with Kyrie, now)

 DUKE – MICHIGAN

When Duke’s defenders keep the offensive players in front of them as they did against North Carolina in the ACC Championship, the game is a lot easier. When they don’t as they didn’t against  St. John’s and today against Michigan, the game is a lot more difficult.

Michigan’s game is sort of a hybrid Princeton offense: spreading the floor, making the extra pass, attacking the lane, and kicking to open shooters for high percentage  threes. In the second half, Duke’s perimeter defenders stayed home to defend the three, making it easier to drive to the basket. On the other end, Michigan went to a 1-3-1 zone, which Duke does not see very often and didn’t not respond to well.

After a rather unfocused first three minutes of the second half, Coach K had seen enough. He called timeout, took his jacket off, and explained in graphic terms and gestures what kind of effort and energy he wanted. Nolan Smith (24 pts) obviously got the message and responded with a two minute, ten point explosion without which the Blue Devils could easily have lost this game. As it was, they were up by 15 with eleven minutes to go and needed every point as they only won by two.

In an interesting move, because of the smaller, quicker Michigan line-up, down the stretch Coach K went with Kelly at center rather than either of the Plumlees. Ryan responded with a key rebound and put back and forced Morris’ last shot to be a pull- up jumper in the lane over his outstretched arms instead of a lay-up.

A win but a rather uneven,  sloppy performance by a team which appeared to be hitting their stride. Arizona will provide different challenges as they are a bigger, faster, and more conventional team. The Blue Devils better bring their “A” game to Anaheim.

Some observations:

• This is often a game of less than an inch. Morris’s last shot missed by  about the same amount as  Gordon Hayward’s last two shots for Butler in last year’s NCAA Championship game.
• I have long thought that playing a zone against this Duke team is the best way to keep Smith out of the paint and to beat them.
• While Duke had a rebounding margin of 31-18, they only forced 7 turnovers, a good barometer that the defense was not all that effective.
• Florida State holding Notre Dame to 31% shooting and winning 71-57 (without their best player Chris Singleton) makes the Duke and ACC record more impressive as it has more teams in the Sweet Sixteen than the Big East or any other conference.
• Kyrie was on the floor at the end of the game and hit two drives. The first one was waved off on a close call as an offensive charge but he pulled up on the second one and banked it off the glass. He also hit 9-10 free throws. However, he still appears to be feeling his way back and not wanting to step on anyone’s toes (sorry, couldn’t resist) or upset the chemistry of the team.
• As great as Kyrie is, it is hard to imagine him playing any better or making more big shots than Nolan, who had been the high scorer in twenty games this year.

After the game Coach Krzyzewski put his 900^th win in perspective: “I feel like it’s amazing that a coach and his point guard can be the first two coaches in the history of our game to win 900 and that it says something about the guy who has 902 and it also says something about the United States Military Academy. There will be a lot of guys who will win 900 games eventually, but to be the first two and it be the coach and his player to do it, is  something very unique and that’s the type of relationship and friendship I’ve had with Coach Knight. I’m glad I can share a moment, that moment with him. I’ve shared very really good ones with him.”

Alan adds:

I was driving back from Boston and couldn’t watch it until last 16 minutes.  It was a rollercoaster of a 16 minutes.  So, my remarks are necessarily limited by the truncated time I was able to watch.  In some ways it was traditional Duke basketball,  winning a shockingly close game with some timely plays.  But, in the end, Michigan just shredded the Duke defense.  I think that may be a credit to Beilin.  Michigan played wonderful basketball and got good open shots.  Statistics tell an interesting story because in many ways it was not traditional Duke basketball at all.  Michigan shot amazingly well — 20-32 from inside the arc (51% when you add the 7-21 from 3land).  Duke forced Michigan to turn it over only 7 times; making only 1 steal.  That’s not traditional Duke defense.

The offense stagnated with the substantial lead.  Duke was only 5-20 from 3; Kyle still in a 3 slump (1-5), and was uncharacteristically only 2-5 from the stripe.  Still, he’s the glue for this team.  Miles played only 13 minutes, and Mason played only18 (but had 7 boards in 18 minutes; and he was 2-2 from the floor and 0-2 from the foul line).  Neither played in the 16 minutes that I watched, and I admit I kept thinking that their interior defense might have stopped Michigan from scoring side so easily.  Kelly played excellent 23 minutes; was 5-6 from the field with 3 boards for 11 points.  One other point of interest.  Seth did not score, and I think he’s being affected by Kyrie’s return. Kyrie is not yet taking his shots – he took only 4 (0-2 from 3land and 1-2, including the game winner from inside the arc.  9-10 from the line).  This is an important week of practice for Duke, trying to re-integrate Kyrie with the first unit.  If anyone can do this, it is Coach K.  This game was very close, and the stats show where Duke was uncharacteristically weak.

Duke took 4 fewer shots than Michigan over all (in spite of a substantial rebounding edge),  and made 2 fewer.  Duke took 1 shot less than Michigan from 3land (making 2 fewer);  Michigan had one more assist and 6 more steals (Duke having only 1 steal is an amazing – very disappointing — stat to anyone who has watched the Duke defense perform at its customarily high level).  Duke won game at the foul line (making 18 of 25 while Michigan was 10-11).

Arizona will be difficult, but I think Texas had more potential.  Nice to see the ACC have more teams in the Sweet 16 than the Big East (or any other conference for that matter.)

DUKE – ARIZONA

Last year’s Championship Season wasn’t meant to be but was; this year’s Championship Season was meant to be but wasn’t. In sports, you never really know.

In the first half, Duke was in control even as Derrick Williams was a phenom with 25 powerful points (but no one else had more than four). Perhaps it was a bad omen that Williams hit an incredible three over the outstretched hands of Ryan Kelly to cut the Duke lead from nine to six just as the horn sounded. In the second half, the rest of the Wildcats also caught fire as Arizona just dominated Duke  physically and emotionally on both offense and defense in a manner I cannot ever remember happening to a Blue Devil team. It was as if Duke was playing the Dream Team—one hell of an impressive half of basketball for Arizona, not so much for the Blue Devils.

Duke recovered from the injury to Kyrie Irving to play some terrific basketball and win the ACC Tournament but apparently the team chemistry was affected by his return. The blunt truth is that neither Nolan Smith nor Seth Curry were the same players and the team performance was not as efficient as evidenced by  both the Michigan and Arizona games. And that is not a criticism of Kyrie or Coach K. He’s a great player and you had to play him. One bad half in one game should not obscure the fact that this was another exciting thirty plus win season nor the body of work of Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith—125 career wins, multiple ACC titles, and a National Championship .

The larger truth is that no one wins—or can expect to win– all of the time. After all, these are college students barely out of their teens. However, you hope your team plays the right way with players who belong in the school and still wins more than their share of games. And that is what Duke Basketball has done for over some sixty years and is one of the reasons we take pleasure in chronicling the efforts of a group of coaches and players who excel at what they do and represent the school so well.

Alan adds:

The Game

Arizona scored 55 points in the second half; they shot 60% from 3 land and 54% overall.  I’d really like to see the shooting percentage for just the second half, but DBR didn’t put up the box score and ESPN doesn’t break it down by halves.  Duke got so few rebounds in the second half because Arizona simply did not miss – and when they did, they got the offensive board.  Visions of 3 halves against Carolina (especially 51 points in the first half at Chapel Hill), the St. John’s game inescapably filtered into mind.  Eric Williams not only had a brilliant scoring first half (“only” 7 points in the second half), but his presence and Coach K’s adjustment to his first half opened the floor for Arizona to get pretty wide open looks, which they knocked down at an incredible rate.  I think Bill hit it: when the going got tense (Duke led 53-47 when the wheels came off), Duke’s chemistry was gone.  Nolan was 3-14 with only 8 points.  Singler blazed in the early moments, but wasn’t efficient at all in the second half.  Seth got hurt.  Duke was astoundingly ineffective in protecting its own rim after the Arizona shot went up.  I believe that was the Williams effect.  The help that Duke sent at Williams left Duke out of rebounding position.  But when it was all said and done, Arizona played a perfect game.  They shredded the Duke defense (as Michigan did in the waning moments of that game).  I don’t know what that story is or was.  Duke’s defense is so team oriented, it may be (this is speculation) that Kyrie wasn’t as efficiently re-integrated into the defensive schemes as he was into the offense.  In one sense, there was far less pain than if it had been a close game.  There is disappointment for sure.  Duke is now 3-7 in Sweet 16 games since 2000, six of those losses coming against lower seeds (think W. Va and LSU).

The Season

I fully enjoyed this wonderful season.  No single loss can dilute the pleasure and pride from the 2010-11 season.  Thirty wins, ACC tournament champions, K’s 900^th win, wonderful players and a team one could admire, have affection for and appreciate.  Nolan had a season for the ages (though I think he wore down some as the season went on; still maybe his best game was against Va Tech in the ACC Semis).  Singler did not have the season he had hoped for, but he proved a versatile player with a perfect attitude.  Even when his offense went South, the rest of his game remained constant.  Both of their jerseys should hang from the rafters.

In some ways, as I have previously written, this was one of Coach K’s finest jobs.  He re-structured the team when Kyrie went down, and he came close to re-integrating him for the Dance.  You had to admire Kyrie’s attitude on the bench and his commitment to rehab.  He was astounding in the first half against Arizona.  I think his lack of game shape showed in the second half, though he was still terrific.  Ryan Kelly emerged and will be part of the foundation next year.  The Plumlee enigma will be solved next year (I certainly hope Mason is sufficiently self-aware to know he needs to develop other parts of his game at the college level to have the foundation for an NBA career).  They will be heavily relied upon and I believe will grow into their respective potentials.  Seth and Andre were not quite as consistent as they will be next year, but they had excellent seasons.  I think that Bill is correct that neither Seth nor Nolan were the same players when Kyrie came back.  Duke will be a good team next year; a very good team (with the possibility to be great) if Kyrie returns.

All in all, it was a season to fully appreciate.  I’ve had a blast.

We close the season with a short historical narrative that may give some insight into why we have such affection for Duke Basketball at a great university which has contributed so much to our lives in so many ways:

After the endowment gift from the Duke family, President William Preston Few had the extraordinary foresight to take Trinity, a small college of the Methodist church, and  conceive the vision of a great university then enlisting businessmen, academicians, students, and alumni to fulfill his vision. The foundations of his dream were: a strong academic  institution with a religious underpinning , a stunning campus, an extraordinary teaching hospital, and outstanding athletic teams. The new West Campus was constructed in the form of a cross. At the apex of the cross was the magnificent chapel, to the right the library and classrooms leading to the hospital complex, to the left, the student union and dormitories leading to the football stadium. President Few recruited doctors from Johns Hopkins to be the nucleus of the hospital staff and, understanding the national marketing  impact  of winning teams, Wallace Wade from national champion Alabama to build a football program.

While the whole is more than the sum of the parts, successful athletic teams have provided the university with free publicity that otherwise would not be affordable– first through print and radio, then through television. The athletic teams have increasingly been the lens through which Duke University is viewed by the general public and which, in turn throws a spotlight on  the rest of an exceptional institution. The truth of the matter is that while Coach K and his basketball program is the latest and most successful in a long, proud history of Duke Athletics, it is not just that his and other teams have won, it was the way they have won and the kind of players with whom they have won– and graduated.

A case can be made that Duke has come further, faster than any Top Ten University. Athletic Director Eddie Cameron was a major catalyst. He had the foresight to see that excellence in athletics was quickest way to attract national attention to a young, ambitious university. In 1930, he hired football coach Wallace Wade away from Alabama following his third national championship with the Crimson Tide. By the mid 1930’s Duke had a powerful football team that attracted national attention and played in the 1938 and 1942 Rose Bowls. From $400,000 of the proceeds of the 1942 Rose Bowl (played at Duke because of concerns about Japanese attacks on the West Coast), Mr. Cameron built Duke Indoor Stadium (fittingly renamed Cameron Indoor Stadium), which was, at the time, the second largest basketball arena (next to the Palestra in Philadelphia) in the East. Fortunately, the legendary Dick Groat matriculated shortly thereafter and a great basketball tradition was established.

Legend has it that James Buchannan Duke established the Duke Endowment with $40,000,000 (over $500,000,000 in today’s dollars) after Princeton University turned down his offer of the very generous bequest with the caveat to change the name of the school to Duke University. The gift to Trinity had two caveats: change the name to Duke University (after his father Washington Duke) and build it to look like Princeton.

