If you had told anyone including Mike Krzyzewski that his team would not be 9-0 heading into exam week before Christmas, neither he nor anyone else would have believed it. It is not that everyone thought that this Duke team was bad, but it was the difficulty of their schedule. If you have been keeping up with college basketball, you will know that Duke has beaten the then #3 Kentucky Wildcats, the then #2 Louisville, and the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes. Duke has also picked up wins against Minnesota, VCU, and now Temple on the road to 9-0. Duke easily has had the most difficult schedule so far of any top team, and yet still somewhat of an “under the radar team.”
This past weekend, Duke traveled to New Jersey to the Izod Center to play Temple. If you have forgotten, Temple upset the #3 Duke Blue Devils last season. This year would be completely different. Duke as well as Temple returned several players from last season’s major upset, but this year, Duke seemed totally in control of the game. Mid way through the first half, Duke pulled away, and really never allowed Temple to get back into it. Sure, Temple would cut the lead to 10 or so, but then Duke would pull back ahead. Duke would eventually go onto win the game 90-67 in one of the most efficient games for the Blue Devils of the season. Duke shot 47% from the field in the game, 60% from the 3 point line, and 76% from the free throw line. This has been one reason Duke has seen success so far this season. They are smart, and wait for good shots. They have been efficient all season. Duke is a team that has not been in the national contender talk during the pre season, but now they have to be! Here are a few reasons why:
Duke possesses maturity. Duke plays so smart. Against an athletic Temple team, they only had 6 turnovers…FOR THE ENTIRE GAME! Duke rarely turns the ball over which makes it difficult to beat them. By the way, Duke has played some of the best defenses this season as well, and still not turned the ball over. This is maturity. The Blue Devils seldom get rattled. They are poised, and just take care of business regardless of what the opposing defense throws at them. This alone makes Duke very tough to beat.
Duke has Mason Plumlee. Mason is now in many eyes the frontrunner for NPOY. He demands attention, and in many cases double teams. It helps Duke that he is a terrific passer. If Mason continues to improve and Duke continues to win, Mason is your NPOY. He has improved in every way this season.
Duke’s starters. This is what separates Duke from other teams and from last year. Every starter for Duke can score and create their own shot. This is something that Duke did not have last year. In years past, you can afford to leave certain guys open who are not scorers, and double team the teams who are, but in this case, you cannot leave any starter for Duke open. All of them (except for Mason shoot it well from deep), and each player including Curry has improved creating for themselves as well.
Duke is a force to be reckoned with this season, and you can bet no one wants to see this Duke team in the tournament this year. Duke still needs improvement on rebounding, but with Marshall Plumlee expected to play in Duke’s next game, that should improve. If Duke improves its defensive rebounding, it will be very difficult to beat them regardless of who plays them. Also, what flaws will Duke have if it improves its rebounding?
By Josh Evans
