Bleacher Report - Articles by Jason Ritchie

NCAA Tournament: Is This the Sweetest 16 Ever?

Jason Ritchie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:26:45 -0400

For the NCAA selection committee, it may well be.

Yes, the very same selection committee that is so maligned this time of year, from every corner. From ESPN to the water cooler, people love nothing more than to discuss just how wrong they got it.

This year, however, it appears they got it very, very right.

I don't mean to suggest that this year's tournament field was perfect. There were still teams that probably shouldn't have made the field, as well as teams that probably should have. But the top 25 percent of the field, (that would be seeds one through four in each region) those the committee nailed.

After a first round filled with upsets, it looked as if this year's tournament would be one of the wilder ones on record. Then, in the second round, there was one. One upset. (And that was a measly five-over-four upset that doesn't really count anyway.)

That left us with the following, very improbable, scenario:

In the East and South regions, all four top seeds made the Sweet 16.

In the West, the top three seeds were joined by the lone upset winner in the second round, fifth-seeded Purdue, giving us the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 seeds in that region.

Finally, in the Midwest, the top three seeds are joined by the only true surprise (and lone double-digit seed remaining) in the field, 12th-seeded Arizona. The Wildcats pulled the upset over fifth-seeded Utah in the first round, then were the beneficiaries of the largest first-round upset, when they faced 13th-seeded Cleveland State in the second round, rather than No. 4 Wake Forest.

When was the last time that all four No. 1 seeds, all four No. 2 seeds, and all four No. 3 seeds made the Sweet 16? Simple answer: never. 2009 marks the first time that has ever happened. And it has led to some very intriguing matchups.

On Thursday, in the West region, UConn faces a very scrappy Purdue team that may give the Huskies as much as they can handle.

That game is followed by Memphis-Missouri, where Memphis will put its 27-game win streak on the line against the best team they have played since their last loss, Dec. 20 against Syracuse.

Also on Thursday, the East region serves up a matchup between Pitt and Xavier, a game that I would say Pitt would win handily, if the Panthers hadn't been struggling mightily this postseason.

Following that game is a matchup many are calling the best of this round, Duke-Villanova. This matchup of eerily similar teams (both like to play four guards and spread the floor, with no true post presence) will pit strength versus strength, as a team that finished the season 13-5 in the Big East takes on a team that finished 11-5 in the ACC.

Friday's matchups are no less interesting. In the Midwest, we see the top overall seed Louisville matching up with perennial title-contender-turned-Cinderella, Arizona. The Wildcats will be looking to continue their unlikely run, but to do so will have to topple the Cardinals, one of the few teams many think can challenge North Carolina for the title.

In the Midwest nightcap, Kansas takes on Michigan State, in a matchup of last year's champion versus a team many were extremely high on to begin this season.

Finally, in the South region, UNC takes on Gonzaga in a matchup of preseason top-ten teams, a game that may be decided by a toe. The winner there will face the winner of super-sophomore Blake Griffin's Oklahoma team and Big East Cinderella, Syracuse, a team that seems to be playing its best ball at just the right time.

One thing is certain about all of these matchups. The winners, and the eventual Final Four participants, will know that they have battled to reach Detroit. There are no easy outs this year, not at this level.

I expect eight hard-fought games, followed by four more on Saturday and Sunday. This weekend may produce the best basketball of the entire year.

And that's only possible because the selection committee got it right.

Elliot Williams Continues To Shine for Blue Devils

Jason Ritchie — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:47:53 -0500

I was going to begin this article by saying that we will just have to take coach Mike Krzyzewski's word when he says that Elliot Williams wasn't ready earlier in the season. Luckily, that's not quite true, as we'll see in a moment.

But first, I'll go ahead and quote what Coach K said on the ACC Coaches teleconference, in case you missed it.

“He’s a freshman, so he’s had to learn. In probably in our first dozen games he was averaging 14, 15 minutes a game, but that’s not conference play. I think he’s really grown as a result of practice and has had a great attitude. If he was at the level of play he is now, early, then you would have seen it.

"What he’s done, is he’s worked really hard, and now he’s at that level of play. Because we made a change he was given the opportunity to now use the skill he has. He didn’t have that, early, and the knowledge of how to play. He’s done a great job. He’s given us a huge lift.”

The numbers agree with Coach K. In the first 12 games of the season, Williams averaged three points and 2.6 rebounds in 14 minutes a game. He had two more turnovers (16) than he did made field goals (14) and shot 38.9 percent from the field.

In addition to the numbers, it often appeared that Williams was out of his element. He looked lost on both ends of the floor, often having to be pointed to a spot or a defensive assignment by a teammate. He rushed, made freshman mistakes, and altogether did not look like a kid ready to start in the ACC.

Then Duke assistant coach Nate James took Williams under his wing. James worked with him before practice, after practice, whenever they could. They worked on defense, how to switch, when to switch, how to communicate with your teammates.

The extra sessions have more than paid off for both Williams and Duke.

Since he earned a starting spot in the St. John's game, Elliot has averaged 31.3 minutes, 12.3 points (including 15 last night against Maryland), and three rebounds per game. He has shot an astounding 72.7 percent from the field and kept his average turnovers the same, despite playing more than twice the minutes.