Whatever the truth, building a campus as beautiful as Duke, establishing rigorous entrance and educational standards, then building  nationally ranked football and basketball teams as well as baseball, golf, tennis, and lacrosse were the lynchpins of the meteoric rise of Duke University as an elite institution (Yale on steroids is how one of President Brodhead’s former students characterized the school). It could not have happened without all of these elements –and it would be difficult to maintain that status without preserving a dual excellence in both academics and athletics.

Alan adds:  Duke has always had athletic teams that presented the university in the light that we all admire.  There have been no academic short cuts to success.  I wasn’t around for the Wallace Wade days, but no person in college athletics has had a more profound impact on his university, college basketball, and the national sports scene than Coach K.  I think it puts the point perfectly that Coach K runs a leadership course at the Fuqua Business school.  He is, in fact, a leader who happens to coach basketball.  He makes us proud because he seems to be able to do everything the right way.  Even his involvement with our Olympic team and USA Basketball brings great prestige to Duke.

I do think his program epitomizes the ideal of college athletics.  His players grow under his tutelage, not just as basketball players, but from boys to men (like Grant Hill; what a wonderful article he wrote on the Fab Five).  There is no coach now active that has his resume as a teacher, leader and icon.  There are other coaches who may be his basketball equal, I believe (Ole Roy comes to mind), but none of them is in the same league for accomplishments as a human being and as, what he really is– an educator.  I’m not sure this could happen at a different institution (Stanford, maybe).  Duke is a perfect blend of the old Greek philosophy of keen mind and strong body.  The basketball program is seamlessly a profound and important part of the university, and enhances all that Duke does and promotes.

I join Bill in saying what a pleasure our writing has been for us.  I have reveled in the effort and enjoyed the camaraderie with a treasured friend (and ex-intramural doubles partner). Thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts with you this season.   Next Play.

During the season, Bonnie suggested that I save, organize, and archive my Duke Basketball emails. I didn’t consider doing it until after Duke won the NCAA Championship as I was curious as to what I thought as the season progressed. Reviewing them was interesting—sort of like watching a replay of the season when you know the final outcome but still get caught up in recalling the emotional ebbs and flow.

While my January prediction of Duke potentially being a Final Four team was accurate– as was my assessment of Singler, Scheyer, and Smith– my opinion of Zoubek wasn’t. But who knew, except maybe the coaching staff? Alan was ahead of the curve by pointing out early on that if you project Zoubek’s stats from twelve or so minutes to thirty, he would lead the country in rebounding.

My initial enthusiasm for the impact of the brothers Plumlee was not fully realized but was replaced by acknowledging the amazing transformation of Brian Zoubek into the missing link and catalyst for a NCAA Championship run. Likewise, my assessment of Andre Dawkins talent appeared like fool’s gold until he played well in the tournaments, culminating in hitting two crucial three pointers against Baylor.

Unfortunately, I was prescient in anticipating the Georgia Tech and Georgetown losses by pointing out how the schedule and travel can have a negative impact on a team’s performance. Also, unfortunately I don’t bet on games because I also stressed the axiom that not only do Coach K’s teams rarely lose two games in a row but also that he has a long memory for disappointing defeats and teams like West Virginia which have disrespected his players.

I tried to remind everyone that there is a good bit of luck involved in a championship season but that better coached teams that play smart and hard generally have more luck than those that don’t.

Many people have expressed the opinion that this was Coach K’s best coaching job. Well, maybe. But what about the 2001 Championship year when Carlos Boozer was out with a broken foot from the final Carolina  game until the last few NCAA games  and Coach K creatively utilized Sanders, Christensen, and Love as the three headed center or the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal team, where he had all the professional All Stars playing as a team?

Only after he retires (which I hope is many years in the future) will we fully appreciate the body of work of Coach Krzyzewski and what he has meant to Duke University.  In the meantime, let’s enjoy the ride.

It was an amazing season and anytime my memory of it fades, I will have this blog to remind me of how special it was and how fortunate we were to watch it unfold.

Duke – N.C Greensboro, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, & Radford 

I’m not sure how accurate an assessment can be made about this year’s Duke team from the first few games against basically mid-major competition and playing without the benefit of two starters: Nolan Smith, serving a two game suspension for playing in non-sanctioned NCAA summer games (whatever that means) and Mason Plumlee, who broke his left wrist but who should return after the first of the year.  However, we all know that Nov/Dec is the time Coach K experiments and tinkers with various personnel mixes to determine who and how to play the rest of the season. Scheme and strategy wise it appears we will see less full court pressure and more matchup zone defense; more of a hybrid motion offense featuring a three man weave because he has three go-to guys including  a breakdown-you-down, speedy guard with another gear in Nolan Smith; and more high-low posting especially with Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly in the game.

This team will go as far as Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith, players of very different but complementary skills, carry them—and how well the supporting cast supports them.  While Singler has from day one been a very admirable and very productive player who has done whatever the team needed, he really was an undersized #1 post up player. With the maturation of Miles Plumlee and the addition of his 6’10” brother Mason, Kyle Singler 3.0 has been released from low post purgatory and is free to play all over the court as a small forward mismatch from hell in a modified motion offense. Always a tireless competitor in the John Havlicek mold, Kyle has dramatically improved his three point and mid range jumper while losing none of his willingness to mix it up in the paint.  If he remains healthy and fresh and Duke wins big games, Singler should be a national POY candidate.

You know what you are going to get from Scheyer—forty minutes of steady, heady but not breathtaking basketball and the man you want on the foul line with the game on the line.

All reports are that Nolan Smith is practicing like the confident Nolan Smith after his head injury last year rather than the tentative, inconsistent Nolan Smith at the beginning of last year. If tonight’s game against Charlotte is any indication, that report is not an exaggeration. When Nolan is in a confident, attacking, scoring mode, he can be a breathtaking, lethal, game changing player at both ends of the court.

Miles Plumlee may possibly be the difference between Duke being a very good team and a terrific team. He is a 6’ 10” strong, wide body 250 pound real athlete who high jumped seven feet in high school—something Duke has not has since Sheldon Williams graduated. Wide bodies take up more space (think Charles Barkley) which gives them a rebounding and defensive advantage. In addition to the weight gain and adding four more inches to his vertical jump, Miles is playing with a great deal more confidence. Whether or not this carries over to ACC competition remains to be seen; but, we all know that as hard as he tries and as skilled as he is in some ways, Brian Zoubek’s lack of lower body athleticism limits him from being a consistent contributor against top tier competition.

Andre Dawkins may be the most intriguing talent on the team. Athletically and skill wise, there are times he shows flashes of Johnny Dawkins, Jayson Williams, JJ Reddick, and Gerald Henderson.  While he has a very smooth, quick release jump shot and can drive and finish with authority, what I like the most is that he seems to be fearless and has the look and demeanor of a confident junior or senior. In fact, he seemed quite comfortable playing the point for a short time against Coastal Carolina. The fact that Andre pulls the trigger like JJ did tells me that Coach has given him the green light to shoot. But he is a freshman and he will be inconsistent.

Lance Thomas is slated to be the sixth man/defensive specialist who can play the high post or guard any of five positions.

Olek Czyz is a European basketball anomaly in that he is very athletic but not a finished product.  As Coach K said, he should have been red shirted last year because he has a lot to learn. I don’t doubt that in time, he will become an interesting role player.

Ryan Kelly is 6’ 10” but not a wide body or a post up player. However, he was a late bloomer in high school who won the McDonald’s three point shooting contest and appears to have more complete and diverse skills than most players his size. He has shown that he can be effective in the high post because he can accurately shot a jumper and/or look over small defenders to make passes into the low post. He also is a tougher defender and stronger rebounder than my friend Alan initially thought.

Losing top target Harrison Barnes to Carolina was disappointing. However, despite the fact that speculation about Duke’s recruiting misses focusing on Coach K’s Olympic commitments will be grist for the media over the next months or even years, no one should think that Duke hasn’t been able to bring in top shelf talent—just not one and done talent, which is not necessarily a fatal flaw.  After the announcement, Harrison’s mother said basically that her son had known he was going to UNC for a long time and that he just played the other schools for the publicity to “brand’ himself.  The somewhat over-the-top staged press conference Barnes held for himself announcing his decision pretty much confirmed that he has an inflated sense of his place in the universe but that is what ESPN, the Internet, Texting, Twitter, the early draft, and shoe contracts have done to many blue chip high school basketball prospects.

This year Duke has more size, depth, and diverse talent than in recent years—and except for possibly Singler no one should be going early to the NBA.   Next season, Duke will bring in Tyler Thornton, Josh Hairston, and Kyrie Irving—all four star players with Irving being considered one of the two top point guards in his class–and Seth Curry, Stephan’s brother and the nation’s top scoring freshman last season at Liberty, who transferred to Duke  will also be available next year.  This is talent most college coaches and fans would pay a lot of money for—and, indeed, some do (read Kentucky. Memphis or any school coached by John Calapari.)

That being said, Barnes joins Brandan Wright, Patrick Patterson, Greg Monroe, and Kenny Boynton who have been top targets that considered Duke, but ultimately committed elsewhere. I read an article that expressed the thought that Duke is perceived by recruits to be an elite private school that has a majority of white players, which is highly unusual in an elite college basketball program.  In fact, this year’s projected starters are—to use a moniker hung on the Boston Celtics in the 70’s—a “Busted Flush” (four whites and a black). Further, the article suggested that the top players Coach K has been unable to sign are all Afro-Americans who might not have felt as comfortable in the Duke environment as they would at another school with a team where they were not in the minority. Another explanation is the televised NCAA Championship effect. JJ Reddick, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, and others became enamored of Duke watching the 1991 & 1992 championship teams. Carolina’s recent championships impress and sell the program to future players. It goes in cycles.

Whatever the case, Duke has won more games than any basketball program in this decade. Let the play begin!

Duke – University of Connecticut 

I don’t like Big East Basketball. I don’t like the way the players play, I don’t like the way the refs referee, I don’t like the compromises most Big East schools make in admitting players and, in some cases, thieves, and felons, and I don’t like  many of the coaches.  It started in 1959 seeing John Thompson, the center on the great, undefeated Bishop John Carroll High School team, attempting to jump on a fallen opponents head with both feet. It seems to me he took that attitude to Georgetown and his success there set the template for the “Big East Style” of physical intimidation.

Recently, UConn holds the Gold Standard (formerly held by whatever school “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian, then John Calipari have coached) for playing fast and loose with admissions and ethics. Then, there is UConn’s play on the court. Let’s go to the TiVo (I was out of town for Thanksgiving) and review Friday night’s game with Duke. Jon Scheyer should have received combat pay for the physical abuse he took because the refs “let them play” (until they decided things were getting out of hand and started calling touch fouls)—punk, cheap shots out of bounds and after the whistle, elbows to the head, intentional fouls, you name it. Well, enough about rugby, let’s talk hoops.

After a less than scintillating performance against Herb Sendek’s Arizona State (what team looks good playing a Herb Sendek team and, in case you missed it, ‘Zona State beat LSU handily for third place in the tournament), one writer called Duke the most overrated team in the country and Doug Gottlieb on ESPN called Duke “alarmingly unathletic” (a word that does not pass the Word spell check test), which is usually code for “too many soft, white boys”. Coach K responded by saying that “actually, we’re pretty athletic; we’re just not as athletic as Connecticut and that Doug (who played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State) should be an expert on alarmingly non‑athletic.  So I’ll have to take a look at that a little bit closer because it comes from an expert who actually knows what it feels like to be alarmingly non‑athletic”.  On other occasions, Coach has said that he recruits basketball players not track team prospects. Nolan Smith added succinctly: “When Mason Plumlee returns to the rotation, Duke will be “even more athletic than people don’t think we are.”

Well, bless their shortcomings, just how did the athletically challenged, soft Duke team win by nine when they only shot 29% from the floor and lost the ever popular slam dunk contest (but did win the  acrobatic shot contest with Scheyer’s flip over the shoulder bank shot while being knock upside down without a foul being called contest)? Well, somehow they managed to stumble into 4 more rebounds, 2 more steals, 6 more threes, 8 blocked shots– as well as shooting 80% (vs. Huskie’s 54%)  from the line, proving once again that there are a lot of different ways to win a game.

After the game, UConn’s Stanley Robinson was quote as saying that Duke played “smarter”. Well, as one reporter wrote: “One out of three usually won’t get a student a C. The correct answer is smarter, and harder, and better.”

Duke – Wisconsin

Coming off two close, draining games in the NIT, you knew that this away game at Wisconsin was going to be difficult. The Badgers had their A game– a forward bomber in the first half and a gutsy guard in the second—and Duke didn’t.  Zoubek and Thomas, who were the heroes of the UConn game, came up empty. Singler kept Duke close in the first half and Andre Dawkins almost shot Duke to tie in the second half with 4 straight threes. However, Duke could never sustain a run and Wisconsin’s disciplined offense, accurate perimeter shooting big man Leuer and quick guard Hughes were the difference.

