No “D” in uke Against Buckeyes
Embarrassed, overmatched, overrated; just some of the words associated with Duke’s performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes came out of the gates focused and full of energy, jumping out to a 11-0 lead. Duke came back to cut it to a one point game at 19-18, but Ohio State finished the half on a 28-11 run. It was definitely a disappointing outcome for the Blue Devils and a lot of potential issues were exposed. Duke message boards are blowing up and posters are calling for new lineups and strategy changes. While I am not saying Duke fans shouldn’t be concerned with the team’s performance, they do however need to sit back and look at the benefits that came from this game.
The biggest issue with Duke’s performance against Ohio State was the play on the defensive side of the ball. Ohio State shot a blistering 59.3% from the field, and 57.1 % from the three point line, to go along with 18 assists to 10 turnovers. How exactly did Ohio State score all 85 of their points and at such a high efficiency? Ohio State was pretty much flawless in transition. They didn’t run much, but when they did they were highly successful. The Buckeyes were also flawless in converting 4 of their 7 offensive rebounds for baskets right at the rim. Dribble drive defense has been widely scrutinized, but it wasn’t much of a factor against the Buckeyes. That’s not to say this is now a strength of the defense now, but more so an effect ofOhioStatenot really having any drivers to the basket. Without a doubt the number one issue to me with the team defense is defending the ball screen. Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly just aren’t very good when involved in ball screen defense. OhioStatekept putting Curry and Kelly in screening action and they just couldn’t guard it. Seth lays into the screen, getting stuck, making him to slow to recover. Kelly’s biggest issue is his lateral quickness. The big key here is having a good point guard and a stretch four man that can shoot like Deshaun Thomas. Kelly had success with guarding the likes of Thomas Robinson and Draymond Green because they don’t have the perimeter shooting ability or the quickness to go off the dribble. Reviewing the tape the Duke defense wasn’t as bad as the numbers would say. Now I am not saying the defense was good, but anytime Duke made a mistake Ohio State made them pay. Read more
Duke Puts Away Davidson Wildcats After Close First Half
It wasn’t the fact that Duke was trailing Davidson at the half that really irked Coach K; rather it was the way the Blue Devils were playing. You’ll always hear analysts and coaches say that one of the best traits of a Duke team was that you always get their best shot; they always play as hard as possible. That first half against Davidson wasn’t their best and you could tell Coach K wasn’t happy about it. The Blue Devils came out of the locker room a lot earlier than usual at halftime. I can’t say for certain, but I doubt there was any basketball strategy discussed in the locker room. It’s my belief that Coach K gave his players a few choice words and told them to decide whether or not they wanted to play hard enough to win in the second and that was it. The message was received loud and clear. Duke outscored Davidson 38-17 inthe first 13 and a half minutes of the second half. The final 6 minutes saw some stall ball which closed the gap to a 13 point margin to finish the game. I think we saw a team that was ready to get on that plane and head for Maui and took this game for granted. The lesson of “no win is guaranteed and everything is earned” was learned by this still-growing squad.
I felt that the Duke offense was pretty much unstoppable in both halves. The reason more points were scored in the second was a direct effect of the Blue Devils’ defense. For the game Duke shot 54% and got to the line 30 times. The defense was way too slow in the first half, leaving wide open shooters. Stopping dribble penetration still seems to be a big issue and I think it just comes down to this team creating a defensive mindset. Andre Dawkins, Seth Curry and Austin Rivers have the ability to keep teams out of the lane but it doesn’t always seem to be their first thought. A perfect example was in the second half when a Davidson player reversed the ball and you could see Andre wasn’t even in a defensive stance when he picked him up and got blown by. The Plumlees and Ryan Kelly are doing everything they can to erase those mistakes by standing tall and protecting the rim. Perimeter defense must tighten up and become the main priority if this team is to take the next step and compete for a championship.
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Duke Beats Michigan State for their 3rd Win, Coach K’s 903rd
The ending may have gotten a little sloppy, but nevertheless Duke defeated the Michigan State Spartans. This win gave Mike Krzyzewski his record breaking 903rd career victory. The Blue Devils seemed to be getting out toughed in the first half, but really turned it up in the second half. I felt that Michigan State was more physical in the first half, a little bit quicker to loose balls and their defense was stronger. Overall, I felt this was another step in the right direction. I felt like the team grew as a whole and their was some real bright spots and some great learning opportunities. Offensively the patience and ball movement was terrific. The post was struggling to get points, but the ball was still getting thrown down there. I loved how Curry and Dawkins were being run off screens. On the defensive side of the ball I just loved how the toughness and physical play picked up. Ryan Kelly was terrific in guarding Draymond Green and Mason Plumlee was spectacular in protecting the rim. Also loved the pressure and digging down by the guards, forcing 21 turnovers. It’s important not look at the final margin as an indicator of just how well the Blue Devils played. This was a solid all around game that will help build the team in the future. I think right now a lot of the national pundits are selling this team short and are ragging on the point guard play and perimeter defense. I think they are legitimate concerns, but if one actually watches the game and plays close attention they will see these areas are improving rapidly. I think a lot of these guys buy into the kool aid of Austin Rivers not being a team player or defensive player and so on and just run with it without watching and forming their own conclusions. I am telling you that these areas are improving and by the time the season ends this team will be right there with a great chance to get to the Final Four. Read more
Career Night For Andre Dawkins
While all of the attention will rightly be put on Coach K’s career benchmark, Andre Dawkins put together the finest game of his Duke Basketball career on the biggest stage. Krzyzewski has been deflecting praise directed towards him for become the Men’s Division 1 most winningest basketball coach with 903 all week and it didn’t stop after the game.