In addition to that, he has played superb defense, applying tremendous ball pressure despite drawing two of the premier point guards in the ACC, Jeff Teague and Greivis Vasquez.

(Teague did score 28 points, but a lot of those came off of ball-screens, where Duke switches everything.)

Williams continued his elevated level of play last night against Maryland, not only with his scoring (his 15 points was second only to Gerald Henderson's 19 for Duke), but he also pulled down six rebounds and hounded Greivis Vasquez all night, allowing him only 10 points, just a few nights after Vasquez lit up UNC for a triple-double.

Before the season started, many people were wondering whether Elliot Williams could be the next big star at Duke. After the last three games, I think it is safe to say that he is quickly headed in that direction—much more quickly than I had imagined he would.

Does Anyone Want To Be No. 1?

Jason Ritchie — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:22:45 -0500

The last time a team went wire-to-wire as the top ranked team in all the land was the 1991-'92 season, when Duke pulled it off. Even then, they needed some luck to do it, as they dropped two games along the way.

But both times, the teams just below them in the rankings lost in the same week, so they never fell off that top spot.

In the 17 seasons since, no one has been able to do it again. This season, it has seemed like nobody wants to do it.

The consensus No. 1 in the preseason, the North Carolina Tar Heels, stayed on top for the first seven weeks of the season. And in those seven weeks, only one other team so much as received a first-place vote (UConn got one in the Week One ESPN/USA Today poll).

But then Boston College came calling in Chapel Hill, and the Heels dropped to third. In their place stood the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Pitt kept their first ever number one ranking for two weeks, before they lost to Louisville on the road, dropping them to fourth and propelling Wake Forest to the top.

Wake, in its first No. 1 ranking since Chris Paul took his game to the professional level, only managed to hold on for one week. They fell to Virginia Tech, a loss that dropped them as far as sixth in the polls.

The next contender was Duke. In Duke's very first game as the nation's number one, they faced newly deposed Wake, and lost. The loss dropped Duke to fourth, and allowed UConn to take the top spot.

UConn held the top spot for a staggering three weeks, before being upended (literally, in the case of Hasheem Thabeet) by DeJuan Blair and Pitt. This would have paved the way for Oklahoma to become the first non-Big East or ACC team to top the rankings, but Blake Griffin had to go and get concussed, and the Sooners missed their chance.

This would have opened the door for North Carolina to reclaim the top spot, but they dropped to Maryland, so the new rankings shook out with Pitt as the new NO. 1 (again).

But it didn't take long to see that Pitt, having tasted it once already this season, had no desire to be on top for long, as they dropped their first game after the polls came out, losing to the Friars of Providence.

So that leaves us with this recap.

In the last eight weeks, the top team has lost six times. Six times. We all know that being number one puts a bulls-eye on your back, but this seems a little much.

Of course, this all speaks to the parity that now exists in college basketball. The traditional basketball powers—UCLA, Kansas, UNC, Duke, to name just a few—are no longer the only teams that attract the elite players.

As the talent level across the country increases, it's only natural that there will not be any clear-cut top program in any given season. This attrition at the top will become the norm, rather than an aberration worthy of being remarked upon.

But for now, it is still noteworthy, and begs the question: Who's next?

Duke Kicks Off Stretch Run With Hard-Fought Win Over Wake Forest

Jason Ritchie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:38:26 -0500

Duke's new look appears to have righted a ship that seemed to be sinking.

At least for one night.

Sparked by Elliot Williams' defensive efforts early, Duke sprinted to a 22-point lead on the Demon Deacons only to see their lead chipped away and ultimately whittled down to two, before finally putting Wake away and winning 101-91.

It took career highs from both Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer to do it, but it left Dino Gaudio impressed. When asked if he wanted to play the Devils again in Atlanta, he said "Not really. I think they’re pretty good.”

But last night's win is only the beginning of the stretch run for a Duke team that had lost four of its last six conference games, including the last two in a row, after starting the season 18-1 and being ranked No. 1 in both polls.

Unlike the Duke teams of the last two seasons, this year's group looks ready to rebound from a late-season swoon. They were able to turn the Deacons over 20 times and shot 54.1 percent for the game.

Of course, Scheyer and Henderson combining to shoot 19-of-31 (61.3 percent) and scoring 65 points helps the offense look good.

But those two are not the only reason Duke looks ready to make a run in the postseason.

Last year, at this time, Kyle Singler looked physically worn down, something which does not seem to be the case this year. Kyle is averaging 18 points and 6.6 rebounds in Duke's last five games and shows no signs of stopping.

Helping to keep him fresh is the recently rejuvenated play of Lance Thomas. Averaging 26 minutes, 8.25 point,s and 5.25 rebounds in the last four games, Thomas has helped shoulder some of the load for Singler, perhaps most importantly on the defensive side.

But the biggest reason for Duke's turnaround from sinking ship to Final Four contender has been Elliot Williams. The recruit many thought would be Duke's next big star when he signed for the Blue Devils has shown why in his last two games, earning a starting job against St. John's that he does not look to be giving up anytime soon.

Elliot has averaged 11 points on 71.4 percent shooting (10-of-14 from the field) in the last two games. His four steals in the Wake game speaks volumes about the defensive intensity he brings to the table for Duke, considering he was guarding Jeff Teague, one of the most dynamic offensive players in the ACC.