Mason Plumlee played about ten minutes but clearly not yet up to speed. The rotation is in flux. I suspect that Zoubek will be the odd man out as Miles, Lance, and Mason bring more to the court. And my man Andre deserves more minutes. Let me remind y’all what I wrote after the first two games:

“Andre Dawkins may be the most intriguing talent on the team. Athletically and skill wise, there are times he is shows flashes of Johnny Dawkins, Jayson Williams, JJ Reddick, and Gerald Henderson.  While he has a very smooth, quick release jump shot and can drive and finish with authority, what I like the most is that he seems to be fearless and has the look and demeanor of a confident junior or senior. In fact, he seemed quite comfortable playing the point for a short time against Coastal Carolina. The fact that Andre pulls the trigger like JJ did tells me that Coach has given him the green light to shoot. But he is a freshman and he will be inconsistent.”

It’s still early in the season but he is not longer a secret and teams will defend him more aggressively; however, I have seen enough to think that he is a more versatile, and talented shooting guard than JJ Reddick. That is not to say that he will have as good a career because there is still a lot to learn about his mental makeup and ability to overcome diversity. Time will tell.

This team needs to smooth out the rotation and the wrinkles because Carolina sure has. The win over Michigan State was impressive as their two point guards are improving and their big men, of whom there are many, are a handful. The rest of the ACC teams have been unimpressive.

Duke – St. John’s 

I imagine that I was one of the few people in the southeast watching Duke play St. John’s rather than the Alabama-Florida game.

What I took away from the game is that the Blue Devils are still an inconsistent team on both ends of the floor but a work in progress. They are still not shooting well–43%) from the floor but, paradoxically, about 80% from the foul line. My (DID) Defensive Index Differential (rebounds, turnovers , steals, blocks) was a +23 for Duke, which masked the fact that unlike last year this team is not defending the three point shot very well—or they would have won by twenty.

Again although Nolan Smith is not a true point guard, Duke is a different team when he is aggressive offensively. When he attacks, he distorts the defense and creates a multiplicity of options. Otherwise, their half court offense is pretty static– and a lot less effective.

I am at a loss as to why both Plumlees started but only played 19 minutes between them.  Lance Thomas, a much more effective and balanced contributor this year–thanks to adding muscle and a nice mid range jump shot–, deserves major minutes but, while Zoubek  has his moments, he still lacks the lower body athleticism to be  anything more than a brief change of pace presence against top tier teams ( which St. John’s is not). Only the Plumlees and Lance can provide the inside firepower offensively and defensively to compete against athletic top ten teams as you could see if you watched the Carolina-Kentucky game. By the way, John Wall is the real deal! Kentucky is not the same team without.

Duke – Gonzaga

 One of the most difficult challenges in any rhythm sport is under the pressure of competing to somehow find your shot or stroke or free throw when it is missing in action. And in basketball, the additional challenge is to not let poor shooting affect your defensive effort (Duke was +25 on my Defensive Index). This has always been one of the keys to Coach K’s team’s success, which today was exemplified by Kyle Singler, who had only 9 points but shut down Gonzaga’s star Matt Bouldin and gathered 11 rebounds.

Neither Duke nor Gonzaga started the game in any sort of offensive rhythm as their shooting was just cold as the weather outside of Madison Square Garden. The score was something from the 1930’s—10 to 10 after ten minutes. Then Scheyer and Smith heated up and the Committee of Big men dominated the paint and the glass as Duke controlled Gonzaga at both ends for the rest of the game for a stunningly easy win.

What does it mean when Duke is 9- 1 and beats #15 Gonzaga by 35 points while Kyle Singer, who is in an extended shooting slump, only scores 11 points?

It means that this is not your recent Duke Basketball team. It is deeper, more diverse, more resourceful, and coached differently. To borrow a military quote: “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wished you had”. In recent years, Duke has had to rely on few super stars like Reddick and Williams and role players in a limited rotation. If JJ had an off night or Sheldon got in foul trouble, Duke was at a severe disadvantage. And at the end of a long season, the grinding pressure on these star players took its toll.

Well, this year everyone thought that Singler was going to be the super star but so far it has been Scheyer and Smith  who have been  carrying the offensive burden and Coach K is developing a situational four man bench rotation—especially at the center and power forward position. I think it is pretty clear that Coach K has much more confidence in the depth of his bench this year and is coaching accordingly–so that would seem to bode well for  fresher players at tournament time.

I think there is significance in Coach K’s after the game comment: “This is the first team in eight years that really understands our defense so well, not individually, but together”.  Let’s see, that would be 2001, the NCAA Championship year.

PS. Vern Lindquist has had some signature moments s as a commentator (He called the famous Duke-Kentucky-Laettner miracle shot NCAA game and the Tiger dramatic birdie chip-in on #16 at the 2005 Masters yelling “Oh my goodness! Oh WOW!! IN YOUR LIFE, have you seen anything like that?”). However, today was not one of them. He was annoyingly casual and disengaged in his announcing, miscalling several plays and totally missing Miles Plumlee leaving the floor holding his arm after a nasty fall, which was of some concern to Duke fans.

Duke – Pennsylvania & January 1, 2010 Prediction

My take is that potentially this is the best team Coach K has had since 2001 for the following reasons:

1)      There is more depth and more talent in the front court than in recent years. No longer will Duke be forced into an exhausting (seven man rotation) press all over the floor to force turnovers, and cover for a weak inside size and defense. There now is a five 6’ 10” man rotation inside. Miles Plumlee, while having a “bull in a china shop” quality, is a developing into a true enforcer; Mason, as he demonstrated last night against Penn, is the most talented big man Duke has ever had. Apparently, playing harder is the key to more minutes—and Lance Thomas, who has added offense to his defense, is the coaches stalking horse. Zoubek is exceeding all expectations. And while Kelly may be a year away, he is much better defensively than some knowledgeable observers thought. These guys can block shots and, except for Zoubek, run the floor.

2)     More fire power. No longer is Duke’s offense dependent upon one or two scorers because there are four legitimate, unselfish perimeter players—Scheyer, Smith, Singler, and Dawkins.

3)     Jon Scheyer has morphed into the best point guard since Jason Williams. Moving him to the point has unleashed the full range of his talents. Guarded by a smaller, quicker defender, he can look, pass and shoot over them. When Smith has the point, Jon can rotate to the wing, and post them up. I’ve been trying to think of who Jon plays like and it finally occurred to me that he reminds me of John Stockton—smart, sees the floor, can pass and shoot, and continually exceeds expectations.

There has to be a lot of luck—no serious injuries, hit end of game free throws, find ways to win close games, and, above all, play hard especially when the offense is on vacation —to be a Final Four team. All I am saying is that I think this team has the complementary players, the chemistry, and the coach to be one of those teams.

And speaking of coaches, Duke won more games during the last decade than any other college basketball team. Did any other coach get more out his talent than Coach K?

Duke – Clemson 

The key to a winning season is an athletic version the early Clint Eastwood film: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”—you have to find a way to win them “Any which Way But (don’t) Loose”. (Sorry for the pun. I’m an Eastwood fan.)

The Penn game was winning “Good”; the Clemson game was winning “Ugly”; and my fear is that the Georgia Tech game in Atlanta Saturday, just three days after flying to Chicago to play Iowa State, will be “Bad”, especially if Coach K stays with the seven man rotation he used against Clemson. As my long time hoops buddy Alan pointed out, because of the fatigue of short rotations, the recent Duke teams have been more impressive in November-January than they have in March.  With a double digit lead at home for most of the game, you would assume that Dawkins and Kelly would get more minutes so that they would become acclimated to the intensity of ACC play. For sure, Coach K had not forgotten the embarrassing defeat last year at Littlejohn Coliseum and probably wanted to keep the pedal to the metal. Ironically, that humiliating loss was the catalyst for inserting Elliott Williams into the starting lineup and moving Jon Scheyer to the point, which led to a strong finish and winning the ACC Tournament.

However, this year the Blue Devils were in control all the way and closed the game out in an impressive manner. It was classic Duke Basketball- play good defense, get the other team in foul trouble and hit a high percentage of free throws. The good news is that Singler has his stroke back and Scheyer and Nolan have great chemistry at sharing the ball with each other.

Duke – Iowa State 

For me, one of the joys of following Duke Basketball each year is watching a player’s development.  A case in point is Jon Scheyer. He came in with the reputation of being a big time scorer–maybe the next JJ Reddick. Obviously, Coach K loved his game, because he was a starter from day one. The reality is that he has been Mr. Consistency–a versatile, very good, very dependable player (especially at the foul line)– but not a flashy, superstar. Surprisingly, Jon has been a somewhat reluctant shooter but rather a more subtle, efficient and complete talent who seemed more interested in being a good teammate than putting up a lot of points.

Perhaps as a two guard, he was a little physically disadvantaged. However, moving to the point has allowed the full range of Jon’s skills to flourish to the degree that it occurs to me that he is right there with Grant Hill as the most complete Duke basketball player I can recall. A 30 minute stat line of 36 pts (on only 13 shots), 9 assists, 8 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal speaks volumes about his efficient talent—and his show-the-ball-blind-left hand-behind–the-back pass to Singler for a layup was a Sports Center high light moment. Play on, Jon!

On the other hand, I don’t know what to make of Zoubek. At the beginning of each season, he looks like he will be a real contributor but when he plays against top teams, he appeared to be one of the few seven footers to play below the rim–and to add insult to injury, refs seemed intent on calling a couple of fouls on him before he even leaves the bench. In all fairness, the Zee Man did have the most impressive game of his career against UConn, so maybe this year will be different. However, Miles Plumlee, who is much stronger and more athletic, definitely plays above the rim and is much more polished than last year.

I’ve made no secret from day one of my assessment that Andre “instant offense” Dawkins is a wonderful talent who will be a huge asset to the rotation. Nothing he has done this year has changed my mind…… Can’t figure why Mason Plumlee, who has shown flashes confirming his reputation as an exceptional talent, is behind Ryan Kelly, who needs to get stronger and more confident, in the substitution rotation– unless Coach is sending Mason a message.  I believe that he will be getting serious minutes when the games get more serious. Lance Thomas is stronger, has an improved mid range jump shot, and is a very good athlete who accepts whatever role the coaches assign him.

Let’s hope Singler’s ankle and Smith’s knee are minor ailments.

Duke – Georgia Tech 

As I noted last week: “The key to a winning season is an athletic version the early Clint Eastwood film: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”—you have to find a way to win them “Any which Way But (don’t) Loose”. (Sorry for the puns. I’m an Eastwood fan.) The Penn game was winning “Good”; the Clemson game was winning “Ugly”; and my fear is that the Georgia Tech game in Atlanta Saturday, just three days after flying to Chicago to play Iowa State, will be “Bad”— especially if Coach K stays with the seven man rotation he used against Clemson.”

When Singler goes 2-13 and Smith 4-10 for nine points each, Duke is not going to beat many of the more talented ACC teams. Let’s consider other numbers: a team that commits 24 fouls is giving an opponent a huge opportunity for easy, uncontested points; and only getting to the line 14 times (vs. 28 for Tech) and hitting 64% (instead of 75%) is just not taking advantage of a gift—and a sign that you are not playing the attacking basketball that is one of the benchmarks of Duke Basketball. These are the signs of a tired, sluggish team—Singler, in particular, appeared not himself.

Despite all that went wrong, this was a winnable game. Duke was up 6 at half time and came out flat to begin the second half and just let the momentum slip away. That is a cardinal sin on the road where the crowd is so important. Nevertheless, Scheyer and the Plumlees kept Duke right in the game until the very end when Georgia Tech converted a couple of air balls (forced by good defense)  for buckets– that was tipping point—and hitting six straight free throws to seal the deal. Tech deserved the win.

Regrettable, against big, stronger, more athletic competition, Zoubek has reverted to his immobile, a beat late, former self—and Lawal (8-9) 21 points and 9 rebounds is a real load for most any college player to defend. The good news is that Mason Plumlee had his best game and adds a multiplicity of skills on both ends when he is on the floor. It is obvious that he and his brother have very good chemistry and in close games it is a real advantage to have the two brothers and Lance Thomas rotating in the power positions. That plus Singler and/or Smith just scoring a normal amount of points and this team is much less vulnerable to being beaten. However, the cold truth is that on offense Singler has only shown flashes of the All American player most commentators expected this year. Fortunately, Scheyer is having that kind of year but until Kyle’s shots start falling, there will be a lot of games like this against UNC, Florida State, Georgetown, Wake, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Maryland.

