Blue Devils Handle Hurricanes
RANDOM RANTS:
DEFENDING THE OUTSIDE:
Heading into this game, Miami’s guards, Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant, were two of the better guards in the ACC. Tonight though, the pair struggled. They combined to hit just 8-26 from the floor (3-9 from deep). On top of that, Adrian Thomas, one of the better outside shooters in the conference, was just 1-5 (0-4) from deep.
While a ton of praise should fall onto the shoulders of Nolan Smith, Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins, the fact is, it was a team effort. In the first half, the Duke Blue Devils did a great job working around and through screens. In the second, Miami switched it up a bit, moving away from the center/screen. They went more motion and Duke again did a great job switching. Outside of Reggie Johnson, the rest of the team was just 15-55 (27-percent). Speaking of Reggie Johnson…
SPANKED IN THE PAINT
For years now, Duke critics and fans alike have talked about Duke’s inability to develop a big man inside. Of course after Brian Zoubek turned into a rebounding and defensive machine in the second half of last season, the chatter sort of died down. I’m not sure that it should have.
This season, I’m still waiting for a true inside guy to step up and own that paint. Ryan Kelly certainly looks better than he did last year (he had a solid game against the Canes with eight points and three blocks), but he’s still and outside shooter with zero offensive moves inside.
Miles Plumlee at times has looked amazing at times, while other times he has not. That’s just too inconsistent.
Mason Plumlee, I don’t even know what’s going on with him. After scoring 25 against Marquette, he’s really never even come close to matching that scoring output. He hasn’t even broken double digits in his last six game. He’s made only one shot in four of his last five. Think real hard, can you think of a good shot or a good offensive move he made tonight? I can’t.
The reality is, watching Reggie Johnson really opened my eyes. That kid, despite all his flaws with stupid fouls, looked like a polished big man and he’s only a sophomore. Sure it helps to weigh 300 pounds with the foot work of a ballerina, but he wasn’t born that way. If he can bang Duke’s big men like he did, just imagine what a Jordan Williams from Maryland can do or any of North Carolina’s big men will do.
The question you have to ask is, when was the last time a Duke big man has developed into a great player? I guess you could say Zoubek last year, but he was never a offensive threat. He was just a 7’2 guy who finally got healthy. Besides him, I’d have to say Sheldon Williams.
COACHING 101
Having said that, some of the results were intended. No I’m not saying the coaching staff wanted Reggie Johnson to miss only one of ten shots, but clearly Coach K made a decision…stop Scott and Grant. The Duke guards often allowed the Miami guards to penetrate, but when they did, they always found a Duke man standing in the way. This is one reason why Duke’s front court accountant for eight blocked shots.
Often Scott and Grant would attempt a sweet looking pass around the defender. It worked sometimes, but it didn’t work a lot of times. The fact is, a lot of these passes were deflected or the shot was blocked. Think about it, how many times did a Miami miss, a Miami bad pass or a Miami mishandle slip out of bounds off a Duke player’s arm or leg? A ton. More than I can count. If half of those go off a Miami player, Duke probably rides a 20-point lead for most of the night (instead of a 11-15 point lead).
FINAL DEEP THOUGHTS:
Listen, not all wins can be pretty and against Miami, that’s just typical for the Blue Devils. For whatever reason, Miami always plays Duke tough. The Blue Devils were cold early, but just like last year, when they hit a dry spell, they rode one of nation’s best D’s until they found their stroke.
Will this strategy always turn into wins? Probably not, at least not on the road, but going undefeated shouldn’t be this team’s goal. It should all be about developing moving forward come tournament time. Who is going to be a man in the paint? Who is going to be that consistent third scorer? Who will rebound a Kyle Singler miss? When will Kyle Singler miss less shots? All good questions in need of answers.
Moving forward, the Blue Devils head back out of conference to face UAB. The Blazers won’t be too much of a threat. They may be 10-2 and might give Memphis a run in Conference USA, but so far their only quality win was against (#78) Arkansas. They’re just 1-2 on the road, losing to Arizona State and Georgia.
The Blazers won’t be able to run with Duke, but they do play a mean half-court defense. They are 12th in the nation in defensive shooting percentage.