Adding Williams to the rotation adds another athletic slasher to Duke's offensive attack, which has suddenly become much more potent. He also brings an added level of intensity to the defensive attack as well. Just ask Coach K.

"Elliot [Williams] gave us a verve right off the start. In the two games he’s started, he’s really given us a spirit out there," Krzyzewski said.

Duke still has a long way to go to prove that this season will not end the way the last two did. But with their win last night, they seem to be heading in the right direction.

Their road gets no easier from here on out, though.

On Wednesday, they travel up to College Park, where the Maryland Terrapins are coming off their biggest win of the season. And you can believe that Gary Williams and company have not forgotten the 41-point humiliation they suffered at Duke's hands earlier this season.

After that, Duke travels to Blacksburg to face the Virginia Tech Hokies, who at 16-10 overall (6-6 in the ACC) are no doubt looking for a signature win to put on their NCAA resume.

Next Tuesday, the Blue Devils play host to the Florida State Seminoles, on Greg Paulus and Dave McClure's senior day. The Seminoles are currently tied with Duke and Clemson for second in the conference and would like nothing more than to avenge their earlier home loss to the Devils by exacting some revenge in Cameron.

And finally, of course, Duke finishes up their regular-season with an eight-mile trip to Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels will be celebrating Tyler Hansbrough's senior night.

From here on out, every game Duke plays will have major impacts on not just ACC Tournament seeding but potentially on NCAA seeding as well. Every team remaining on the schedule will be playing either to maximize their placement or to even receive a placement, and either way, Duke will be taking everyone's best shot.

This season, Duke may be up to that task.

Duke-St. John's: Freshman Williams Provides Spark for Blue Devils

Jason Ritchie — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:02:27 -0500

Over the past couple of weeks, it has been easy to see that Duke fans—like most fans of elite teams in any sport—are spoiled. They simply are not used to anything but winning.

And when the team isn't winning, its fans get restless.

A quick jaunt to Web sites such as duke.rivals.com will show you fans calling for all types of changes, whether it be altering the starting line-up, adjusting playing time, or mixing up the playing style. Some fans called out coach Mike Krzyzewski as being too stubborn to make the changes he needed to make for the team.

A particular point many people have been discussing is the playing time of Duke's freshmen, in particular Elliot Williams.

Williams was rated 16th overall by rivals.com in the 2008 high school class, and third among shooting guards. Many fans felt that someone that highly rated, and a McDonald's All-American to boot, is too good to be relegated to the bench. Prior to last night's game, Williams was averaging 9.4 minutes per game, but since ACC play started he has only averaged 5.1 minutes.

Thursday night against St. John's, Coach K seemingly answered the critics, giving Williams the starting nod, only his second of the season. (The first came against UNC-Asheville, a game in which Krzyzewski started five reserves to motivate the normal starters after the team's loss to Michigan.)

Williams played 31 minutes against St John's; only Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson played more. Williams also added a career-high 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting (1-for-2 from three-point range). He was one of four Duke players in double figures.

Gerald Henderson led the team in scoring with 19 points. Scheyer added 18, and Kyle Singler chipped in with 15 before fouling out.

Duke led this game 69-57 with 3:08 remaining before St John's made a run. The Red Storm capitalized on missed free throws and bad fouls, cutting Duke's lead to a mere five points in the closing seconds. Scheyer iced the game at the line, extending Duke's lead to seven with 12 seconds remaining, for a final score of 76-69.

The Red Storm's D. J. Kennedy led all scorers with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sean Evans added 15, and Malik Booth had 10 for the Red Storm, who have now lost to Duke six straight times, and have lost five in a row overall.

Up next for Duke is a rematch with No. 8 Wake Forest on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Durham in Distress: Is Duke Destined For Another Late-Season Disaster?

Jason Ritchie — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:49:15 -0500

Three weeks ago, Duke was on top of the basketball world.

Fresh off their 41-point steamrolling of Maryland, the Blue Devils were 18-1, undefeated in ACC play, and sitting atop both polls.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Two of Duke's next three games were on the road against top-ten teams in Wake Forest and Clemson. After a heartbreaking loss to Wake, followed by a relatively easy home victory over Virginia, the Devils were humiliated by Clemson.

Duke's next game was against a Miami team with only four conference wins, but they were coming off of a 27-point beating of Wake Forest, and were playing very confidently.

What shouldn't have been a very challenging game almost turned into a rout, but a second-half comeback by the Devils ended up as an overtime victory.

Up next was a home date with arch-rival, and top-five ranked, North Carolina.

This was a game the Devils appeared to have control of at the half, but Ty Lawson and the Tar Heels dominated the second, and left Cameron with a 14-point victory.

In their most recent engagement, Duke travelled to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College, a team that hadn't defeated the Devils in 24 years.

And despite having another halftime lead, the Devils fell short in the second, losing to BC by six.

The recent rough patch Duke has hit has caused many Duke fans, as well as critics, to wonder if Duke is going to falter in the late stretches this season, much as it has in the last two seasons. If we examine recent events, it becomes clear that there are several reasons why this is a distinct possibility.