Duke – Wake Forest 

Tonight’s game against Wake Forest was much closer than the final score but the more disciplined, better conditioned, better defensive team won. My Defensive Index (differential of rebounds, turnovers, steals, and blocks) was +13 for the Blue Devils who also got to the line 32 times and shot 81% vs. 25 times & 60% for Wake. Those stats pretty much tell the story and anyone who thinks that Duke is a finesse team that is not physically tough needs to watch a tape of this game. While the refs tried to get control of the physical play early on, they never really did and probably never will until someone deals with instigator of dirty play, Chas McFarland—or he graduates. The guy makes Big East games look like a ballet. And if Kyle Singler’s wrist is injured (think Gerald Henderson), it probably will never truly heal until after the season which would be a devastating blow to this team.

I thought two plays were the tipping point that broke the game open: a conventional three by Singler quickly followed by an old fashion three by Scheyer which turned a three point lead into nine. Singler (21 pts. 14 rebs.), incidentally, seemed more comfortable tonight as he played more of an outside/inside game by taking his smaller defender into the paint more often than he has in other games.

This win against another big, strong, athletic team gave us occasional glimpses of how good this Duke team can be if Miles (19 pts.-14 rebs. 1 blk.) and Mason (11 pts.-7 rebs. 2 blks.) Plumlee continue to improve, stay healthy, and stay out of foul trouble. The team is much more athletic and more formidable offensively and defensively when both Plumlees are on the floor together. Thomas and Zoubek have their strengths and roles but clearly are not as talented. And it really doesn’t matter who starts, what matters is who gets the major minutes and is on the floor at crucial times.

Duke – North Carolina State 

In a game all too reminiscent of the Clemson game last year, N. C. State played with the purpose and efficiency of the  #7 team in the country and Duke played like an out-of-synch, unranked team. After playing so well against Wake Forest, Miles and Mason Plumlee were missing in action (2 points & 4 rebounds in only 23 minutes vs. 30 points & 25 rebounds). Miles Plumlee was undressed by Tracy Smith early and often, setting the template for the rest of the game.

To make matters even worse, Duke’s early turnovers and fouls gave State and their home crowd an advantage and confidence they never relinquished. Nolan Smith made a sensational buzzer beater three (catching a loose ball in mid air at the top of the key and in one motion draining a long three) to bring Duke to within three points to end the half. However, Duke started the second half like they did against the loss to Georgia Tech and were quickly down double digits. As we all know, Coach K’s teams over the years have lived and died with tough man to man defense. Tonight, they died as State scored virtually at will. Five minutes into the second half, he finally went to a 1-2-2 zone for a few minutes but nothing worked very well tonight.

My Defensive Index was a minus 18 against Duke as the team was outshot 58% vs. 38%. To defend and shoot like this in the middle of the season with a tough stretch of games coming up is not encouraging. The blunt truth is that Scheyer has been the catalyst for the team winning ways (and covering for some other weaknesses) by playing like an All-American point guard but has not for the last four games; Singler has never consistently been the offensive force envisioned at the beginning of the year; the Plumlees have had their moments but either get into foul trouble or K’s doghouse and their play is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates–“You never know what you’re gonna get.” Z Man and Thomas work hard but are complementary role players who will not take their team deep into the NCAA Tournament; Dawkins and Kelly have all but disappeared from any meaningful minutes; and, at the present time, only Nolan Smith has consistently played championship caliber basketball. However, if any one can affect a turnaround, it is Coach K—as he did last year.

I’m “Old School” on many levels and really dislike what expansion has done to ACC Basketball. Not to play emotional, intense games like tonight’s against natural, historic rivals like State, Wake, Maryland, Clemson, UVA  twice a season while substituting Miami, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Florida State) is just so shortsighted (not to mention unfair in determining the regular season champion) on so many levels, it defies explanation and comprehension.

Duke – Clemson 

After the lackluster performance against N.C. State (lost to Maryland tonight by 24), psychologically and statistically this was a very challenging and critical game for Duke. Next to Cameron, Littlejohn Coliseum is the most difficult ACC venue for an opponent. Nevertheless, if I were a betting man I would have doubled down on Duke and given points just because I have seen this movie before and know what Coach K demands from his teams after a loss. And this was a motivational Trifecta: the listless loss to State compounded by conventional wisdom that, unlike most Duke teams, the 2.010 version cannot win on the road compounded by the embarrassing loss last year to the Tigers in which K called a timeout with seconds to go just so his players would never forget the humiliating score and the derisive roar of the home crowd.

Clemson’s defense is baseline to baseline hand-to-hand combat in an attempt to physically and emotionally wear opponents down and take break their will. After twelve minutes neither team was giving an inch and the score was 13-13 (23-23 at the half) as the Blue Devils were strong and quick in their half court defense but terrible offensively. Games like this when a team’s shots are not falling are a test of confidence, perseverance, and tenacity. After the State game, Coach K commented that the first three defensive stands to start the second half usually determine how the rest of the game unfolds. Well, tonight after less than two minutes into the last twenty minutes, Duke was suddenly up six points (forcing Coach Purnell to call a time out) as they forced five turnovers and continued on to a patented 14-2 run. Unlike most teams facing the Clemson press, Duke did not play race horse basketball. Instead, they attacked it patiently which, among other things, took the jacked up ESPN Game Day crowd out of their look-at-me-I’m-on-TV hysteria. After a sloppy eleven turnover first half, the Blue Devils only had one turnover in the second half to calmly protect their lead. My Duke Defensive Index was +15 as the Blue Devils harassed the Tigers into shooting only 37.5% from the field with only two threes.

Offensively, Nolan Smith (22) just took the game over with an assist from Singler (12), who was successful flashing down low and the steady but still searching for his suddenly on vacation jump shot Scheyer (11). However, the unsung hero was Lance Thomas, who not only played tough defense against Booker but also scored 13 points to go with 7 rebounds and a steal. Miles Plumlee had a game high 8 boards but Zoubek again struggled to finish shots at the rim and latch onto loose balls. It remains a mystery to me why the Z-Man usually plays more minutes than Miles and Mason Plumlee, who only played eight tonight. A further mystery is that Andre Dawkins did not play at all. Are they injured or in the dog house? If anyone knows the answer to these questions, please let me know.

It was reported that Coach Oliver Purnell kept telling his players that Duke would wilt and tire and fade at the end of the game. Didn’t happen tonight. There is a brutal stretch of tough games coming up. Fortunately, all the conference games are at Cameron except BC, UNC, Miami, and UVA, & Md. So, it will be interesting to see if this team rediscovers their offense and stays fresh into the NCAA Tournament because 60 points is not going to win every game. There are times when it appears that if you just give the ball to Nolan Smith and clear out a side and let him operate a la Michael Jordan, he could get 60 points himself. The cat quick guard has a clever repertoire of moves and shots you rarely see in college basketball.

Duke – Florida State

Florida State has one of the tallest, most intimidating defensive front courts in college basketball and leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to 35.5%. However, unlike Wake, Georgia Tech, and Clemson, they do not have a true point guard and are bricklayers from the free throw line. If Tony Douglas was still playing, they would be one of the elite teams in the country. Since he isn’t, the Seminoles are a formidable but erratic, one dimensional opponent. The obvious strategy to beat them is to press them full court, which is not the primary strength of this Duke team, so that they have difficulty getting into their half court, low post offense. When the Blue Devils force 22 turnovers and 10 steals, they should win most games. And when they run their offense like they did for all but six minutes in the second half (when they appeared to run out of gas but seemed energized but briefly going to a 1-2-2 zone), they are hitting on all cylinders. My Duke Defensive Index was just +2 as the Devils were out rebounded by 9. But Duke made 12-17 (71%) free throws while FSU made only 6-14 (43%).

The three S-Men had 53 of the 70 points. However, Lance Thomas made contributions that did not show up on the stat sheet and Zoubek was unusually effective against players as big but more athletic. In many ways, this was as impressive an all round performance as the team has had all season.

17-3 and Looking Ahead: Clemson coach Oliver Purnell on his strategy against Duke: “We were monitoring minutes during the game and recognized that Scheyer and Singler had not been out of the game. With our style and all of that, it was something we were trying to do at the end. And quite honestly, they looked bushed. But I give them all the credit in the world. With tremendous mental toughness, those two, along with Smith and their other guys hung in there when they were tired.”  Coach Krzyzewski expressed confidence that superior conditioning is keeping his top players from wearing down. Scheyer and Singler played 40 minutes each Saturday, and Smith played 37. “They’re in great shape. They finished the game, and all three of them, they could have played another 20 minutes.” Well maybe, but the question is: Can they keep doing it game after tough game deep into the season in a league that is very well balanced?

Coach K has forgotten more basketball than I will ever know. However, the facts are that since 2001 Duke’s teams have had disappointing results (for them) in the NCAA Tournament. Conventional wisdom is that Coach K has relied on too short a rotation that left his players drained by a long, tough regular season and ACC Tournament. There’s an old saying that fatigue makes cowards of us all. In basketball, the first signs of fatigue are missed three point shoots, defensive lapses, and being beaten to loose balls. Then the coward–mental fatigue—kicks in.  And all these factors are exacerbated by a long, draining season of tough physical games in which most ACC teams play pressing defenses.   J J Redick’s post season play is a case in point.

In some years, because of the disparity of talent between the starters and the reserves, there has been little choice in the extended playing time of the stars like Redick, Williams, and Singler. That did not seem to be a problem earlier this year with Brian Zoubek, Mason Plumlee, Andre Dawkins, and Brian Kelly coming off the bench, but lately there is a reversion to the mean of a seven man rotation. However, an outsider has no way of knowing who is injured or what goes on in practice, the locker room, or the class room that may affect Coach K’s decisions about playing time.

Here’s the issue and challenge for the three Iron Duke S-Men strategy: Since the first Clemson game on January 3rd, Duke has played or will play thirteen games with only three days rest. Duke had another physical game tonight against Florida State after just returning from at Littlejohn Coliseum late Sunday. Meanwhile, Georgetown blew a double digit lead against Syracuse Monday and will have until Saturday to reflect on that embarrassment loss and recover and be fresh for a home game against the Blue Devils who have to study, go to class, and fly to DC.  Clemson, on two days rest, travelled to bottom feeder Boston College and predictably played sluggishly and lost. Since this is a good but not great Duke team, it has achieved a lot when a lock down defense covers for its sometimes inconsistent offense. They can miss jump shots and still win—but not if the defense is half a step slow (ref. N.C. State game).  So let’s hope Coach is right and Smith, Scheyer, and Singler are in great shape and do not need more than a day or two to recover, because there is no time off from here to the end of the season—whenever or wherever that may be.

Duke – Georgetown 

This afternoon Georgetown put on a clinic of fundamentally sound and efficient basketball to totally dominate Duke on national television. I cannot remember the last time Duke played so poorly in a game of national importance as it may well have cost them the possibility of a number 1, 2, or even 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. (However, there are still ten games and the ACC Tournament left before the seedings are made.) The Blue Devils followed one of their best games of the season against Florida State by playing their worst game of the year. The score was no indication of the how badly they were out played on both ends of the floor (outshot an incredible 72% to 37%).

While disappointing in its nature, the loss itself is not all that surprising. As I noted after the FSU game: “Here’s the issue and challenge for the three Iron Duke S-Men strategy. Since the first Clemson game on January 3rd, Duke has played or will play thirteen games with only three days rest. Duke had another very physical game tonight against Florida State after just returning from at Littlejohn Coliseum late Sunday. Meanwhile, Georgetown blew a double digit lead against Syracuse Monday and will have until Saturday to reflect on that embarrassing loss and recover to be fresh for a home game against the Blue Devils, who have to study, go to class, and fly to DC.  Clemson, on two days rest, travelled to bottom feeder Boston College and predictably played sluggishly and lost.”  But that’s an explanation not an excuse. Quick turn arounds are what tournament basketball is all about. Fortunately, this was not a one and done game.

What is of more concern is that at this stage of the season the team does not appear to be improving. The interior defense is better this year but the Committee of Big Men has yet to prove that they can score consistently as they should have today when they had a size advantage. And they make far too many silly fouls. Today, all of them got into early foul trouble disrupting the rotation and putting the Hoyas on the foul line. It is getting too late in the season for this to be happening. Players have to understand how the game is being called and this refereeing team was calling it like an ACC game from the sixties not a Big East game from the John Thompson Era. Zoubek is a senior and Academic All American and he had two fouls in two minutes. It was that kind of game for everyone. Duke played as though they had pulled all nighters for exam week and Georgetown played as though they just came off spring break.