While Dawkins didn’t best his career high of 28 points put up against Butler last season, he was responsible for 35.1% of his team’s points last night against the Michigan State Spartans. After scoring six and four points against Belmont and Presbyterian respectively, Dawkins erupted for 26 points in his third game shooting 6-10 from 3-point range and 8-15 overall. He single-handedly kept the Blue Devils in the game during the first half when no other Duke player scored in double figures. Dawkins also set a season high and tied a career high with 4 steals in the game.
The small forward position is one of Duke’s deepest with freshmen Alex Murphy and Michael Gbinije fighting for playing time behind Dawkins (and if Duke goes to a three-guard lineup Austin Rivers as well.) While Murphy has been out with a concussion suffered in practice, Dawkins has been playing well enough to keep his starting spot all year. If he gets going, it will make Duke’s offense that make much more potent and difficult to guard.
Coach K Ties Bobby Knight For All-Time Wins Record With 902
Now that’s more like it. A 41 point win over Presbyterian is just what the doctor ordered. After escaping with a 1 point win against Belmontless than 24 hours before, the Blue Devils put on a show against the Blue Hose. I tried to warn everyone about just how good Belmont was and then even in the one point victory that the team played well. I was impressed with how the team came back on short notice with a real dominant performance against a Presbyterian team that isn’t all that bad. Now I am not saying Presbyterian is anything special, but they will win their fair share of games in the Big South Conference. The biggest thing out of this game was the total team effort and Coach K recording his 902nd career victory, one shy of being the sole record holder.
Since the game was so lopsided and everyone played fairly well I am not going to do a player by player breakdown, rather just mention the players in the team breakdown. Defensively, the first thing that jumped out to me was the on ball defense by Seth Curry. I’ve been saying that I think Seth has the footwork and ability to play good on ball defense, but he doesn’t have that great speed or enough strength to really crowd the ball handler. Seth really focused on still putting some pressure on the handler, but taking a step off and using his quickness to cut off the drive and he was very successful. Another player that looked much better defensively was Quinn Cook. Cook really struggled in exhibition play on the defensive side, but was much improved in this game. I think Quinn does have the quickness to really pressure the ball but was lacking in technique, whether it be in his stance or his habit of falling for shoulder fakes. I definitely saw some improvement in this area against Presbyterian. The bigs once again did a good job of standing tall and protecting the rim. The only thing I’d like to see and this is with the Plumlees, not Ryan Kelly; be a little quicker in rotations and be on their toes with their hands up and ready. So far I think Rivers and Dawkins have done a nice job on the wing and I really think both have the ability to be all ACC defense if they lock in. Thornton didn’t have as big of a game as he did Friday, but once gain was stellar on defense, especially off the ball. Overall a good team defense performance with less and less mistakes as the games have gone on from the preseason. Read more
Duke vs. Belmont Wrap Up
It may not have been as pretty or by as a big of margin as fans wanted, but the Duke Blue Devils came away with a big opening game victory against Belmont. I tried to warn everyone about just how good this Belmont team is. I think some fans will look at this game as a disappoint and precursor for a tough season. However, I believe this was a great win over a really good team and a precursor of some great things to come by the end of the season. Belmont is really good people, if you don’t believe me, then believe Coach K and what he said after the game. I strongly believe that as long as the selection committee doesn’t screw Belmont over with a bad draw, then they will advance to the Sweet 16. I also believe, as of today, Belmont is a better team than Michigan State and would beat Michigan State on a neutral court (by the end of the season I think Michigan State is going to be very good and will be better than Belmont).
Defensively, I think it was an up and down performance. There were times where their rotations were terrific and times when they were a little slow or premature. What I mean by the rotations being premature is that sometimes ball handlers will get around defenders, but their drive is not on a good angle to the basket, or the defender has an angle to cut off the ballhandler. On numerous occasions these types of drives occurred and Duke brought too heavy of help and that’s when some of the bigs got some easy lay ins and in the second half when they were able to work the ball around for open 3’s. The on ball defense from the guards still needs work, still too much penetration. I think the bigs did a real nice job defensivley, other than a couple of help rotations.