Personnel Issues - Post

It has been well documented that Duke lacks a true post presence. Duke's biggest player, Brian Zoubek, has been hampered quite a bit in his career by injuries, and may never become the player that Coach K envisioned when he signed the big man from New Jersey.

Duke's other main low-post presence is Lance Thomas. Listed at 6'8" and 220 pounds, it is clear that Thomas is not a true low-post player. Both his size and skill set would indicate that he is more of a wing or high-post player.

Duke's other low-post option is freshman Miles Plumlee. Plumlee is listed at 6'10" and 230 pounds, and is more athletic and mobile than Zoubek, while possessing more size and strength than Thomas. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Plumlee will play a large role in the remainder of this season, as he is only averaging 5.9 minutes per game.

All of this means that the bulk of the offensive threat Duke is able to rely on in the paint comes in the form of 6'8" sophomore Kyle Singler, who is capable of playing in the post but seems to prefer playing on the perimeter. Singler has shown himself to be a reliable scorer on the blocks, but at 235 pounds, he is often overpowered by the opposition he faces, and is unable to secure good offensive positioning in the paint.

What all of this means is that Duke's opponents simply do not have to concern themselves overmuch with Duke's post players. There is no single player on Duke's roster who demands a double-team when they receive the ball in the paint, and as a result, opposing wings and guards are able to stay at home on their assignments, which helps to eliminate kicks to open shooters or back-door cuts.

Until Duke has a player capable of demanding respect in the paint, be it a recruit, or a current player stepping up his production, opposing teams will continue to be able to key on stopping Duke's perimeter play, greatly impacting Duke's ability to play efficient offense.

Personnel Issues - Point Guard

Duke's personnel issues are not limited to post players. While Duke has several talented wing guards, what they are lacking is a true point guard capable of spearheading both the offensive and defensive attacks.

At the beginning of the season, Nolan Smith was starting at the point. Listed at 6'2" and 185 pounds, Nolan has good size for a point guard. He is very quick and athletic, and is a good on-ball defender. His deficiencies lie on offensive side, and they seem to have developed during the season.

At the start of the season, Nolan ran the offense quite well. He was able to penetrate into opposing defenses, allowing him to either finish at the rim, or dish to an open man. He was also Duke's best long-range shooter earlier in the year, hitting 41.9 percent of his three-point attempts in his first ten games.

But at some point during the season, Nolan stopped playing as aggressively. He wasn't looking to penetrate, merely bring the ball up and pass it off to the wings. His shooting and scoring has steadily declined since the tenth game. He was averaging 12.3 points-per-game at that point. He currently averages 9.2, and is shooting 35 percent from deep.

Because of the decline in Nolan's play, Coach K has inserted three-year starter Greg Paulus in as the starting point guard for the last three games. Paulus has long been known for his excellent three-point shooting, but has been widely criticized for his lack of ability to pressure opposing ballhandlers.

And while he has shown the ability to provide an offensive spark (his 18 points against Miami were a big reason Duke won that game), Duke has also been hurt defensively. After giving up on average 60.4 points per game, Duke has not held an opponent under 75 points since Paulus has been starting.

Nolan Smith is only a sophomore, and still has plenty of room to grow and develop, and he definitely is able to do so. But until Duke has a point guard, be it Nolan or someone else, who is able to spearhead Duke's attack on both ends of the floor effectively, there are going to be problems at the point guard position.

Shot Selection

Another problem that has been plaguing the Devils lately has been shot selection. Duke has always been a team that has shot a lot of three-pointers. The last few seasons the phrase "Live by the three, die by the three" has been applied to Duke quite a bit. But in the last few games, it has not been the quantity of threes Duke has taken, but the quality.

In the recent six-game stretch, Duke has attempted, on average, 23.5 three-pointers. This is about three more than their season average of 20.4 attempts. Duke has not greatly increased the number they are taking, but they have decreased the quality of the shots.

In the first half of the North Carolina game, Duke shot six-of-nine from deep. The reason is that they were getting good looks. They were attacking the basket off the dribble, drawing defenders away from their defensive assignments and finding open shooters.

In the second half, Duke shot two-of-fifteen, because they stopped attacking the basket and settled for weaving the ball around the perimeter and using ball-screens to try to get open looks.

This seems to be a common theme with Duke this year. When they are playing aggressively and "loose", they generate good open looks that their shooters (and let's be honest, Duke doesn't have a J.J. Redick this year, most of their shooters are adequate at best) are able to hit. But when a game gets tight, and Duke's players are wary of making mistakes that will cost them the game, they make the worst mistake of all, and stop playing with any aggressiveness.

And when you show no desire to attack the paint, any team can become excellent at defending the perimeter.

The only way to correct this problem is for Duke's players to remember how it was that they got a lead in the first place. They need to learn that just because a game is tight, they should not stop playing aggressively. That is actually when it is most important, because, as many an announcer has said, the team that wants it more almost always wins the game.

Offensive Strategy

This is one point where my fellow Duke fans may take issue with me. I am about to do the unthinkable. I am about to question coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Well, actually, I have been questioning him for several years now, if I am being honest. Back when J.J. Redick was running around screens for 40 minutes a game I was wondering why Duke didn't try to establish Shelden Williams down low first, and use that to set up J.J. and get his opportunities.