There is not much margin of error for this team. When the Iron Duke S-Men settle for jump shots and miss and don’t attack the basket and there is not much low post offensive production, the team has to play lock down defense or it is virtually impossible for them to win. For whatever reason, Kyle Singler playing on the wing is not shooting and scoring as scripted. Nolan Smith is enigmatic in that there are times like the first half today when he is missing in action and does not assert himself as he did against Clemson. And I can’t figure out what’s going on with Mason Plumlee. He has gone from being a projected starter to playing eight to ten minutes as game and often looking lost out there. Today, when Lance Thomas fouled out Ryan Kelly, who just is not ready for prime time, not Mason was the substitute. What’s that all about? Miles is still green and somewhat of a bull in a china shop and fouls too much but is strong, athletic, and energetic. Lance is more productive that anyone thought he would be but gives up a lot of size and weight. Andre Dawkins has apparently hit the wall and, when he gets minutes, is playing like a freshman. Only Jon Scheyer is playing better than anticipated but, as good as he has been, he cannot carry this team alone. It will be interesting what changes, if any, Coach K makes for the tough home stretch of the season.

I’m not a fan of celebrities in the broadcast booth because it is a distraction from the event. The ubiquitous President Obama made a an appearance  with announcers Verne Lindquist and Clark Kellogg, who spent about five minutes  chatting with the president about such fascinating subjects as many points Obama’s brother-in-law scored on Kellogg in a Princeton-Ohio State game thirty years ago, while mostly ignoring the action on the floor. In was bad enough to have the game relegated to a small window on the screen and be subjected to tape of Obama scrimmaging with Carolina last year, but to hear Obama refer to the pedestrian Kellogg as the best college basketball analyst makes you realize that he is just another politician–or he hasn’t listened to Jay Bilas.  Fortunately, Obama did not bring his seatmate, Vice President Joe Biden; otherwise, the interruption would have been much longer and much less knowledgeable. 

Duke – Georgia Tech 

Since I just returned from being out of town and am pressed for time, I am including my buddy Alan’s assessment of the G-Tech game– an outstanding team effort featuring Singler’s Larry Bird impression. Needless to say, if Kyle can consistently hit just 40% from three point land for the rest of the season, there will be more and easier wins.

Note: I met Alan playing pickup basketball one afternoon in 1956 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Love of basketball (augmented by an off-the-chart intelligence and infectious sense of humor) have been the common denominators that has kept our friendship alive and well all these years. After Duke, Alan went to Columbia Law, then to Venice Beach where he “decompressed” as a public defender, played in tennis tournaments, and met Wilt Chamberlain, who invited him to live in his infamous house with a retractable roof.

But I digress, that’s a whole other story. Since then Alan, has been a criminal defense attorney as well as a life long competitive distance runner. Our post game comments are something Alan and I have been exchanging for years.

Alan comments:

The box score is revealing about this game, which was very even – with the exception of Singler going 8-10 from 3 point land.  All else discloses no advantage.   Of course, the score dictates how teams play and affects statistics, but still:

Shooting from the field: Tech  24-49; Duke 25-56

Fouls committed: Tech 27  Duke 25

Steals by: Tech 7  Duke 6

Blocks: Tech 2  Duke 1

Assists by: Tech 12  Duke 15

Turnovers by  Tech 15  Duke 12

Duke’s advantages were rebounding 40-32 with a 17-12 lead in offensive rebounds (can you say Zoubek – 4 offensive rebounds in 13 minutes.  Total of 7), foul shooting (Tech was a miserable 16-28 while Duke was only 67% at 24-36) and DRUM ROLL PLEASE, 3 point shooting.  Tech was 3- 12 (9 points on 12 shots) while Duke was 12 -18 (36 points on 18 shots) Even without Singler, Duke was 4-8 (2 for Scheyer and 1 each for the big guy freshmen, Kelly and Mason.  Nolan missed his only attempt; Davidson missed one and Scheyer and Singler each missed 2.  That, of course was the huge difference in the ball game.  This is especially true because Duke’s rebounding edge is not a measure of the rebounding talents of the two teams.  Georgia Tech was gutted by the sub-par performances of their two foul plagued stars, Favor and Lawal.  Lawal played just 16 minutes (4 fouls) with 6 boards and 9 points (3-8 from the foul line).  Favor played the majority of the second half totally 8 points, 7 boards and a block.  If Tech has those two for the whole game without foul trouble, it is a very different game.

Saturday is a big game (aren’t they all in this crazy ACC season) because Duke needs to demonstrate that the team can shoot well on the road.  All the road losses have had the component of bad Duke shooting.  The “wet dream” is that Singler’s performance is his “coming out party” and he will be the player (shooter) for the rest of the year that he was anticipated to be coming into the season.  Scheyer is returning to form.  He played really well.  He is turning the ball over now quite a bit more than earlier in the season (3 last night), but still is very efficient with the ball (7 assists and a couple of other gorgeous passes).  The big guys are still an enigma – inconsistent play.  Miles was disappointing.  10 minutes; 3 fouls, 1-4 from the field and 0-2 from the line with one board.  Ryan Kelly played a valuable 7 minutes.  He hit a 3, grabbed 4 boards.  He also rotated well on defense, which does not show up in the stat sheet.  His best game; he looked comfortable with the ball against Tech’s press.  Mason looked terrible in the beginning (bull in a china shop), and then made some spectacular plays.  In one short sequence, he secured a fabulous rebound, hit a long open 3 and drove the lane for a stuff.  And let’s not forget he is an excellent passer (though still trying to do too much).  He made one long cross court pass to Scheyer in the far corner, who hit one of his 3s, that was extraordinary.  But he fouled out in 18 minutes with just those 5 points, one rebound, and one assist.  He was a liability for the rest of the time he was on the court.  Lance was – once again – an unsung hero.  He played 33 minutes and garnered 11 boards (5 on offense; and he passes out for full extra possessions) and played solid or better defense.  But he is no scoring threat (1-2 from the field and 4-4 from the line).  However, one feels comfortable when he has the ball.  He does lots of little things.

We will see down the road about the rotation.  Scheyer and Smith each played 39 minutes with Davidson – not Dawkins – replacing each briefly.  The Dawkins story is not public and I don’t know what it is, but I do know he has more potential for Duke than Davidson does.  Hopefully, this will be another K coaching genius motivating move.  On to BC.

Duke – Boston College 

Duke played well for about a game and a half this week. Up by ten today at the half, they started the final twenty minutes lethargically and ineffectively and were inconsistent after that (especially after Thomas fouled out) to barely hold on by three as Smith and Scheyer free throws probably saved the day against a team at the bottom of the league standings. My Defensive Index was +9; however, Duke played, shot, and defended like a tired team in the second half. The three Iron Duke S Men, who are the highest scoring trio in college basketball this year, scored all but twelve of the points—not a script for tournament longevity. But, Coach K put the two games in “season body of work” perspective: “We got better this week. To add something to our offense, win two games, and to win them in 43 hours, I like that about our team.”  Zoubek had the best game of the big men– especially, his last second defensive play of the game as he hustled his big frame from under the basket to force Trapani to dribble and hoist an off-balance line drive three point shot which missed badly. With the Virginia loss to Wake, the ACC Regular Season Championship is on Duke’s racquet—all they have to do is hold serve.

Once again, the game looked like a typical Big East cage fight. I believe that all Duke’s opponents (except Carolina) are convinced that Duke is soft and the way to beat them is to be overly physical with them. It makes for ugly basketball and someone is going to get hurt. The refs are calling a lot of fouls but the calls are inconsistent and a lot of rough stuff is overlooked.

Duke – North Carolina

It’s February, the homestretch of the regular basketball season when the college contenders are separated from the pretenders. Seniors have an extra sense of urgency as they realize this is their last time around and young players either step up or falter under the pressure. The only thing Carolina, which has been in an inexplicable free fall, had going for them was home court advantage and a bench full of McDonald All Americans but no point guard majoring in Chemistry.  In addition, the Heels were away from Chapel Hill for four days as they had to travel straight from losing in Charlottesville to College Park (to beat the snow storm) and then get blown out by Maryland. But this is Duke and Carolina, so anything can happen—and almost did.

As mentioned before, a successful basketball season is an athletic version the early Clint Eastwood film: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly—you have to find a way to win games any which way you can. Well, this game was all three for the Blue Devils. It was good the first four minutes with Duke going up by six but both bad and ugly offensive basketball for the middle thirty minutes before a good last six minutes as Duke won by a deceptive score of 65-54.

The turning point of the game was deep into the second half when the Tar Heels had somehow clawed their way to a rare four point lead and the Smith Center was (for it) in full frenzy. Coach K went small with Andre Dawkins and Mason Plumlee to go with the Three S Men. Mason Plumlee broke a tie with a sensational, athletic rebound and reverse dunk with four minutes to go; senior Zoubek made a terrific handoff pass to Singler for a layup; senior Scheyer was in his Player of the Year mode (24-5-4-2-1) as he iced the game with two back breaking threes, a drive, and a nice fast break assist to Smith; and Duke played lock down defense on UNC (which is a lot easier this year than in years past).  Duke’s offense was mostly awful as they shot 32% from the floor and 61% from the line. The big men rebounded well but got stuffed at the rim (12 UNC blocks). Scheyer and Singler carried the Blue Devils the first half as Smith had no points. Fortunately, Nolan heated up in the second with ten points.

The bad news is that Lance Thomas, a much improved player who has been a vital but underrated component of this team, appeared to have seriously injured his knee.

Bottom line: I still can’t decide whether Duke is a contender or a pretender. They looked more like a pretender (except for their relentless defense against the taller Tar Heels and were +12 on my Defensive Index) on offense for much of the game until they closed out Carolina like a contender. So, I guess my take is still that with the Three Iron Duke S Men (40, 40, 39 minutes tonight) and Coach K, you can never count this team out– as some may have tonight. However, it sure would be easier to be a contender if the Committee of Big Men would chip in with more points.

Duke – Maryland

What a tough scenario for Coach Gary Williams and his Maryland team: A big game for first place in the conference, Coach K’s 63^rd birthday and 1,000^th game at Duke, 100 former players and staff in the house, and at Cameron. Call a Medic. It was another TKO (remember last year’s 41 point loss) for the Terps, who were never ahead and down double digits after the first few minutes.

The best birthday present was that Lance Thomas is not out for the season able to play. The next best present was Brian Zoubek playing above the rim and having a career game of 16 points and 17 rebounds and only 3 fouls in 22 minutes as the Committee of Big Men scored 29 points and gathered 27 rebounds. Boy, winning is a lot easier when the Big Men produce like this!

The way to neutralize this Maryland offense is to force Vasquez into double teams so that he has to give up the ball and can neither drive nor shoot off the dribble.  If a team can keep him out of the lane where he is very creative and most lethal, Maryland’s offense becomes a lot less formidable. Duke’s defense completely forced Maryland out of its half court offense as Nolan Smith and Singler did a terrific job limiting Greivis to only two points in the first half.

It is not how many points a player scores so much as when they score them. In most games, Jon Scheyer is a good model of this axiom. Today, he helped shoot Duke to their lead then orchestrated the offense until Maryland made a mini-run in the second half before he asserted himself again by making several key baskets and free throws to ice the game with his 22 points. It was nothing as dramatic as what he did at Carolina, but it was typical of Scheyer’s approach to the game. By contrast, it wasn’t until the Terps were down twenty or so in the second half that Vasquez scored his most of his 17 points and by that time the game was essentially over. Vasquez is a mercurial talent, who can be very exciting; Scheyer is less exciting but the more valuable team player.

After the game, Coach Williams was analytical and accurate in his assessment of Coach K’s tenure: “Mike Krzyzewski is Duke Basketball. He’s created a thing that very few schools have and so that when you think of Duke Basketball, you think of Coach K. The way his players play, the effort they give every game; I’ve seen Duke a few times not play well, but I’ve always seen the effort there. That would characterize the way Mike’s teams play, whatever players they have, and they have good players, they’re usually out there playing hard, working hard and playing for each other. I think that to be able to do that for 30 years is an accomplishment, given the fact that it wasn’t that way when he got here. He had to turn that around and he did a great job in doing that and then sustained it, which just might be just as tough.”

This approach is what we saw from Duke today executing at their best and what we saw, in particular, from Brian Zoubek, not the most talented player but one who is relentless nevertheless.

Undefeated in Cameron, Duke has played like contenders at home; but only 7-4 away from home, they have played more like pretenders on the road.  This was a very important game in that it separated Duke from the rest of the field in the loss column and set the stage for them to win the regular season–if they can silence the critics and play like contenders on the road.

