BC Invites Duke for Freshman Feast

1-and-done has become the moniker by which they are hailed. “Prospects!” scream the scouts. Do you want to know what college basketball’s elite call them? Freshmen. Fresh meat. Scrub.

Now, I know it will sound crazy & insensitive but, for the most part, bullies are a necessary evil. Now, from a human perspective, you’re probably judging me. But humor me:

We all have dreams, aspirations & goals right? Typically, there’s a process to achieving any of these & if the goal is quality, it forces you to grow. Growth is also uncomfortable. In pursuing your dreams, did you ever start to have success that encouraged you only to suddenly hit a plateau that made you question whether it was all worth it?

This same concept applies to human interaction & the pursuit of a goal. By no means am I advocating that bullies everywhere be celebrated. What I mean is that you have to “control the controllables.” You can’t do anything about the bully choosing you as a target but you can respond in manners that make said bully rethink that decision.

What does any of this have to do with basketball you ask?

Well, your #1 ranked Blue Devils met an old face on Saturday & did not respond well to the proverbial bully job most of us watched. The result is frustrating. Shameful even.

No disrespect to BC. They got a signature W to kick off ACC play. But the reason that team played the way they did was they knew they were smaller, less talented, & not on anyone’s radar. They also knew the other team relies heavily on freshman.

Funny thing about basketball? (But also the best thing)

No matter how the stat geeks try to make it that way, the game of basketball is not played on paper or a calculator.

Related Story: Duke Suffers First Loss of the Season at Boston College

MORNING BRUNCH

To be candid, I’d been wary of this game since I saw it on the schedule. An early morning game for a team starting four freshmen that just traveled across the country. They’d passed every test thus far but that’s more of an indictment of the other teams than Duke itself.

This is still just December. Some teams are further along than others but identity isn’t usually 100% until the midway point of conference play. But all the things Duke had done to keep itself atop the rankings to this point ended up harming it in the end.

Let’s start at the top: Boston College just lost senior graduate transfer Deontae Hawkins to an ACL injury. This means even if the opponent wasn’t Duke, they’re motivated.

Ky Bowman? Havelock, North Carolina native. Signed to play college football at that other school before changing his mind.

Jerome Robinson? Raleigh, North Carolina native. These two combined to score 40 points last season in Duke’s 11-point win. Keep in mind, BC got within 88-82 with 46 seconds left before free throws provided the final margin.

So you have two NC kids who are going to absolutely bring it to Duke every time. They just lost a  piece they were planning to count heavily on. They feel they can stay on the court with Duke with the Jan 7 visit to Cameron being the only matchup last season.

Not to mention a home game? Early morning? To kick off ACC play? You see where I’m going with this right? Welcome to the ACC, freshmen.

FRESHMEN FOR DINNER?

I made sure to re-watch the game before finishing this. It’s interesting to note the game started the way Duke wanted. The bigs were imposing their will & Duke was controlling the pace. Bowman led the charge making a couple tough threes to keep BC in it early when a couple of his teammates were struggling for confidence.

I mention confidence because I think one particular play stood out in my mind: BC center Nik Popovic was holding the ball, dead without an outlet. Very close to a three-second call. Instead of walling up and making a nervous, overmatched big do something special, Trevon Duval slaps down & fouls.

Free throws. A chance to breathe, talk to his teammates, relax. Not exactly the best choice of the options available. This isn’t to say Tricky is to blame. But this goes to illustrate this young team was not prepared to play. Scouting report defense is crucial in-conference. BC knew this. & they exploited it.

Jim Christian deserves props. He knew his team couldn’t match up with Duke. But he also knew Duke’s freshman couldn’t guard his best players. So he put them in positions to succeed. Role players buy-in because otherwise, you stand no chance. & everyone wants to beat Duke.

The problem for the Blue Devils is they got caught up in the emotions of the game. A tough game. A conference morning game. On the road. Sure, you have more talent. But playing one-on-one is what BC wanted. So of course! They’re versed, well-versed and rehearsed in defending player’s favorite actions.

They also knew Duke has gotten back into games solely on the shoulders of dominating the boards. I, watching from home, got irritated with the constant crowds of bodies around Duke players on rebounding opportunities. So I know the players were.

MIDDAY SNACK

We all knew the run was coming too. Wendell got loose. BC struggled to get a true handle on Grayson all night. Gary Trent has ice water in his veins. MBIII is the best player in the country. But BC did the one thing every other team didn’t when Duke made it’s run.

They stood their ground. They put their hands on their chests & defended their home court. They took shots, made shots & continued to frustrate the best team in the country for a full 40 minutes.

But boy! I wish there had just been three minutes more.

EVERYBODY LOVES DESSERT!

Grayson had a shiner the size of Florida. That is not a pun or a joke. There was a ton of contact uncalled in this game. He could’ve easily checked out & let the elements get to him. But he didn’t.

Let me be the first to say: it was unrealistic for anyone to expect Grayson to be Tyus or Quinn. Or anyone else. Grayson just isn’t a vocal leader in that vein yet. & that’s perfectly okay. That’s not a learned skill. It’s innate. Grayson IS innately one of the best athletes in the world & has given Duke his heart & soul over four years.

This team as a collective has to come together & make a decision to get after it.

It’s going to take a concerted effort.

It’s going to take this team imposing its will on every single team from the opening tip.

It’s going to take blood. Sweet. Tears. Effort. Heart. Persistence. The will of a champion.

Thankfully, that’s the makeup of a Duke basketball player.

The hard part -these days at least-is that sometimes rankings & stars leads to complacency. Entitlement even.

Especially when teams that are supposed to be your peers have challenged but buckled towards the end.

Especially after you’ve won games you’re not supposed to.

Especially when those with the voices are pushing out mass questions regarding whether you’re the greatest ever before you’ve played two full months of college basketball.

Next: Key Questions for Duke in ACC Play

As a society, we trivialize sports because they’re fun & the “work days” are called games. But this is a job just like any other. The other teams have something to say. They aren’t just filler. Sometimes, it takes a loss to remind youngsters that nothing is given.

So come on Blue Devils. What’s next on the menu?

If Coach K has his way, the freshman will be in total control from now on. All streaks must come to an end. Just ask the UConn women. They have a similar issue with freshman themselves.