And now I wonder the same thing. It's obvious Duke doesn't have a Shelden Williams anymore, and it's equally obvious that Brian Zoubek is not going to be the same caliber of player Williams was. But one thing I have noticed—I even mentioned it in an earlier article—is that when Duke gets the ball to Zoubek at the high post, good things happen.

I don't mean that Zoubek scores, or anything like that. What I do mean is that when the ball goes to Zoubek in the paint, all five defenders turn and look at him.

It's not a conscious thing on their part. Certainly if they stopped and thought about it, they wouldn't give him a second thought. But it's instinctive. And in that brief moment of distraction, shooters can glide away from their defenders to an open spot. Cutters can cut to the basket. And the defense will be half a step behind.

And for everything that Zoubek is not, and that's a lot of things, he is a very good passer. He finds cutters. He finds open shooters.

The simple fact is that when Duke makes a conscious effort to get him the ball at the high post, good things almost always happen. I've seen it happen enough times this season that I have to wonder why the coaching staff doesn't work this into their gameplan more often. It works. Nearly every time they do this, there is at least a good look at a good shot. Not a contested jumper off the dribble or off a screen, but a good open look.

But until Krzyzewski develops some sort of confidence in Zoubek, it looks as if he will continue to spend the vast majority of the game sitting next to Miles Plumlee on the bench, instead of making good things happen for his teammates.

Positives

But despite all the negative factors Duke is facing, there are actually a few positive things to take away from the recent stretch of games.

First of all, their five-game stretch, beginning with the Wake Forest game and ending with the North Carolina game was probably as tough a stretch of games as your likely to find in all of college basketball this year. Two road games against top-ten teams, a home game against a team that is very talented, and has one of the most explosive guards in the country, and a date with the preseason consensus number one. That's not an easy stretch at all.

Secondly, it looks as if Kyle Singler has broken out of his shooting slump. The last two games he has shot 17-of-32 from the field, including six-of-11 from deep. In his previous five games he was 19-of-66 from the field, and five-of-21 from deep. If he can keep playing at a high level, to go along with Gerald Henderson, those two alone can keep Duke in a lot of games, and give them a chance to win most of them.

Finally, for the last two years Duke has been horribly out-rebounded by their opponents. This season they have been doing a much better job on the boards. Even in their last six games, they have only been out-rebounded by a total of three boards, and were actually out-rebounded by five in the North Carolina game. Duke is close to, or in many cases outright, winning the battle of the boards night in and night out. When you can do that, you put yourself in a position to win more often than not.

So, does Duke have issues they need to address? Absolutely. But, it is my opinion that this season may not play out the way the last two have. Duke's remaining schedule is not the best in the world. They have six regular season games remaining, and four of those are away from home. Two of their games are against team that have already beaten them once.

It would not surprise me in the least to see Duke drop another two games before the season ends. They may not even make it to the semi-finals of the ACC Tournament. But that is less an indication of how bad Duke is, and more an indication of how good the ACC is.

For those of you out there predicting another first-weekend exit from the NCAA Tournament for Duke, I do not hesitate to say that I do not think that will happen this year. I think that this Duke team is more than capable of making it out of the first weekend, and into the Sweet Sixteen. Beyond that will be more difficult, of course. It always is, and it will depend largely on matchups, but this team could conceivably keep playing into the last weekend of the tournament.

But if they bow out early again—and they might, I'm certainly not saying it isn't possible—I will be man enough to eat my words. But I don't think I will have to. Not this year.

Duke-UNC: Ty Lawson, Tar Heels Run Away from Devils in Second Half

Jason Ritchie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:52:05 -0500

This season, Duke has been playing a video before each home game entitled "Our House." After last night's game, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough can officially say that Cameron is, indeed, their house.

The two stars will finish their collegiate careers having never tasted defeat in four trips to one of the most daunting arenas in college basketball, something that has been an extremely rare occurrence in the Mike Krzyzewski era.

UNC started the game off hot, getting 10 early points from Deon Thompson. They caused five early Duke turnovers and sprinted out of the gates to an 11-point lead with 10:52 to play in the first half.

Then it looked as if the stifling atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium caught up with them.

Duke went on a 22-5 run over the next six minutes, utilizing a very balanced and efficient attack from Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Gerald Henderson to take a 40-34 lead with just under five minutes to play in the half.

It was a lead that Duke would expand to eight points by halftime, heading to the locker room with a 52-44 advantage.

If it seemed like everything was going right for Duke at that point, it was. They shot 61.8 percent from the field and outscored UNC 22-16 in the paint. They even managed to break even with UNC on the boards, with each team pulling down 15 before the break.

But nothing ever comes easily in this rivalry, and UNC was not about to give up.

UNC came out of the half on a 14-4 run, getting points from all five starters, to tie the game up at 58 with 14:56 to play. The two teams battled evenly over the next four minutes until Wayne Ellington's three-pointer at the 11:02 mark put UNC up 67-65, a lead they would never relinquish.

After Gerald Henderson's free throws brought Duke within three at the 7:38 mark, UNC went on a 14-0 run, fueled mainly by the play of Ty Lawson, who scored 10 of those points.