Duke – Miami

This game was a Tale of Two Halves. When was the last time Duke only scored 25 points in the first half? We all know that Coach K stresses finishing the first half strong, starting the second half strong, and finishing the game strong. Well, Duke did not finish the first half strong as they let Miami extend their lead to twelve in the last minutes. To add insult to injury, Scheyer shot a three too quickly and Scott went the length of the floor for a two at the buzzer. At half time, Alan emailed me: “State, Georgetown Redux? (Don’t you hate a showoff—and he isn’t even Catholic). I’m so glad basketball games have two halves.”

Raise your hand if you saw the season passing in front of your eyes and all the critics jumping on the narrative of Duke not being able to win on the road and another late season fade. Apparently, Coach K said something like that because Singler’s nine straight points led a surge that had the Blue Devils pulling even after four minutes and going on a 22-5 run to a comfortable lead they never relinquished.  After scoring just 9 points in the first twenty minutes the Iron Duke S Men scored 49 of the 56 second half points. That plus Nolan Smith’s second half defense on Scott put the game away. Despite those impressive numbers, Zoubek might have been the most valuable player. Without his scoring, passing, and steals, Duke might not have scored 15 points in the first half. As Alan points out, the Z-Man is playing far better than anyone expected.

One disconcerting note is that Scheyer has been hindered the last three weeks with a sore back. However, even when he was Oh-for-the half, he had 5 steals at Miami’s end and with four fouls successfully defended a three-on-one break—and he had 15 crucial points in the second half.

The VT and Maryland games are critical because they also play each other.

Duke – Virginia Tech

Playing thirty-four minutes of tough defense when your shots are not falling is the characteristic of a tough, tenacious, resourceful team that hates to lose.  And that is what Duke did against Va. Tech until their shots started falling in the last six minutes. No one was more tenacious than Singler (10 rebs) and Zoubek (16 rebs). We have come to expect that kind of production from Kyle but, until recently, not Brian. After a 17 rebound game against Maryland, and a terrific all round game against Miami, Brian is playing like the real deal. Who would have thunk it? Not me.

Early in the season, I wrote that if Duke had to rely on Zoubek as a starter, they were in trouble. Well, what center in the ACC is playing better? The Z Man has always had good hands and is an exceptionally savvy passer in the post. Unlike most big men, after getting an offensive rebound, he looks to pass not shoot and usually finds one of the S Men for an open three. It may have been that in the last two years his development was handicapped by broken or injured feet, because now he is all over the court making plays, not a statue under the basket.  For three years, it seemed that the refs called Zoubek two fouls on him before he even got off the bench just because, well, just because he was 7’ 1’’ and an easy target. But as he has started playing better, the same refs seem to be giving him more respect. And, of course, unlike the Plumlee brothers, he is playing smarter, staying out of cheap foul trouble, and available for many more minutes.

How does a team shoot 29% and still win? They hit 10 threes, 21 free throws, hold an opponent to 33% from the field, 2 threes, out  rebound the them by  9—and make plays in the down the stretch. It is not so much how many but rather when you make plays.

Teams usually reflect the personality of their coach. Seth Greenburg rarely gets a McDonald’s All American player so he signs talented but flawed players and late bloomers. He coaches with a New York playground attitude and his players play with a chip on their shoulder, a lot of woofing, and an intimidating physicality better suited for the Big East than the ACC. But that is more and more the case with the league since expansion.  As I have pointed out, the referees need to take better control of games early in the contest before they get out of hand.

After road trips to UVA, Maryland, and a home date with Carolina, we will have a better idea of how well the Iron Duke S Men are holding up. Fortunately, the load has gotten a lot lighter since Brian Zoubek has emerged as another essential piece of the puzzle that has changed the character and chemistry of this team. 

Duke – Tulsa

It is becoming more and more apparent that the emergence of Brian Zoubek, who is now playing up to his size, has changed the character and tournament prospects of this Duke team. No longer is the center position manned by a Committee of Big Men. Zoubek is playing like a committee all by himself. His defense, offensive rebounding (consider the math of consistently getting more field goal attempts than an opponent) and passing has allowed the team to shoot in the thirty percentile and still win. Of course, three point shots, which this team prefers, are worth fifty per cent more than the duce, so this seemingly low shooting percentage is somewhat deceiving. But as long as Nolan Smith plays lock down defense on an opposing point guard and the rest of the defense does their job, this is now a less vulnerable team– especially when their shots are not falling.  And when the shots are falling, they can beat anyone.

Another interesting dynamic is that Thomas and Zoubek are mentoring the Plumlees brothers on the nuances of playing Duke Basketball. At the beginning of the season I thought the Plumlees should be starters because the combination of their size and athleticism was an upgrade over the seniors. It has turned out that the seniors are bringing mature, subtle talents to the floor that do not always appear on the stat sheet and that the talented but raw Plumlees are finally showing signs of “getting it” by watching more accomplished teammates playing the majority of minutes of winning basketball, then making the most of their diminished minutes.

Tonight’s game also was yet another example of what we have come to expect from the Coach K winning basketball model: recruit solid citizens who are fundamentally sound players; seniors mentor the young players on the Duke Basketball culture; play tough, relentless defense; never give up on a play (say hello to Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas); get to the foul line and hit the free throws; start the second half strong (a 10-0 run last night); and finish strong.

I always admired Len Elmore as a player for Lefty at Maryland and like him just as much as a commentator. Tonight, his comments demonstrated once again that he knows the game, does his homework, and is not in love with his own voice.

Duke – Virginia 

Tonight was basically a scrimmage because UVA was on a seven game losing streak and Sylven Landesberg, their best player, was unable to play due to an injured thigh. Coach K substituted liberally (for him) as he undoubtedly wanted to have his players as fresh as possible for next week’s two critical, final games. The path to an ACC Regular Season Championship and quite possibly a number one seed in the NCAA Championship is clear: beat Maryland and Carolina. Duke was ranked number five in last week’s polls and number four Purdue first lost Robbie Hummel, their best player, for the season with a torn ACL, then Saturday lost to Michigan State.  A number one seed is a huge advantage in both the ACC and the NCAA Tournaments, so the Blue Devils have the opportunity to determine the degree of difficulty in each venue.

Clearly, Kyle Singler has become more comfortable playing on the wing, has more developed more rhythm and confidence in his jump shot, and is now the complete package we all expected at the beginning of the season; Jon Scheyer has played like an All American in all aspects of the game all year; despite the fact that Nolan Smith often starts games slow offensively, he finishes them fast and his lock down pressure on opposing point guards is the starting point for the Duke defense; Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek are playing at a higher level than I ever imagined; and the Plumlees have been consistently inconsistent but lately seem to be getting the idea of how to play Duke Basketball; Dawkins and Kelly are not quite ready for prime time.

It is not quite one and done time but still maintaining the momentum of playing well and winning is very important to post season success.

Duke – Maryland 

Tonight, Maryland started fast and finished fast and Duke didn’t. Maryland has played very impressive basketball since they lost to Duke by 21 three weeks ago in Cameron– especially the recent miracle win over Georgia Teach and a triple overtime win against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. So, it is not surprising that the Terps were at their best at home on senior night in front of Maryland fans who have never forgotten Duke scoring ten points in the last minute to tie, then win in overtime against the Juan Dixon-Lonnie Baxter-Steve Blake team or the twenty some point comeback in the 2001 NCAA semi-final game. The Terrapins are 8-12 against Duke in the last nine years, but were 7-6 during one stretch. The Blue Devils, however, had won six straight coming into Wednesday’s game. If Duke – North Carolina is the number 1  rivalry in college basketball, Duke- Maryland is 1A  in student and fan intensity.  Gary Williams deserves a lot of credit with what he has accomplished with this team. Virtually every year he is competitive, usually without the benefit of top tier talent. He works hard for every win—and his teams reflect that mind set.

After being thoroughly outplayed for most of the first half, the Blue Devils went to a 1-2-2 zone that handcuffed the Terps and made a 19-7 run to cut a 14 point deficit to 2 at the half. Duke started the final 20 minutes strong—usually a good omen– but let a 5 point lead slip away to a 5 point deficit. Yet the score was still tied with two minutes to go. Then, Scheyer and Smith couldn’t get their shots to fall and Vasquez did with two off balance circus shots to seal the win. Sometimes the ball just does not want to fall for you but does for your opponent.

Missed open threes (live by the three; die by the three), drives that wouldn’t fall,  and two consecutive bad calls—one back court that was highly questionable and the other travelling on Scheyer that clearly wasn’t—at a crucial juncture late in the second half didn’t help. Nevertheless, no excuses. This was an important, winnable game-–one that a championship team should win. However, that is difficult when you are outshot 50%-40% from the floor; 90%-63% from the line; 46%-37% from beyond the arc; have no rebounding edge; and no easy transition  points. So, from the stats it is obvious that Maryland executed better, was more efficient, and deserved the win. It is a credit to the Blue Devils tenacity that a game played in the second most difficult venue in the ACC was not decided until the last minute.

As disappointing as this important game was, Duke still has the opportunity to be the ACC Co-Champion and be the number one seed in the ACC Tournament.

 Duke – North Carolina

Senior night is an emotional event in Cameron so it is often difficult for the seniors not to press but rather to control their emotions, relax, and let the game come to them. The Duke seniors (and juniors) did just that tonight as they saved some of their best basketball for the last game of the regular season. The first three times down the court the Three Iron Duke S-Men all hit threes, the defense shut UNC down, and the Blue Devils never looked back or let up. They led 29-9 after ten minutes and 53-26 at the half. If it was a prize fight, the ref would have called a TKO and stopped it. The final score was 82-50 as the Blue Devils went17-0 at home for the first time in their history to tie Maryland for their 19th regular season ACC Championship– and 12^th under Coach K.

Guess what, pundits? These are not the numbers of a basketball program in decline.

On the other hand, it is hard to believe that the opponent is the same proud program and coach that won the NCAA Championship last year. Their top six players graduated, but still, Roy has been one of the very best recruiters in the country for decades, so his cupboard has rarely been bare and they are still loaded with McDonald’s All Americans—even if not the right mix. In all fairness, Carolina has been plagued by mediocre, inconsistent point guard play and the lack of three point scoring all season and, more recently, by a rash of injuries.

These issues plus the fact that the Blue Devils were coming off a difficult, disappointing loss at Maryland and the seniors had never beaten Carolina at Cameron made for a potentially bad night for the Tar Heels—and  was it ever. It was the largest winning margin against Carolina in Cameron in the history of the storied rivalry. And it might have been worse if Duke had not taken the air out of the ball in the last six minutes.

Despite his most disappointing and (self proclaimed) depressing season, Coach Williams demonstrated another reason–respect (at least by the coaches)–why this is the greatest, longest running basketball rivalry in the country as he was most gracious and complementary toward his opponent in his post game comments:  “I do want to congratulate their seniors particularly Jon Scheyer. He is a young man that I’ve really enjoyed watching play– except against us. To go from a quote shooting guard to one of the primary ball handlers and have seven assist and zero turnovers, that’s sensational. I’ve really enjoyed him as a college basketball player and think he stands for so many great things. Lance Thomasdoesn’t shoot it very much, but he does all the dirty work and really helps their team. Brian Zoubek, especially down the stretch, tonight he had 13 rebounds, that’s three of the last four games that he’s had double-figure rebound totals. Their senior night was so emotional. It was a very positive experience for them and a very negative experience for us. A great senior night for them; their crowd was sensational. This is the best Duke team I’ve seen in the seven seasons since I returned to North Carolina. They have no holes.”

Tonight was another confirmation that the emergence of Zoubek during February and March as a solid, efficient presence (and even force) in the paint has filed a void (since Sheldon Williams graduated) that makes Duke a much more formidable team and has fueled the 9-1 run to finish the regular season. It is not only his protection of the basket, his offensive and defensive rebounding (he had 13 tonight) but also his calm passing out of the post and massive picks on the perimeter that make the team much more versatile and a lot less vulnerable.

The games are much easier when (unlike the Maryland game) the balls on the rim roll in not out; you shoot 46% from the floor while holding  an opponent to 33%; shoot 96% from the line; have 7 more threes; 12 more rebounds; 5 fewer turnovers; and 2 more steals.

