NC State and UNC have at least one thing in common, they've both fell victim, to unbelievable comebacks by the Duke Blue Devils. Thursday night, behind 21 second half points from Seth Curry, Duke stormed back from a 16 point deficit at halftime, to defeat the Pack 78-73 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Pack dominated the Blue Devils in the first half, but the Devils obliterated the Pack over the final 12 minutes of the game. The Devils finished off the Pack with a 37-12 run to end the game, taking the lead for the first time off an Austin Rivers three point shot with just over two minutes remaining.
Duke would not lose the lead or momentum again from a stunned Wolfpack squad in severe foul trouble. Coach Gottfried was dealt a bad hand tonight, in regards to foul trouble. Tough decisions were made, and the coach's call to leave Howell, Leslie, and Wilson on the bench in foul trouble, for major portions of the game, will be questioned.
Rivers added another dagger to his resume with his latest three, but the catalyst of the comeback was most definitely Seth Curry. He was nothing less than a warrior tonight, as he scored at will (traveling a few times along the way), in a wide variety of fashions. Many have doubts about the completeness of Curry's offensive game, claiming he's just a shooter, but tonight Seth had his way off the dribble as well. When Curry can do that, he is capable of being the point guard this team needs.
Shocking to say the least, this Blue Devils team has a flare for the dramatics. It seems that after giving up against Ohio State earlier in the season, as a team and individually, Duke has embraced the fight till the end mentality. Proven by amazing comebacks, that aren't complete hocus pocus, I'm willing to call it a trend of this year's Blue Devil squad.
Each script has been similar. Opponents have exposed the defensive flaws (too many to name) of Duke during frustrating stretches of offense for the Blue Devils, typically amassing double digit leads.
Individually, most of the Blue Devil players are still, garbage when it comes to defense. That statement was especially true tonight, as multiple Duke players jogged back down court, only to get there just in time to see the Pack scoring in transition. So how does Duke manufacture their patented runs? While Duke can't possibly look worse defensively during transition, defense after made baskets is another story.
When Duke gets rolling on offense, and the three point shots begin to fall, it allows the team to get set on defense, where their efficiency trends upwards in direct correlation with the absence of improvisation. Simply put, every Duke defender not named Tyler Thornton, is a below average defender, but when they know what to expect, they have a knack for either forcing bad shots or turnovers through intense perimeter ball pressure, and timely help defense.
NC State played right into the script, just as Miami and UNC did in the previous games. As the Blue Devils began to heat up, each team slowed down, and each possession became more and more predictable for the Blue Devils to defend. Next thing you know, Duke is on fire, NBA Jams style, riding momentum that elevates their play on both ends of the court.
Luck has certainly played a role for the Duke Blue Devils over the past two weeks, but I see a little more, I see substance, I see a #trend
-Jon Paul McCaskill
Follow me @JonPKnowsSports