By the time Duke scored again, a three-pointer by Jon Scheyer at the 3:19 mark, the score was 88-74, and the outcome was no longer in doubt.

The difference in this game was undoubtedly Ty Lawson. After scoring only four points in the first, the junior speedster scored 21 points in the second half and was able to get to the rim at will, regardless of who was guarding him.

He finished with a game-high 25 points, five assists, and four rebounds. He shot 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. In a game where all five UNC starters scored at least 12 points, Lawson was clearly the star.

Duke had no answer for him in the second half. They rotated Greg Paulus and Nolan Smith in and out, at least until Smith picked up his fourth foul. They switched every screen on the perimeter, but nothing they tried slowed down the play of Lawson, who was characterized after the game as being both patient and aggressive.

“Somebody would say that’s probably an oxymoron, but I think it is true," said UNC coach Roy Williams after the game when asked about the combination of patience and aggressiveness in Lawson's second half play. "He was patient until he saw an opening and then he tried to take it. I think that was it."

Mike Krzyzewski had this to say about Lawson: "Lawson was a pro tonight. That’s as well as a point guard has played against us in a while. He played strong, smart, just puts so much pressure on you on every exchange."

But another factor in the game was the defense of UNC, an aspect of their game that has been widely criticized by experts this season.

After allowing Duke to shoot 61.8 percent from the field in the first half, UNC cranked up the intensity on the defensive end. Duke only shot 13-of-36 (36.1 percent) in the second half, including 2-of-15 from deep, and actually took more shots from the field than UNC did, while scoring 22 points less.

Gerald Henderson was held to just four points in the second half (after scoring 13 in the first) on 1-for-9 shooting. Greg Paulus, who has had big games against UNC in his career, did not score at all in the second half after scoring eight points in the first.

UNC also forced nine Duke turnovers in the second half (after coming away with just six in the first), and they ratcheted up the effort on the glass, outrebounding Duke by five.

In the game, UNC became the first team in nine years to score 100 or more points against Duke. The last time Duke allowed triple digits at Cameron was the classic double-overtime thriller against UNC in 1995.

But UNC didn't need 10 extra minutes in this one.

They shot 54.8 percent for the game (59.4 percent in the second half) and converted 27 of their 31 free throw attempts. Their incredibly efficient offense managed 101 points on just 62 field goal attempts. By contrast, Duke scored 87 points and attempted 70 shots.

But this game will be remembered for a dominant second-half performance by UNC, and by Lawson in particular. His mindset in the second half was obvious: attack.

"We didn't think they could stay in front of us," Lawson said. "I just knew I could get to the basket."

He could, and did, and in doing so put on quite a show—one that will be remembered on Tobacco Road for quite a while.

Duke-UNC: Prepare for Sensory Overload

Jason Ritchie — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:56:20 -0500

It happens every February—ESPN's "Rivalry Week," bringing with it the overload of highlights, lowlights, and sound bites to present the annual meeting between Duke and UNC.

There will be 10-minute segments on SportsCenter, previews, predictions, and opinions from everyone ESPN can find to talk about the game—interviews with former players, current students, maybe even a documentary of life in "Krzyzewskiville."

And all of this will be brought to you non-stop, nation-wide, so you guys in Alaska can catch up on every aspect of the Duke-UNC rivalry.

Remember Henderson's elbow? You'll see that about 50 times between now and 9:00 pm ET Wednesday night. Jeff Capel's half-court shot? Stackhouse's reverse dunk? You'll get it all.

But is all of that necessary? Do people in Texas and Oklahoma care more about Duke-UNC than North Carolinians do about the Red River Rivalry?

Sure, it is a big game that's almost always nationally relevant. It usually has an impact that is felt on Selection Sunday.

But, the only people that really—and I mean really—want to see all the hype and hoopla are the fans of the teams involved.

I've heard many a fan of other schools vehemently curse all the coverage this game gets. And I can't say that I blame them. ESPN acts like this is the most important game of the season, and in reality, that's only true for Duke and UNC fans.

It's not that I don't love the game. I do. I've grown up in the middle of it. So yes. Hype the game, but do it locally.

People in Los Angeles want to hear Dick "Dickie V" Vitale screaming about UCLA, not Duke-UNC. There's no real need to subject the entire country to it.

In a way, I think all the hype devalues the rivalry. It makes it more of a spectacle—a show these kids have to put on, instead of what it should be: another battle between two national powerhouses, two fanbases that really don't like each other, and two coaches that love to take the occasional jab at each other. A battle for bragging rights, conference standings, and a top NCAA seeding.

ESPN has turned it into a circus and they need to stop.

ACC Basketball: There's Just Something Special about It

Jason Ritchie — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:51:32 -0500

I freely admit that I am an ACC fan. I grew up in the state of North Carolina. ACC Heartland. Home of the "Big Four." How could I not be?

As a kid, I heard all the stories about Ralph Samson and Virginia, David Thompson and NC State, even the Jordan-led UNC teams that I am just a little too young to remember.

My earliest sports memory of any type is watching the 1983 National Championship game, and asking my father why the guys on the other team were crying.

So yes. I've always been an ACC fan. But that doesn't mean I'm blind in my love. I realize that there are a plethora of exciting conferences and teams outside of the ACC.