Some random thoughts: There are times like when Nolan Smith left Drew II looking like a statue as he froze him and drove past him for a transition basket that Nolan looks virtually unstoppable….For the last half of the season Kyle Singler has been playing offensively like we all thought he would at the beginning of the season but he is no more ready for the pros than Gerald Henderson, who rarely gets playing for an “also ran”  Charlotte team…Did Coach K actually hug Miles Plumlee in front of the bench as the clock was still running after he deflected a ball, went on the floor at half court and passed it for a transition basket?..…The ESPN outside half time repartee between Digger Phelps, Bobby Knight, and Jay Bilas was more entertaining than the second half….Want to know why Jon Scheyer’s parents don’t miss any of his games? They bought a condo and moved part time to Durham from Chicago to watch their youngest child play– saving about 200K on tuition, room, and board sure must have helped ease the pain of the purchase….Andre Dawkins appears to be coming out of his playing funk, which might have been caused by Seth Curry, Stephan Curry’s brother, who is sitting out a year but on the practice squad and basically plays the same position….The best Cameron Crazie sign: “Eight miles isn’t far unless you’re crying.”…. With UNC having virtually no shot to win, it will be interesting to see what the effect is on attendance at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro.  To put the relative numbers in perspective, there are more UNC graduates living in North Carolina than there are Duke graduates in the world.

                       

                                 ACC TOURNAMENT 

Duke – Virginia

Just when you think Duke’s season is gathering momentum, they start the game against Virginia very casually, without much sense of urgency, and shooting like Carolina. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Tied at the half, Kyle Singler personally took over offensively to gain a working margin, and then Scheyer finally got untracked and scored seven straight points to put the game away. It was another prime example how important good defense is to a successful team, because without it, Duke could well have lost today.

Virginia’s performance was confirmation of my initial impression that Coach Tony Bennett is the third best coach in the ACC. Two weeks ago, playing for the first time without Sylven Landesberg, their best player (who has been suspended for neglecting to attend classes, which, unlike some schools, is taken seriously at UVA) the Hoos were blown out. Today, the Cavaliers were a different team as final score was not indicative of how tight the game was for

thirty- five of the forty minutes.

Some observations: Vasquez is a player I enjoy watching. It is like giving your teenage son the keys to your car. You don’t know whether he will wash it or wreck it. Scheyer is not nearly as exciting but you know he will wash not wreck your car. Today demonstrated the difference in style and substance between Jon and Greivis, both of whom had poor shooting stats. Down the stretch Scheyer scored seven straight points on good percentage shots while Vasquez was, well, Vasquez.

Mike Wise, a former college basketball player and now writer for the Washington Post, profiles Greivis this way:

“Greivis Vasquez, who never met a bad shot he didn’t like — or, for that matter, couldn’t make — finally lost a game of H-O-R-S-E to himself.

His step-back, unorthodox, shot put of a runner rimmed out. That “No, no, no, yes!” fallaway from the baseline wouldn’t fall. The three-point bomb that made the bench cringe until it swished through from 24 feet on the right wing? It went 23. And it did make the bench cringe.

Right away you think Kobe [Bryant] or something like that,” he said. “You see Evan Turner hit a game-winning shot for Ohio State. Or [Da’Sean] Butler [from West Virginia] making one, and you think, ‘That’s going to be me.’ And then you shoot and — Doh.”

Nothing was more telling from Greivis’s game than his errant, off-balance throw from behind the arc in the final minute. Trailing by only two, all Maryland needed was a field goal — or a drive toward the rack, where he could have drawn a foul and gotten to the free throw line.

In that instant, the allure of “Sports Center,” which he led off last week with his one-handed, no-angle runner that dumped Duke, became too much of a temptation.

It is moments such as these when young bucks need to heed some old-school wisdom: “A hero ain’t nothin’ but a sandwich.”

It’s never over until it’s over: How about North Carolina State!

The table is set with low seeds for the Blue Devils to run the table and win another ACC Championship. No excuses.

Duke – Miami 

So far Duke’s play has been inconsistent but effective enough to win their games. For the second straight day, Kyle Singler (27 pts-8 rebs-6 assts-1 blk) played Batman and came to the rescue of his struggling,  erratic shooting teammates who blew a double digit lead to fall behind 35-32 at the half on a Miami NBA three and a premature  leaving-the-floor-like-they-won-the-game celebration for which losing teams are well known. If Singler was Batman, hitting two quick threes to start the second half, Scheyer (16 pts-6 rebs-4 assts-3 steals-1 blk) was Robin as he had the assists and threw in eight points  of his own they —and good defense—personally shot Duke to a 15-0 run.

It was classic Duke Basketball: start the second half fast, get the other team in foul trouble, play good defense, and hit free throws. With Miami making a late charge and the game on the line, Zoubek, Scheyer, and Singler made 11 of 12 free throws. That’s how winning teams close out games.

In a combined 28 minutes, the Mason & Miles Plumlee (11 pts-7 rebs-2blks-1 steal) made several impressive plays as they appear to be getting more comfortable in their roles—and they seem to play better together….Andre Dawkins is playing better defense but his jump shot is still on vacation… Yesterday, when Scheyer was not shooting well, Coach K told him that if he wasn’t interested in playing, he should go sit in the stands with his parents and watch….After the game, Coach K was more generous. He said that Scheyer is like a batter who goes 0 for 4, then drives in the winning run…..During the 17-2 Miami run in the first half, Coach K got his first technical foul in years. It didn’t slow Miami down but in the second half the calls seemed more even as Miami was the team in foul trouble….The good news is that Kyle Singler is playing his best basketball. The bad news is that he probably is improving NBA draft status—but, hey, so did Henderson and all he has this year is a good courtside seat at Charlotte Bobcat games—and a large bank account. 

Duke – Georgia Tech

Duke split the regular season games with Georgia Tech but the most recent was basically a blowout win at Cameron. While the Yellow Jackets are talented and big, they lack an accomplished play making guard, turn the ball over far too much, and are not proficient at the free throw line. Those deficiencies plus this was their fourth game in a row would seem to be a huge advantage for the Blue Devils. Anyway, that’s the way the game began as Duke started with a lot of energy, forcing Tech into five turnovers and no shots in the first five possessions while jumping to a 15-5 lead as Nolan Smith showed the full range of his offensive game. Unfortunately, Nolan was called for two early fouls and replaced by Andre Dawkins, who, fortunately, suddenly found his confidence as he hit a three, a pull up jumper, and a dunk down the lane.

Duke was up seven at the half but started the final twenty minutes with sloppy play—but so did Tech. However, the Blue Devils got into the bonus situation early and, while not making many field goals, hit most of their free throws. With five minutes to go, the Devils were up by nine. Then, against all the odds and to their credit, Tech cut into the lead until they were down only one with a minute to go.

I had noticed at the beginning of the game Nolan Smith was bringing the ball up court a lot and thought Coach K was giving Scheyer some on court breathers as he appeared to be wearing down and had not been shooting consistently well—even at the foul line. But Jon still wasn’t shooting well, even missing two free throws. So, with the game on the line, I thought Smith, who held the ball held the ball at the top of the key as the shot clock ran down, or Singler would take it to the rim looking for a basket and/or a foul. Well, with the defense packed in the lane, Scheyer suddenly came off a solid screen by Zoubek, Nolan hit him with in rhythm with a perfect pass, and Jon drained a three with just twenty seconds left on the clock—an appropriate exclamation point for a stellar four year career. Singler hit two free throws to seal the deal.

As Coach says, Jon is like a baseball player who goes 0-4 then drives in the winning run. Coach Hewitt saw the play this way.  “At the end, Jon Scheyer made an unbelievable shot. If he was to take the shot, we wanted to force him to shoot from the right side so he had receive the pass and have to turn to face the basket to shoot a more difficult shot rather than shooting from the left side  where he would flow more naturally into the shot. If he misses, we’re getting the rebound because it’s coming out long and we’re going to score and probably win the basketball game.”

Nolan Smith deserves a lot of credit. He is more comfortable as a slashing, scoring guard than as a point guard and everyone wants to be the hero and hit the winning shot. But selflessness and trusting your team mates is a characteristic of winning basketball—and no Duke player exemplifies that attitude more than Jon Scheyer. Another characteristic of Duke players is that they play hard and no one plays with more abandon and less concern for his personal well being than Kyle Singler. Kyle chased a loose ball to the sidelines, dove for it, and with one hand tossed it between his legs onto the court as he hurtled over the press row table just missing Dickie V but taking out ESPN announcer Dan Shulman with a cross body block. Monitors and drinks tumbled but, fortunately, no one was hurt. Only Shulman’s headset, chair, and dignity didn’t survive the crash.

This was Duke’s 9^th ACC Tournament title in the last12 years and ACC league record 18^th overall. That’s not good enough for The New York Times, which has never apologized for their inaccurate, slanderous coverage of the Duke Lacrosse case. As my buddy Alan emailed me this morning:

“The Times is full of derision.  Headline on the sports page sidebar: “Duke’s Seed Says Contender, But the Record Begs to Differ”.  “…don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils continue their six year streak of losing to lower seeds….This team has all the makings of an upset victim.  Duke fattened its record on a down ACC and its biggest victory was arguably against No. 8 seed Gonzaga…Furthermore, they do not have much beyond their big 3…It is hard to believe that the Blue Devils have not made it [to the Final Four] since 2004.  They last won a national championship in 2001.  Expect both droughts to remain intact.”

Well, all I can say is that no matter what happens in the NCAA Tournament, Duke Basketball had a better decade than the New York Times. Go to the video tape or just look it up.   

 

                             NCAA TOURNAMENT 

Duke – California

I didn’t write anything about the first round game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff because it was blacked out in my area. Instead, it was the Georgia Tech game. I called DirecTV to buy their NCAA Tournament package so I could watch all of the Duke games uninterrupted, but it was not available this year. Belatedly, I worked my way through the confusing ncaa.com website and figured out how to access future games on my computer, so I could avoid those annoying interruptions of “look in’s” of other games.

Duke matched up well against Cal, because the Bears do not have much size on the front line so, obviously, getting the ball in the paint and attacking the rim was the game plan. One theory of breaking the will of an opponent is to attack their strength which in this case is Cal’s quick back court and shut down their leading scorer Jerome Randle, the Pac-10 player of the year. All this played right into Smith’s wheel house and he had his “A” game dialed up. No tired legs here nor with the big men as Zoubek (14 pts & 13 rebs), Thomas, and the Plumlees, both of whom have serious hops, dominated the lane at both ends. The bottom line is that Duke’s defense was suffocating and the offense diverse and efficient.

Duke was up 37-24 at the half and more or less cruised even though Scheyer and Singler were only 2-14 from beyond the arc. Nevertheless, Singler, his usual hustling self, was 5-6 inside the arc and Scheyer keyed a four point play with a steal and feed to Smith. On one hand, it was good to see the big men be able to take advantage of mismatches but to continue to win at higher altitudes, more threes have to fall. However, the major difference between this team and those of the last several years is that it is much better defensively because of the Committee of Big Men. Now they can still win even when the threes are not padding the score board.

It was interesting to see Jamal Boykin, who transferred from Duke during his sophomore year. His persona (but not necessarily all of his game) reminds me somewhat Shane Battier. His game has matured and if he had stayed at Duke he would have had to fight Lance Thomas for minutes. While Boykin’s numbers (13 pts & 11 rebs) were impressive, I don’t think he would have been as valuable to this team as Lance Thomas, whose value does not show up on the stat sheet.

For the record: Duke advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the 25th time in the 34 appearances. The Blue Devils are making their 15th straight NCAA Tournament under Coach Mike Krzyzewskiand 26th in his 30 overall seasons. Krzyzewski extended his NCAA record for tournament wins to 73. He is now 73-22 (.768) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the second highest winning percentage among coaches all-time. The Blue Devils improved to 31-5 on the season.

What exciting finishes! Bracket busters Northern Iowa, Cornell, who would have thunk it? What a tournament!

Duke – Purdue 

Purdue gave Duke a dose of its own medicine with “in your face and in your jock defense” and “I will out hustle you and play harder than you on every possession” attitude. It was a give no quarter, grind it out, bang it out first half in which two tough, defensive teams made each other look inept offensively. Until the last few minutes of the first half, I wondered if the Blue Devils would ever make one of the patented runs we have come to expect over the years. While Singler (24 pts) almost single handedly carried the offense with 11 points, the score was only 24-23 at the break as Purdue forced Duke into an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers (their average for an entire game).

Fortunately, the game was a tale of two halves. Scheyer (18 pts) finally hit a three (from the same spot that he did against Georgia Tech) in what has seemed like forever and seeing the ball go to the bottom of the net apparently exorcised his shooting demons as he went for 16 second half points and managed the pace of the offense flawlessly. Then, Nolan Smith (15 pts) heated up with a critical 7 straight points to give the Blue Devils a working margin that they never relinquished.

