February 8, 2004.
Cameron Indoor Stadium.

   Two minutes into this contest, it became clear that this was going to be one of those dog-days of February games that Duke would just have to muck out.  Duke's play was decidely uninspired, especially at the offensive end, and was actually rather reminisicient of the early-season struggles against Detroit.  Too many quick shots, too much one-on-one play, and too many turnovers.  There was nothing wrong with Duke's defense (other than a propensity for fouling), which meant that the offensively-challenged Tigers weren't going to go on a big run, but the Devils struggled throughout the first half to find some kind of rhythm.   Clemson kept on plugging away at Duke, until the Devils seized on a couple of quick mistakes in succession.  The Devils turned a tight game into one where they had a bit of a cushion, and they used that breathing room to really turn up the heat and create a blowout.  The Tigers simply didn't have enough guns to compete and started forcing things a bit, which led to more mistakes that Duke took advantage of.  Other than Luol Deng (who played yet another complete game) and JJ Redick (who found many ways to contribute despite not having his best shooting night), Duke's regulars really struggled.  Thankfully, Coach K gave the reserves a chance to contribute and they didn't let him or their teammates down.

  The first four minutes of the game were even.  Early on, Deng kept Duke in the game with 2 free throws, a three and a dunk on a Duhon feed.  Of course, Redick, Ewing, Deng and Shav Randolph all missed shots during this stretch, while Clemson took advantage of a small lineup to get some easy looks for Sharrod Ford.  Duhon had a steal & runout and Shav hit 2 freebies to give Duke an 11-8 lead, but the Devils then went nearly three minutes without scoring.  Thankfully, Clemson could only muster 3 points during this period.  Nick Horvath picked up a Deng miss, and Redick followed the play by finding Deng for a dunk.  When Redick hit a 15' jumper and Sean Dockery had a steal & runout, Duke took a 17-13 lead and looked like they were starting to pick up their play a bit.

  Clemson had other ideas.  The Tigers used back-to-back offensive reboundsto keep pace and then tied the score at 21 with a Robinson three. That shot had been there for the Tigers all game, but it just hadn't dropped for them.  Deng attacked the rim and hit 2 free throws, but Robinson drew a foul on Ewing and hit both shots.  A Duhon turnover led to Robinson going to the line again, but this time he only hit one, giving Clemson a 24-23 lead.  It would be their last lead of the game.

  With about three minutes to go in the half, one could sense that Duke as a team knew that it had to pick up the pace.  After a Deng miss, Shelden Williams, who had barely seen the ball all half, picked up his miss and scored.  Deng returned the favor by pick up a Williams miss and sticking it back for a 27-24 lead.  It wasn't coming easy, but Duke was finding a way to manufacture some points.  Robinson drained another three to tie the game at 27 with under two minutes to go.  Clemson's Akin Akingbala stripped Sean Dockery of the ball and threw it down the court.  The throw was a bit wide and looked like it was heading out of bounds.  Luol Deng was stretching like a receiver and one could tell what happened on the play simply by reading Akingbala's body language.  First he looked angry at throwing a bad pass.  Then he looked relieved that it seemed as though the ball was going to go off Deng.  Then his shoulders slumped in disappointment as Luol made an amazing catch.  After a timeout, Duke worked the ball into Randolph down low.  Clemson collapse, and Shav simply fired it out to an open Redick, who nailed a three.  The Tigers threw the ball away and Ewing drew a foul.  He missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Williams was there to clean up and complete a three point play with 17 seconds left.  Clemson's Vernon Hamilton was fouled but missed both freebies, and Shelden cleaned up.   Dockery ran the offense, drove and dished to an open Lee Melchionni, who sank a three at the buzzer.  Just like that, Duke ran off 9 straight points, putting them in a very nice position against the Tigers.