The Big 12 has Oklahoma, defending national champion Kansas, and Texas. The Big Ten has Purdue and Michigan State. There's UCLA, Washington and Arizona State from the Pac Ten. The SEC . . . well, never mind about the SEC.

And that's not even mentioning the Big East.

Now there's a dandy of a conference. Powerful, deep, chock full of Final Four contenders. Two Big East teams have already attained the top spot in the rankings this season, and it would not surprise me if one or two others joined that particular club.

All of these conferences are very, very good. Any of them is capable, in any given year, of producing Final Four teams, and national champions.

But there is something special about the ACC.

Critics are quick to argue that ACC proponents rely on the history of the conference to argue its greatness. But truthfully, the conference's history is a big part of what makes it so special.

Following in the footsteps of players like Jordan, Thompson, and Sampson. Going into historic venues like Cameron Indoor Stadium or the Dean Dome. The ACC is a conference of a million stories, legends, and myths.

But it's not just the history that makes it special. Legendary coaches like Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski still prowl the sidelines. Cameron still rocks. And the league still produces champions.

Three times this decade the national champion has come from the ACC. That's more than any other conference. The ACC also produced three champions in the '90s, and two in the '80s. Since 1982, the ACC has produced eight national champions in 27 years. This is not resting on historical significance. This is a trend of excellence.

And it is a trend that does not look to stop any time soon. The ACC currently holds four of the top ten spots in the AP poll, and has had no fewer than two teams in the top ten all season. The most recent rankings by Ken Pomeroy have three ACC teams rated in the top 11. Jeff Sagarin's rankings have four rated in the top 10. Both ratings systems have the ACC ranked as the top conference in the country.

It is a very real possibility that this season's eventual champion will not come from the ACC. All across the country there are very good teams, and some simply phenomenal players. Amazing coaches ply their trades all across the country, not just in the ACC.

But from top to bottom, I do not know of any conference that can match the ACC. Just a few short weeks ago, a team that was predicted to finish in the bottom third of the league knocked off then undefeated and number one UNC. Not long after that, an underrated Virginia Tech team knocked off then-undefeated and number one Wake Forest, who then turned right around and knocked off then No. 1 Duke.

(Did I forget to mention that this season is the first in the history of the ESPN/USA Today poll that three teams from the same conference have been ranked at the top?)

So say what you will about the Big East. I have nothing but respect for that conference, especially this season. But I will take the ACC and take my chances.

Because there's just something special about it. This year, and every year.

Duke-Miami: What a Difference a Half Makes

Jason Ritchie — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:50:53 -0500

Coming off their worst loss since the 1990 National Championship game against UNLV, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was undoubtedly looking for his team to bounce back and make a statement.

He had to wait about 20 minutes to see it.

Thanks to 6-for-31 shooting, including 4-for-16 from deep, the Blue Devils found themselves down 32-19 at the half. Miami thoroughly dominated.

The Hurricanes owned the boards, going into the half with a 25-to-14 rebounding advantage. They shot 46.2 percent from the field, holding Duke to the above-mentioned 19.4 percent.

Second half. Different half. Different story.

After briefly extending their lead to 16 points early, Miami quickly lost control of the game as Duke came storming back.

Sparked by Gerald Henderson, who hit five of his first six shots (including two from deep) the Devils quickly surged back into the game, tying the game at 42 at the 12:25 mark on a Greg Paulus layup.

Following that layup, Paulus and DeQuan Jones were tied up under the basket, and Jones elbowed Paulus, earning him an ejection from the game.

The two teams traded punches for the remainder of the game, with neither team able to put the other away. With Miami down three and 20 seconds left, Jack McClinton hit a three to tie the game at 68 and send it to overtime.

It took nearly two minutes for either team to score in the extra period. Once Henderson hit a jumper at the 3:19 mark, Duke never relinquished the lead, growing it to as much as six points before the final buzzer sounded on a hard-fought 78-75 victory.

McClinton led all scorers with 34 points. Duke had four players in double-figures, led by Jon Scheyer's 22. Dave McClure pulled down a game-high (and career-high) 13 rebounds for Duke. Kyle Singler added 10, along with 17 points.

Duke-UVA: Devils Run Away From Cavs Early

Jason Ritchie — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:37:47 -0500

It didn't start pretty for Virginia.

In the first half, Virginia attempted 25 field goals, and turned the ball over 17 times. They shot 32 percent from the field, and scored a total of 21 points.

By contrast, Duke attempted 36 field goals, and only turned the ball over five times. Duke shot 44.4 percent from the field, and scored 43 points.

Virginia managed to right the ship in the second half, taking better care of the ball (six turnovers), and shooting a better percentage (54.2 percent). But the damage was already done.

The final score was 79-54, and the margin can mostly be attributed to turnovers—and points scored off of them. Duke scored 29 points off of 23 Virginia turnovers.

Virginia, meanwhile, only forced nine. They only managed to score two points off those turnovers.

Sylven Landesberg continued his fantastic play in this game, scoring a game-high 20 points to break Ralph Sampson's school record for most 20-point games as a freshman. But his contribution wasn't enough.

Gerald Henderson paced Duke with 18 points (16 in the decisive first half), Nolan Smith chipped in with 15 points, and Jon Scheyer added 11, to go along with seven rebounds for the 6'4" junior guard.

