The Duke Blue Devils defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 92-78. The win was Duke’s 17th of the season (3-1 in the ACC), while NC State dropped to 11-7 on the season). With zero signature wins, can anyone see NC State making the tournament?
For the Devils, this may not have been the most impressive win of the season, but it certainly was the best win post-Kyrie. It was by far the most complete effort put forth by this team…as a team.
SO WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
EVERYONE GETS INVOLVED
Nine different players scored for Duke and not just some worthless baskets in junk time. Both Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton saw action in the first half and scored back-to-back baskets in the first half. Thornton actually hit his first three of the year.
The fact is, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler took and missed most of the shots today. While they did finish with 40 combined points, they missed 22 of the team’s 33 missed shots. Meanwhile, just about everyone else had solid, productive games.
Andre Dawkins got the ball rolling. After Kelly’s opening three, he hit three straight shots and no, not the typical Dawkins’ shot. He passed up on threes to drive to the lane and hit runners. If he can continue to develop an inside game, then that’s just going to open things up for him outside.
Obviously the coaching staff put forth a game plan that was meant to get others involved. It worked. Sixteen of Duke’s first 18 points game from other players not named Singler or Smith. On top of Dawkins’ eight points, Ryan Kelly was 4-4 from the floor, including a couple of threes. It was the first time all season he had hit at least two threes in a single game. Seven different players scored at least seven and everyone not named Singler and Smith shot 19-30 from the floor.
BIG MEN PLAY BIG
What can you say about Duke’s big men? They really came to play. In fact, this may have been their best effort. Their intensity on the defensive end in the first half set the tone for the game.
For the Wolfpack to win this game, they needed their big guys (Smith, Leslie and Howell) to own the paint. In the first half, Duke held a block party. They held the trio to 5-15 from the floor (none from Leslie), blocking seven total shots. As a team, Duke grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the Wolfpack by 10.
When it comes to rebounding and defense, Mason Plumlee has turned into a beast. He’s owned the board. He has 40 rebounds in his last three games and he’s averaging is nearly nine for the season now. Sure his offense still isn’t there yet, but who cares? It will come. Wednesday night he got all of his points on offensive rebounds, but the offensive game will come. Like the rest of the team, he’s learning his new role post-Kyrie.
Speaking of offense, how about the return of Miles. While I’ll take a wait-and-see attitude on his future role on this team, it certainly was great seeing Coach K give him a huge hug at the end. Of all the big men, Miles is the most gifted post-scorer. He really is the only one capable of putting his back to the basket and score. He just needs to knock off the stupid mistakes and poor-defensive judgement. Tonight he played his best overall game as a Duke player. He hit four of six, scoring 11, grabbing eight rebounds in the process.
POINT GUARD: NEEDED
I’m not a huge fan of Nolan Smith playing 40 minutes a game. I just believe those minutes add up. I do. I believe this even more with him now running the point. The ball is always in his hands. He’s always guarding the opponent’s best guard. There is no downtime. While I had hoped Curry could substitute in at the point, it has become clear that he’s not a great ball handler and he’s not capable of running the offense. This brings us back to Ty Thornton.
The freshman played 11 minutes today. He scored five, dished out an assist, stole a ball and took a couple of charges. Why not keep this up? Why not let him get 10 minutes per game, let him get some experience? While he has a long way to go before he’s a solid ACC guard, he’s a pass-first PG, who can play decent D. In a best case scenario, he can allow Nolan to sit once per half, maybe right before a TV timeout. At the very least, he can allow Smith to play some shooting guard.
WOLFPACK NEED TIME
You can certainly see the future is bright for North Carolina State. Those freshman aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and C.J. Leslie is just an athletic freak, although raw. Too bad Sidney Lowe probably won’t be around after this season to watch it unfold. Tracy Smith proved once again he’s one of the best in the conference. He’s not yet 100% and the kid still put up 19 points and nine rebounds. No offense to the Plumlees, but just imagine how great Duke could be if they had a low-post scorer like him underneath.
NOTE: A message to NC State’s Richard Howell…have you ever actually committed a foul? Has a ball ever gone off you? Seriously, every time a call went against him, he turned to the ref and put his hands up in frustration. I understand why players do this from time to time. They all do it, including Duke players, but every single time Howell was called for a foul, he did it. Every single time. I counted two times Duke scored on a fast break, while Howell was still sitting back on the other side of the court bitching to the ref. That’s why Sidney Lowe is going to be out of a job at the end of the year.