When this team slows down and starts playing to their strengths will be a huge problem for defenses to try and solve. It seemed that everyone was a little to jazzed up and forced the issue at times. Like I said after the pre season games, I’d like to see them push the ball more in transition. If nothing is there, you can pull it out and setup half court offense. The reason I think more transition offense is a great idea for this team is because you have athletic, fast big men that can finish above the rim, to go along with shooters. I love the improvement from the Plumlees so far, but let’s play to their strengths of running and jumping. It is really tough for the defense to matchup in transition, leaving shooters open, like Curry and Dawkins. How many times in the past did we see teams leave JJ Redick wide open in transition. Mixing our athletic bigs and shooters with someone like Rivers who can get to the rim and it just becomes nearly impossible for the defense to contain. My guess is that Coach K doesn’t trust the team’s decision making yet and will pick up the tempo a little more once everyone settles in a little bit. Read more
Duke vs. Belmont Advanced Box Score
Image courtesy of GoDuke.com
Duke escaped against a very good Belmont team with their 87th nonconference home and 37th home win in a row. SCACCHoops.com keeps track of college basketball games with advanced stats that give a look inside the game. These stats delve deeper into the game and gives viewers more information to judge the game rather than just the eye test. Let’s see what these stats tell us about Duke’s season opener.
Interested in learning what these numbers mean? Click here.
- Duke played at a tempo rate of 74.4 compared to 72.8 for Belmont. They finished last year at 69.3.
- Belmont won the battle of Offensive Efficiency, Effective Field Goal Percentage, Turnover Percentage and Offensive and Defensive Rebounding Percentage.
Duke Shaw Game Evaluation (Duke 80 Shaw 66)
Last week I put out a request for contributors to the site. While many have expressed interest, Raymond Horn came through in a big way with his review of the Duke-Shaw exhibition game. I hope we get to read more of his works as the year goes on. Here’s the first installment of his game evaluations and previews.
The question wasn’t whether the Duke Blue Devils would defeat Shaw University in its last exhibition tune up, but how they would play after an up and down game against Bellarmine last Saturday. Although the Blue Devils only won by 14 points, there were a lot of teaching moments and positives that came from this game. Giving up 38 points in a half to a division II opponent is not something to be pleased about. The Shaw guards had their way with the Duke perimeter, creating most of their scoring opportunities from dribble penetration. 19 times in the first, Bears’ attackers attempted to penetrate the lane and were successful in scoring, drawing a foul, or dishing to an open teammate on 15 of them. Now, you can live with dribble penetration from time to time as long as your team defense is rotating quickly and properly. In the first half the Duke help defense was way too slow to react and gave up numerous layups and kickouts for open shots. The Blue Devils changed up their on ball defensive strategy a little bit for the second half resulting in much more active help D and a much lower success rate for Shaw. I have detailed some of the defensive strategies and observations in my player evaluations below.
As for the offensive side of the ball, I think fans were disappointed with only scoring 80 points against a division II opponent. The low scoring output can be attributed to three main factors: a slower pace, poor shooting from the perimeter and foul line, and Coach K using his deep bench for the final six minutes the game, only adding 7 points in that time. The team has definitely slowed down the pace a bit with the more emphasis on post play, but I will be interested to see if Duke will get out and run a little more in the future like we saw last year. The team was successful in either scoring or drawing a foul on 8 out of 13 transition opportunities. I would like to see at least 20 transition opportunities per game with the scoring ability of Austin Rivers, the team’s perimeter shooting and the ability of the bigs to run. Another thing I tracked during the game was the amount of low post touches for each player. Duke threw the ball into the post a total of 23 times with Miles Plumlee getting the most touches at 10, and Mason Plumlee being the most productive. I wouldn’t put too much worry into the poor shooting performance. This team has terrific shooters and the shot selection was solid, shots will eventually drop. Read more
Kelly, Curry Lead Duke over China
If the first three games of the 2011-12 Duke basketball campaign are any indication of what’s to come, it’s doubtful that Ryan Kelly will be shaving his beard anytime soon. Kelly again was the star of the game for the Blue Devils, leading all Duke scorers with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting. From three-pointers to finger-rolls to put-back dunks, Kelly gave another glimpse at the full arsenal of offensive weapons at his disposal, and looks to continue his astronomic improvement that began during his junior year at Ravenscroft.
Seth Curry got the scoring started early with a mini-run of two three-pointers and a mid-range jumper forcing a Chinese timeout just minutes into the game, and Curry finished strong as well finishing with 16 points. It was a balanced Duke attack, however, that earned the 93-78 win with six Blue Devils finishing in double figures. Miles Plumlee enjoyed his second-straight excellent performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds, 8 of them coming on the offensive end, and Andre Dawkins rounded out scoring leaders contributing 10 points. Read more
Guess Who’s Back? Duke Wins Big Over Temple
It’s the middle of February and it is definitely starting to feel like the end of the regular season is upon us. Duke’s annual out of conference game against a likely tournament team this year featured the 24th ranked Temple Owls, who took advantage of another slow start by the newly minted (again) Duke Blue Devils at home. While the two senior leaders were the only players to score in double digits, the contending (or leading) candidate for National Player of the Year was not Duke’s leading scorer like he had been for 5 games. Instead, his teammate of 4 years Kyle Singler broke out of a mini-slump by scoring 28 points on 10-19 shooting.
How Did Kyle Do It? Read more