  Despite getting outshot (45-40%) by the Tigers and only outrebounding them by 2, Duke staked out a lead thanks to hustle plays and opportunistic shot-making.   Clemson shot just 5-10 from the foul line in the half, and this would wind up hurting them later in the game as well.  13 Clemson turnovers helped Duke's cause as well.  Deng had 13 points on 4-6 shooting and was 4-4 from the line, with 4 boards and 2 steals.  While no one player stepped up along with him, it should be noted that eight different players scored for Duke in the half, stretching Clemson's bench to the limit.

  Duke caught Clemson off guard with a jab, and spent the first three minutes of the second half pummelling away at the stunned Tigers.  It became the JJ & Looie show, as JJ drove and broke off gorgeous passes to Deng twice for easy scores as the Devils scored the first 5 points of the half.  Consecutive offensive fouls and a steal from Shelden didn't help their cause any.   Down 41-27, the Tigers hit 2 in a row to close within 10.  Duhon drove and dished to JJ as Deng screen off his man, and JJ nailed the open three.  Clemson coach Oliver Purnell went berserk because the refs had failed to call a moving screen on Deng, and he got t'd up for his trouble.  Redick naturally nailed both shots and Duke had a 15 point lead again.

  The Tigers tightened up their ship defensively, holding Duke to just 7 points over the next eight minutes.  Only 2 Dockery drives and a few free throws kept Duke from being whitewashed.  However, Clemson could only muster 12 points to cut the lead to 10, and time was certainly not on their side.  Redick hit a 17' baseline jumper to break up a 6-0 run and start a series of scoring volleys between the two squads.  After a Clemson free throw, Ewing was hacked and hit 2.  Ford hit a shot but Redick was held moving without the ball, and sank both.  Olu Babaloa attacked Duke inside, and was matched by Deng.   That was one of the niftier moves of the game:  Deng was on the left block, looking to drive and finding that Clemson had cut off the baseline.  He withdrew and posted up again, but saw that the defender had retreated a bit too quickly.  Deng spun, took one giant step, and laid the ball in easily.  He's so long that the defenders were a bit surprised that he was able to score so easily.

  After 1 Clemson free throw, Redick hit 2 to put Duke up 63-49.  Clemson missed the front end of a one-and-one and Randolph wound up hitting 1 free throw.  After another offensive foul by the Tigers, Dockery smashed through an attempted full court press for an easy layup.  That put Duke up 66-49 with under five minutes to go and made the rest of the game academic.  Clemson would continue to press, but Randolph and Redick got some easy scores.  Redick applied the coup de grace with a steal, runout and three point play to make it 75-54.  The deeper reserves came in and continued to play well, holding Clemson to just 1 point in the last three minutes of the game.

  The Blue Devils rebounded to shoot a ridiculous 62% in the second half, outrebounded Clemson 15-9, forced 7 more turnovers and shot 18-22 from the line.  Redick exploded for 18 points and 2 more assists.  For the game, the bench scored 25 points on 8-12 shooting with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and just 3 turnovers.  Though Robinson scored 18 points, most of his damage was done in the first half, with only Ford doing much damage in the second half.  This was by no means a classic Duke game featuring explosive runs and high-flying pyrotechnics.  Duke got its points the hard way and mostly did it in the halfcourt.  On a night when stars Duhon, Ewing & Williams combined to go 4-16 from the floor, Duke found other guys to contribute.  This speaks to depth and what it's for.  Coach K will not play a lot of guys just to play them, because why should your best players sit for half the game if they're playing well?  Just by this game alone, one could see that the team looked a little disorganized at first with so many reserves on the floor.  However, if the starters aren't playing well, the reserves are expected to be able to make an impact.  If you can't make an impact in a game, you simply won't play much.  And that could go for either end of the floor.  I predict that Coach K will try a similar strategy against Virginia this week.

 ** Negatives:

 1. Shot selection.  Duke shot 12-30 from the floor in the first half, including 3-12 from three.  Simply put, there were too many quick shots, too many threes taken without looking for other options, and there weren't enough attempts to work the ball inside.   Once Duke started attacking the basket in the second half, they were able to take control of the game.