Meanwhile, Purdue, after hitting a few threes, got seduced (reminiscent of Duke the last few years) into jacking up and missing treys as Duke cleaned up rebounds on both ends and hit 20 of 24 free throws to protect and even increase their lead. The net result was 70-57 victory which was no indication of how close the game really was. Without injured star Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers were just outmanned and this year Duke has the right combination of players who have the talent, the maturity, and mental toughness to overcome a disappointing first eighteen minutes in a pressure filled atmosphere.

Some stats:  Duke out rebounded Purdue by an amazing 44-22 margin with the center position of Brian Zoubek& Miles Plumlee getting 21;  scored 46 points (with only 3 turnovers) on 58% shooting in the second half after shooting just 24% in the first half.

A note of concern: Kyle Singler took a nasty fall on his previously injured right wrist on a drive late in the game and appeared he might have reinjured it. It is hard to imagine that Duke can go further if Kyle is not 100% as he is playing the best basketball of his career.

Duke – Baylor

There are some wins that are inexplicable. Duke has had more than their share just in the NCAA Tournament—Kentucky, UNLV, Maryland, UConn. This one didn’t come down to one shot. Rather, it was sort of like the UNLV game–a nip and tuck affair against a talented, physically imposing opponent that turned to a series plays and shots in the last minutes. If you had offered to bet that Singler would go oh-for-the game from the floor and Duke would still beat Baylor, you would have won a lot of money. As Coach K has said many times: “This is a good but not a great team.” However, what this team has is great chemistry, toughness, and tenacity combined with a savvy understanding of their individual roles that allows them to prevail in games like this.

This win was also a product of a team being more than the sum of its parts as eight players all made major contributions in many different areas that do not always appear on the stat sheet.  Well, what about Singler? First, it appeared the Kyle had his right wrist taped and braced, so as I feared, he apparently did injure it against Purdue. Actually, other than shooting from the floor, Singler, as usual, played very well. He hit 5 of 6 free throws, cooled Darius Dunn down in the second half, and made a crucial steal at the end of the game.

Each time Lance Thomas attempted to take an offensive rebound back up and was stuffed, I pleaded with him to take a page from Zoubek’s book and kick the ball to Scheyer or Smith for a three. He must have heard me (well, the coaches might have had some input) because his rebound of a free throw and pass to Smith for a three was one of the biggest plays late in the game as it gave Duke a three point lead with only minutes to go.  Shortly thereafter, Lance made an uncharacteristically stylish one hand, hanging dunk off a miss (plus a free throw) to put the Blue Devils up eight. Another important shot was Dawkins second three just before the half that cut Baylor’s lead from six to three.

While the hustle of the Committee of Big Men, led by a fierce Brian Zoubek (he even improbably stole an inbound pass), out rebounded the taller Bears by six on the offensive end and allowed Scheyer (5) and Smith (4) second shot opportunities, the two guards were the ones who made the pressure shots. At various times during the season, first Scheyer then Singler appeared to be the catalyst that made all the other players better.

Nolan Smith has always played Robin to one Batman or another: first to Ty Lawson in prep school, then to Henderson, Scheyer, and Singler at Duke. What we saw during the season were flashes of a very athletic, creative, talented player who appeared deferential—sort of a junior member of the Duke Basketball Firm of Scheyer, Singler, and Smith. Finally, out of necessity, he took the cape and played Batman for an entire game, displaying an assortment of quicksilver moves and gap attacking, creative shots that were the badly needed and, in fact, absolutely necessary—a memorable MVP performance.

Duke – West Virginia

Duke played their most impressive forty minutes of the season as they went wire to wire to win going away against West Virginia, a team which beat them two years ago in the NCAA Tournament. The players didn’t comment much about it but clearly this 78-57 win was part payback for the memory of the Mountaineer’s attitude in and after that loss: guard  Joe Mazzulla  mocking WoJo’s floor slapping in the waning minutes after the game was decided and (since departed) Joe Alexander’s pre and post game comments disparaging  the player’s basketball abilities.

The key to the game was Kyle Singler, who went oh-for-the-game from the floor against Baylor to a Dick Enberg “Oh My!” game against the Mountaineers. Not only did he hold Da’Sean Butler to just two field goals and ten points in the 32 minutes before he unfortunately injured his knee charging into Zoubek, but he also jump started the offense with 14 first half points to end up with 21 pts, 9 rebs, and 5 assts. [Charley Rose interviewed Coach K this week and asked him what he said to Kyle Singler after he went 0-10 from the floor in the Baylor game. Coach said that he sat down with Kyle one on one  and watched a tape of the game, stopping it on every Singler shot and asking him what he was thinking and was the expression on his face one that he recognized? The point he drove home to Kyle was that he was thinking, not playing in the moment and letting the game come to him; therefore, Kyle couldn’t get into any shooting rhythm and while it didn’t affect his defense, the team needed his usual offensive production to win the next two games.]

The half court offense was precise with the three Iron Duke S-Men hitting 13 of 25 threes and outscoring West Virginia 63-59 just by them selves. Clearly, as the tournament has progressed, the Blue Devils keep playing better and better and when all three perimeter players are hitting, they are very difficult to beat. However, the catalyst for the improvement has been Brian Zoubek’s (10 rebs) emergence as a determined, tough, even ornery, presence in the paint. So, defense is still the Blue Devils calling card. They were the more physical team, outhustling the Mountaineers to loose balls and rebounds. Duke outscored West Virginia, 18-0, on second-chance points.

As usual, the numbers tell the story. Duke shot 53% from the field; 52% from beyond the arc; 78% from the line; had 20 assists and only 5 turnovers.

The media narrative is that the final game is a “Hoosiers” scenario. It didn’t take long into his postgame press conference for Coach K to begin debunking the David vs. Goliath storyline.  “They’re one of the best teams in the country,” he said of the 33-4 Bulldogs. “I think Cinderella would be if somebody had eight, nine losses and pulled some upsets, stuff like that. They’ve beaten Syracuse and Kansas State and Michigan State.”

Duke is still taking more than its fair share of shots from the press. Duke graduates in the media are even chiming in. John Feinstein, who apparently is still carrying a grudge against Duke for not promoting his classmate and friend as athletic director, opined that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is the best coach in college basketball (did he look like the best coach in the last minutes of tonight’s game as Draymond Green had to restrain him from running onto the floor or in his tearful post game comments that implied that if not for the injuries Michigan State would be in the final game?) and that Coach K was becoming more and more like Dean Smith in more ways than one ( his imperial attitude); and Seth Davis, Lannie’s son, agreeing with UNC alum Hubert Davis on CBS that West Virginia would beat Duke because they were tougher defensively.

“This is a really good team that can do something great on Monday night,” Krzyzewski said. Let’s hope there is one more game left in the tank.

 Duke – Butler 

This has been another incredibly exciting college basketball season and NCAA Tournament. Fittingly, it culminated in a heart pounding championship game between two well coached, fundamentally sound, tough teams that was not decided until Butler’s last desperation half court shot nearly went in.

In the first half when Duke missed four free throws, was beaten on the boards, and the backup center who averages 3 points a game goes for 10 points, I thought that the Basketball Gods might be Hoosiers. Duke made defensive adjustments at halftime that eliminated Butler’s offensive rebounding but they still could not get much separation. Singler was doing a terrific defensive job on Gordon Hayward (2-11 from the field) but other Bulldogs were scoring.  The Blue Devils ground out five point lead with three minutes to go. However, the Three S-Men failed to make another offensive play to seal the deal: Singler travelled, Smith was short on a point blank floater at the rim, and Singler missed an open ten footer. Zoubek appeared to have the rebound but it was wrestled away and went out of bounds off his foot. Butler was down just one point with the ball and thirty-five seconds to go. This Duke team has been resilient throughout the season and the next thirty-one seconds proved no exception and why they are no fluke.

Duke pressed, Butler probed and feinted but could not get an opening. Zoubek deflected a pass out bounds in the corner. Inbounding with 14 seconds to go, Zoubek, pressed the passer (who could not move), forced Butler to take its last timeout. That forced Butler to quickly toss the ball long to Hayward so there would be no chance of a five second call and loss of possession.

The ball ended up with Haywood near half court. He tried to drive left but was cut off by Singler and Scheyer, so went right across the foul line toward the baseline where Zoubek double teamed him, forcing a fall away ten foot jumper (I had visions of Sean Singletary’s shot that beat Duke at UVA a few years ago) that looked good but was just an inch too long. The ball bounced back toward Hayward but Zoubek recovered to get the rebound and was fouled with 3.6 seconds left. Brian hit the first free throw and missed the second on purpose because Butler was out of time outs and had to dribble at least half the floor in less than three seconds to get a shot. Haywood got the rebound, and as he started up the floor Singler was picked off  by a wicked illegal arms at shoulder height blind side clip by Howard (which was not called) and got off a heart stopping shot just beyond half court which was on line but too far. It hit the back board hard, then the bounced off the front of the rim. What a finish!

In sports, you never know. Just like this game, who wins and who loses often turn on fractions of inch or so which is often affected by pressure and/or degree of difficulty. The fact is that Coach K and Dean Smith teams have won a disproportionate number of these type games. I don’t think it needs any explanation other than coaching counts.

Who envisioned a season like this–especially after the Georgetown loss– or that Brian Zoubek would be the catalyst who transformed a very good team into a National Championship Team or that he would make the winning plays with the championship on the line?

Even though all the players have Duke on their uniforms, each team has its own character and personality. While this team may not have had any great players, they have three very, very good clutch playmakers, more supporting cast talent than normal, and, most importantly, the chemistry that allowed them to accomplish something great that eluded other Blue Devil teams considered more talented. They remind me of the 1957 North Carolina team which went 32-0 and beat Kansas with Wilt Chamberlain in the NCAA Final, in that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. One reason for their achievements is that the three seniors and two juniors did not go to the NBA so they played and grew together in the system—as opposed to Kentucky who rented five first round NBA choices and played like a pick up team against West Virginia.

When comparing this team with other Duke teams, consider where they started, where they finished, and their body of work:  thirty-five wins, an ACC Regular Season Championship, an ACC Tournament Championship, and an NCAA Championship. All these accomplishments are in addition to how well the players represented their school.

Having said all that, one can only marvel at Coach K’s accomplishments over the last thirty years, not to mention just this year—an Olympic Gold Medal and an NCAA Championship.

In conclusion, I think this is an appropriate time to comment on an issue which occasionally surfaces, most recently raised by some of the Duke faculty during the Lacrosse hoax fiasco. Namely, the relationship of athletics in general and the basketball team in particular to the university.

The mission of pursuing excellence in both academics and athletics has been the goal of the university virtually since its inception–certainly since Eddie Cameron was athletic director. It has been a significant reason why Duke University has been and is such an exceptional institution. The truth of the matter is that while Coach K and his basketball program is the latest and most successful in a long, proud history of Duke Athletics, it is also a major reason Duke is viewed as an elite university. It is not just that his and other teams have won, it was the way they have won and the kind of players with whom they have won– and graduated.  Not to accept this legacy and not to celebrate and nurture it would be a terrible mistake.

A case can be made that Duke has come further, faster than any Top Ten University. Athletic Director Eddie Cameron was a major catalyst. He had the foresight to see that excellence in athletics was quickest way to attract national attention to a young, ambitious university. In 1930, he hired football coach Wallace Wade away from Alabama following his third national championship with the Crimson Tide. By the mid 1930’s Duke had a powerful football team that attracted national attention and played in the 1938 and 1942 Rose Bowls. From $400,000 of the proceeds of the 1942 Rose Bowl (played at Duke because of concerns about Japanese attacks on the West Coast), Mr. Cameron built Duke Indoor Stadium (fittingly renamed Cameron Indoor Stadium), which was, at the time, the second largest basketball arena (next to the Palestra in Philadelphia) in the East. Fortunately, the legendary Dick Groat matriculated shortly thereafter and a great basketball tradition was established.

Legend has it that James Buchannan Duke established the Duke Endowment with $40,000,000 (over $500,000,000 in today’s dollars) after Princeton University turned down his offer of the very generous bequest with the caveat to change the name of the school to Duke University. The gift to Trinity had two caveats: change the name to Duke University (after his father Washington Duke) and build it to look like Princeton.

Whatever the truth, building a campus as beautiful as Duke, establishing rigorous entrance and educational standards, then building  nationally ranked football and basketball teams as well as baseball, golf, tennis, and lacrosse were the lynchpins of the meteoric rise of Duke University as an elite institution (Yale on steroids is how one of President Brodhead’s former students characterized the school). It could not have happened without all of these elements –and it would be difficult to maintain that status without preserving a dual excellence in both academics and athletics.

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you this season.