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Since all of Duke's games are on TV from now on, I'm going to avoid doing
play-by-play analysis, especially since most of the other links on this site
do a fine job of covering the basics. Instead, I'm going to jump right into
more detailed game analysis and strategy, along with the standard
player-by-player evaluations.
Most Duke fans only got their first glimpse of the team with the
nationally televised Davidson
game. Having seen the team in practice, in exhibitions and against
Tennessee-Martin, I saw a lot more of their potential than fans witnessed
against the Wildcats. Indeed, part of Duke's problem against Davidson was
that this was the first good team they've played all year, and there were
times when the Devils got a bit complacent. That was OK against lesser
foes, but didn't cut it against a veteran, well-coached ballclub like
Davidson. The Wildcats have been picked to win the Southern Conference and
have a grizzled group that knows how to win. They routinely play a tough
schedule and certainly weren't scared of Duke, especially after knocking off
Missouri on the road. Davidson presented Duke with matchup problems in the
early going, played solid defense throughout, and weathered a Duke run in
the second half to make it a game down the stretch. Though Duke went
through some lapses in intensity during the game, to their credit they made
plays when needed.
Let's go back to the Tennessee-Martin game. UTM is a team with a couple
of good athletes and scorers, but for the most part isn't close to being
able to compete with an ACC team. Their biggest problem was overall team
discipline and consistency. They went through periods where they were
patient and attacked Duke's defense the right way, but that was countered by
rushing too many of their shots and not valuing the ball. This was the kind
of team that could have their spirit crushed if Duke went on a big enough
run.
Duke is trying to to play inside-out as much as possible. Shelden
Williams is the first option on offense. In earlier games, he abused the
competition with power moves and hook shots. In these first two games, he
got a bit impatient and wheeled into too many double-teams. The Devils
missed a lot of open looks, with Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams going
a combined 3-10 from the field in the first half. These are guys who need
to shoot at around a 50% clip in order for Duke to be successful. They were
both rebounding well, but both managed to pick up 2 first half fouls.
Meanwhile, JJ Redick and Dan Ewing were also having their share of shooting
problems, shooting 7-17. While Redick was trying shots from all over the
floor, Ewing
was strictly a three-point jump shooter. Coach K made extensive use of his
bench, but that made his lineups a bit disjointed at times.
The key sequences in the first half were back-to-back stickbacks by
Randolph, followed by Ewing hitting a three off a deep Redick drive; and
then a bit of Redick magic. First he scored on a drive using a gorgeous
ballfake, where he faked a pass left, froze his man, and then drove in.
After he nailed a three, he stole the ball and immediately fired away from
just inside the three point arc. That put Duke up by 15 points with eight
minutes to go in the half, but the Devils started to break down
defensively. After holding UTM to just 13 points in the first twelve
minutes of the game, the Devils gave up 12 points in the last eight. Duke
led by 14 at the half, but if UTM had made a few more free throws (just 2 of
8, it could have been much tighter.
The second half saw tremendous defense, balanced scoring, and Ewing assert
himself. The Devils had a 37-6 run to blow the game wide open, and then
called off the dogs. Really, it was a case of collective responsibility. A
big spark was David McClure. After one offensive rebound under the basket,
he immediately threw it out to an open Dan Ewing for a three. After he
hooked up again with Ewing for a trey, he finished a dunk on a nice pass
from Williams, stole the ball and fed Ewing in transition, and then started
another break with a block. For about four or five minutes, McClure was
everywhere, using his surprising hops to do all the little things.
Ewing was using his quickness to get open on breaks and finish. Williams
and Randolph were both much more aggressive. DeMarcus Nelson was very
active, attacking the offensive boards. "Attacking" was the key word for
Duke here. Ten second half field goals came as Duke attacked the baskett,
either on drives, post-ups or stickbacks. That improved offensive execution
led to more focus on defense, as Duke was flawless for the first twelve
minutes of the second half.
Davidson was another matter. Though they used a three-guard lineup,
they has a trio of 6-8 players to use inside. That included the tough and
versatile Logan Kosmalski, who punished Duke with 25 ponits and 13 rebounds,
4 offensive. Off the bench, Ian Johnson also had some strong rebounding
numbers. Duke was focused on Davidson's guards, particularly coach's son
Matt McKillop. The team's best shooter, he dropped 28 on Mizzou. Duke had
a spy on him at all times, holding him to 0-4 shooting, 0 points and 4
turnovers. However, the Devils concentrated on him so much, that they wound
up leaving Kosmalski and Brendan Winters wide open for threes. That duo
shot 6-12 from long distance and kept the Wildcats in the game.
Early on, McClure was having difficulty keeping up with the pair,
arriving late on switches. 
Thanks to Davidson's disciplined high screens, open shots were appearing.
This was no UTM, where Duke won with ease because the Skyhawks tried too
much one-on-one play. Davidson was a team that knew exactly where to go on
the floor to get open shots, and they took advantage of their
opportunities. Duke struggled to get anything going early on, as they tried
to force shots into Williams that just weren't there. Even if he got the
ball on the low block, the Davidson defenders positioned themselves such
that he couldn't spin for a layup or use a drop-step to break through the
double-team. Instead of patiently passing the ball back out and
reestablishing position, Shelden tried to do too much and wound up taking
bad shots. Ewing also struggled, trying to take too many shots off the
dribble. Davidson hit 3 early threes and lead 12-5 with fourteen minutes to
go in the half.