 2. Energy.   This affected guarding players like Sharrod Ford and Shawan Robinson (scoring 8 and 12 points in the first half, respectively), who took advantage of opportunities, as well as presenting a coherent, united front.  Duke's defense is built around intensity and desire as much as it is positioning and communication, and any deficits in those areas can cause the entire system to break down.  Offensively, if players don't screen hard for their teammates, it becomes much harder to get good shots, especially if the team is trying to run motion.

 3. Fouling.   Another sign of a tired team, both in terms of five offensive fouls (too much one-on-one play) and defensive fouls (not moving feet quickly enough.  Once Duke corrected that early in the second half, they went on a roll.

 ** Positives:

 1. Bench play.  In playing against so many tough opponents in consecutive games, the Devils have really had to rely on the starting five more than perhaps Coach K would have liked.  In this game, he made it clear that the bench would be needed not just to get the starters some rest, but to make things happen.  It wasn't just players six through nine who responded, but also the walkons, who played crisply and efficiently.

 2. Rebounding.  I thought this was perhaps the most significant stat of the game.  Clemson is a team whose goal is to outrebound opponents in order to get as many second shots as possible and help minimize their turnover problems.  Duke took this away from them, as Williams in particular did a fine job in sealing off his opponents.  The Devils were also able to get a lot of second shot opportunities thanks to 15 offensive rebounds.

 3. Defensive pressure.  Duke's bread-and-butter wound up making a big difference, forcing 22 turnovers, 13 of them steals.   In a tight game, DUhon and Dockery were able to get steals & runouts, helping Duke maintain a fingernail's lead until they later took control.

  Player-by-Player:

 ** Williams: Shelden looked a bit listless at times on the offensive end, though that was due in part to Clemson paying special attention to him in the post.  That didn't extend to the defensive end, where Shelden grabbed 7 defensive rebounds and had 3 steals, limiting Clemson posts Chris Hobbs and Akin Akingbala to a combined 3-6 from the floor, 9 rebounds, 5 turnovers and 9 fouls.  He did manage to manufacture 5 crucial points late in the first half, but his play fell off in the second stanza with 4 fouls, 4 turnovers and 0-2 shooting.  Shelden did have a huge steal early in the half that led to a Deng basket, but was not quite the dominant presence that he was in the UNC game.  I think he's still learning to play a lot of minutes at a high level, and this game had a little bit of a hangover effect at times.  Still, he accomplished his most important goals: help Duke win the rebounding battle and control Clemson's post game.

 ** Deng: Another remarkable game from Luol as he becomes more and more comfortable as one of Duke's primary weapons.  We all knew that he was a dangerous if unorthodox player one-on-one; what has changed is that he's learning to move without the basketball.  On a team full of unselfish passers, Deng is learning to become a big target going to the hoop.  He's getting to the foul line much more often and converting once he gets there (7-8 in this game).  Most of his first half points either came from him driving and getting fouled, finishing plays generated by Duhon or Redick, or going after offensive rebounds.  In the second half, Luol again finished after getting some great looks, and in general looked comfortable getting a lot of touches.  Earlier in the year, he clearly put a lot of pressure on himself to create a lot of his own offense because he hadn't quite meshed with his teammates yet.  He's now a lot more effective simply because he knows how to get open and trusts that he will get the ball when he does.  One can see why he dominated pick-up games earlier in the year. While he rebounded nicely and had 3 steals, he couldn't be everywhere, and so Ford wound up having a great game against Duke.  Deng has had 3 straight outstanding performances, and he must continue to put up these numbers for Duke to have long-range success.

 ** Ewing: Dan simply did not look 100% out there, be it because of energy or just energy level.  Normally a guy who hustles for the ball, he wound up with 0 rebounds and 0 steals, along with 4 fouls.   That's the sign of a player who's a step slow, which is not something one would normally say about him.  It didn't help that he was in a defensive mismatch against Ford, who was simply much bigger than he was.  Dan didn't quite have the energy to make it a mismatch at the other end as well.  Given a bit of time to rest, Duke's silent assassin will be back to make an impact.

 ** Redick: A remarkable game in many ways for JJ.  He was 2-8 in the first half, missing a number of off-balance shots on drives.  In the second half, he became Duke's most effective offensive player, and he did it without dominating at the three point line.  The great thing about this game is that he dominated the ball but used the healthy respect that he receives from his opponents to set up his teammates, most especially Deng. Offensively, JJ never seems to get discouraged and never gives up on his shot.  You think he's under control until he gets one good look at the basket, and suddenly Duke has a momentum three.  The three he hit at the end of the first half was the beginning of the end for Clemson.   JJ took control of the game in the second half, scoring 13 points in about five minutes to turn a solid lead into a full-blown rout.   One can see the fruits of JJ's labors in trying to penetrate starting to blossom a bit; though he looked clunky at times trying to go to the hoop early in the year, he's now good enough at it to draw away defenders and get baskets for his teammates.  It also doesn't hurt that he's finding ways to get to the foul line.  It was a bit shocking to see him miss one, and I imagine it might be awhile before it happens again.  

 ** Duhon: Chris was another player who looked a bit worn down, missing easy shots and making unchracteristic mistakes with the ball.  After 2 early assists and a steal & layup, he was very quiet after that. Considering how well he's played of late, he's entitled to a bit of rest in a game.

 ** Dockery: Sean was the player who brought the most energy off the bench, and seemed eager to prove himself offensively after a string of mediocre showings.   With Duhon dragging a bit, Sean allowed the senior to rest with a high-powered performance of his own.  The way he broke the press was a thing of beauty, using excellent body control along with a blazing speed dribble that tore through double teams.   Drives by Sean kept Clemson at bay in the middle portion of the second half when Clemson was trying to claw its way back into the game.   The only real negative was that he sprained his ankle in the game; it's unclear how serious the sprain is.

 ** Randolph:  Shav was another player who hadn't done all that well against UNC, and was looking for ways to get better.  He had a solid all-around performance against the Tigers, most notably at the foul line. Shav drove a lot against the slower Clemson big men and drew a lot of his fouls that way.  He did miss a layup after an offensive rebound, and one wishes that he went up a little stronger in that situation.  Overall, he put some points on the board in a game where Duke needed production from his position.

 ** Melchionni: Lee saw some significant playing time for the first time in a while.  He was there to shoot, and that shot he hit at the buzzer in the first half was the biggest momentum shot of the game.  That has to give him a lot of confidence, while I'm sure the solid job he did on defense has to please Coach K.

 ** Horvath:  Nick was brought in to give Duke's weary starters some more rest in the first half, and he was limited to a rebound and a foul.  In the second half, he was fouled going to the hoop and hit both freebies, and also caught a nice pass for a high-low finish.  Five very good minutes from the senior, and he might expect a similar amount of playing time against Virginia.

 ** Johnson: Duke's big walk-on had a brief but remarkable appearance, grading out nearly perfectly in his two minutes of playing time.  He posted up and scored on a feed from Duhon, fed Horvath in the high post for a pretty hoop, and also had a steal & 2 boards.  Having a practice player with his size and skill level is a great boon for this team.  ** Borman & Davidson: Just a brief showing.

 ** Cameron Craziness:  A Sunday night game meant that there were some empty spots for the undergrads, but those that were there did a pretty good job.  Part of the problem was the choppy nature of the game; with 49 fouls being whistled, it was hard to establish "cheer continuity", so to speak.  We did get to hear "Calvin's better" directed at Chris Hobbs, and I did enjoy "It's a school night" being directed at the refs who continued to call a ton of fouls late into the game.

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