Coach K subbed in Dockery, Nelson, Love and Melchionni at various
points, trying to give his team a spark of some kind. Redick rose to the
occasion, feeding Randolph and Melchionni for baskets, pulling up for a
jumper, and then getting a rare steal & layup. The team's biggest spark
would prove to be Dockery. Not exactly known for his shooting, he nailed 2
threes from the corner to help put his team on top. Those open shots were
created by Ewing using dribble penetration in order to get defenders to
close on him. Redick also hit his first three of the game thanks to a
Randolph relocation pass, and had another steal & layup. Duke led 29-22 at
the half, but had a chance to really put Davidson away. Randolph went up
weakly a couple of times and missed. Still, Duke had come from 7 down to go
7 up, and finally scratched from long range.
Duke immediately attacked Davidson in the second half, as Ewing hit a
trio of triples. One of them was a 40' bomb as the shot clock was expiring
that seemed to stun the Wildcats for a couple of possessions. Duke
immediately struck again with Randolph dunking and Redick coming up with
another steal and feeding Dockery for a transition bucket. With fifteen
minutes left, Duke led 44-24.
 After
that, Duke made a series of unfortunate choices. First of all, they started
to let up a bit on defense and left Davidson open. That gave them some
confidence as they redoubled their defensive efforts. Second, Ewing made a
series of bad decisions. He charged three times when it really wasn't
necessary, and took a couple of long-range shots that he didn't need to
take. Williams at one point scored 5 straight points for Duke but also got
into foul trouble. Redick get his team's head above water with a tough
drive and pull-up 15' jumper. Despite that, Davidson continued to get good
shots and pulled within 55-51 with under six minutes left.
Ewing had the play of the game when he stole the ball and zoomed
downcourt for an emphatic dunk. A couple of minutes later, he had the
dagger when he hit a step-back three to put his team up by 10. After that,
Davidson had to start fouling. Dockery hit 7-8, including nailing
consecutive front ends of one-and-one situations.
Offense and defense really seem to feed off each other for this team.
When Duke went through that series of quick, missed jumpers in the second
half, the defensive pressure was nowhere near as intense. When Davidson
really turned up the pressure, however, I was happy to see Duke snap back
into focus.
As I've noted before, this isn't a team that has a versatile swing man
who can play a number of positions. There's no Battier, no Dunleavy, no
Deng on this squad. There's no one with the breathless ability of a Jason
Williams to get points operating alone. What Duke has is a series of
skilled players whose abilities complement each other. Each player has to
play to their strengths. Ewing must use his quickness to break down
defenses, but shouldn't fall in love with the long range jumper. Redick is
the team's best shooter, but must learn to be patient. Williams is an
intimidating force, but most be careful with regard to fouls and not try to
force the ball in when the play's not there. Shav is extremely skilled and
shouldn't be afraid to use his full array of moves, especially driving to
the basket. At the same time, he needs to finish strong. Even if he's just
fouled, he has to show that he's not going to put up any weak shots; not
only will that frustrate him and his teammates, but referees tend to show
little respect towards such players. Dockery simply needs to play defense,
stay under control, and hit open shots. McClure, Nelson and Love simply
need to provide rebounding and energy for now.
Playing to this team's strengths means using dribble penetration and
pitching the ball out to shooters for open jumpers. It means getting good
position on the blocks and finding the right angles for entry passes. It
means being ready to accept a pass back if the play isn't there. It means
calling out screens and rotating back quickly. This is a team that's going
to need to rely heavily on precision, and they aren't quite there yet.
Player Comments:
** Williams: Shelden missed a surprising number of open shots. He was
forced just outside of his comfort zone and it showed. It's clear that he
started rushing things a bit. To his credit, he stopped rushing a bit in
the second half and avoided his fifth foul.
** Randolph: Shav has done some good things, like rebounding well and
passing out of double teams. But he's also fouled way too much and hasn't
been enough of a threat inside. For Shelden to operate freely, Shav has to
make opponents pay.
** McClure: Dave was fantastic in the opener, giving his team energy at a
point where they needed it. However, he really struggled against a three
guard lineup. While he covers a lot of ground and knows where to be on
defense, he didn't quite know how to handle the screens Davidson was using.
He'll get there, though...
** Redick: JJ is not shooting well (5-18 from three) but is doing
everything else right. His passing, defense and shot selection are all
excellent. He's scoring a bit more on the drive, but more importantly, he's
added a mid-range pull-up jumper to his arsenal. He had a nice connection
with Ewing as the two are always looking to get the other open.
** Ewing: Dan has had his ups and downs as a point guard. He really plays
better off the ball, at least offensively. He's still learning when to look
for his own shot and when to distribute.
** Dockery: After a miserable first game, Sean excelled against Davidson
by playing to his strengths. His defense in particular was outstanding, as
his on-ball pressure disrupted a lot of what Davidson was trying to do. No
one else on the team is his equal in that area.
** Nelson: The aggressive youngster needs more minutes, and will get them
soon. A full week of practice will certainly help him as he recovers from
his hand injury. There's certainly nothing wrong with his rebounding.
** Love: Reggie is hitting the offensive boards hard, but isn't thinking
through a lot of his passes.
** Melchionni: Has had some good plays and showed that he can drive to the
basket. His shot has an incredibly slow release, which makes it tough for
him to get open.
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