As it has been all season, it was Duke's defense that carried this game. Along with the aforementioned 23 turnovers, Duke held Virginia to 42.9 percent shooting for the game. Virginia was only 3-for-12 from three-point range.

Duke also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Virginia 34-29 for the game, and limiting Virginia to only eight offensive rebounds, and a mere five second-chance points.

Up next for Virginia is a Feb. 4th home game against a surprisingly competitive Boston College team that is currently in the top half of the ACC standings.

Duke's next game will be on Feb 4th as well, a big road test against the 12th ranked Clemson Tigers, their only meeting with the Tigers this season.

Duke Looks to Bounce Back Against Virginia

Jason Ritchie — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:35:25 -0500

On Wednesday, Duke took the nation's top ranking into Winston-Salem to face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, and came out with their first conference loss of the season.

Today, they look to put that loss behind them and maintain their hold on the top spot in the conference.

Standing in their way? The Virginia Cavaliers, who come into Cameron with a 7-9 overall record (1-4 in conference). But, as Georgia Tech proved last night against the very same Wake Forest team that beat Duke, in the ACC, there is no such thing as an upset.

On paper, this looks like a good matchup for Duke. Virginia has several big guys, but doesn't play them very much. They have three players listed at 6-11 or taller, yet they average a combined 30.1 minutes, 5.9 points, and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Virginia's biggest scoring threats come in the form of 6-6 freshman guard Sylven Landesberg (17.1 ppg) and 6-8 sophomore forward Mike Scott (11.3 ppg). No one else on the roster is currently averaging double digits in points.

Let's take a look at the numbers, shall we?

Scoring:

Duke - 79.7 ppg

Virginia - 74.3 ppg

Rebounding:

Duke - 40.3 rpg

Virginia - 39.6 rpg

Field Goal Percentage (3pt Percentage):

Duke - 46.2 percent (34.3 percent)

Virginia - 42.2 Percent (29.7 percent)

Turnovers:

Duke - 13.9

Virginia - 14.3

In addition to these numbers, Duke also forces more steals (9.3 vs. 6.2), assists on more baskets (14.5 vs. 12.8), and commits fewer fouls (17.6 vs. 18.6). Nearly all the numbers point in Duke's favor, and with the Devils coming off a loss, they will have no lack of focus.

Fearless Prediction:

I think that Duke will jump out on the Cavaliers early, putting this one away in the first half, and cruising in the second on their way to a twenty-point victory. Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson will be the high scorers for Duke in this one.

Final Score:

Duke 86

Virginia 64

Duke Blue Devils Dominate Maryland Terrapins in Historic Rout

Jason Ritchie — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:52:32 -0500

The 164th meeting between the Duke Blue Devils and the Maryland Terrapins was not the most competitive.

In fact, it was Duke's most lopsided win in the history of the series, and Maryland's worst loss ever in ACC play (their fourth worst in history).

The final score was 85 - 44 but even that doesn't tell the whole story of Duke's domination.

Maryland hit a three at the 19:29 mark of the first half, to take a 3-2 lead. At the 18:44 mark, Jon Scheyer hit a three to give Duke a 5-3 lead—a lead Duke would never relinquish.

Duke held Maryland to 15 first-half points, out-rebounded the Terrapins 56-to-38, and held the Terrapins to 28.1 percent shooting for the game. Maryland was 2-for-12 from 3-point range—only 16.7 percent.

Landon Milbourne had a very solid game for the Terrapins, going 9-of-16 from the field for 19 points. The rest of the team shot 9-for-48 from the field and scored 25 points.

For Duke, Gerald Henderson had 17 points and 8 rebounds, Jon Scheyer shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range to score 12, and Kyle Singler scored 11 points and had 7 boards. Brian Zoubek had resurgence against the small Maryland front-court, nearly getting a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Eleven Blue Devils saw double-digit minutes, with no one playing more than 24, in the most dominant performance they have put together since J. J. Redick and Shelden Williams graduated.

Greivis Vasquez, whose quote in Tuesday's DC Examiner served to fire up the Camreon Crazies, was suffocated all game long by Henderson. Vasquez finished the game with only four points, one rebound, one assist, and four turnovers.

Duke moves to 5-0 in the ACC and 18-1 overall. Their next game is this Wednesday, when they travel to Winston Salem to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons—fresh off of their first loss of the season.

Maryland falls to 2-3 in the ACC and 13-6 overall. They have an opportunity to right the ship on Wednesday, when Boston College treks into College Park.

Duke-Maryland Basketball: Blue Devils Can't Afford To Look Ahead

Jason Ritchie — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:34:27 -0500

The Duke Blue Devils have a showdown looming with the currently top-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

But they cannot afford to look ahead to that game, because tomorrow at noon they must first play host to the Maryland Terrapins—a team that never plays at a higher level than when they face Duke.

Maryland, like Duke, is a team without an established presence at the five-spot. The two players on their roster listed as centers average a combined 2.7 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. Like Duke, they rely on a guard-oriented lineup and pressure defense.

Point guard Greivis Vasquez leads the Terrapins in points (17 per game), assists (4.8 per game), and rebounds (six per game). But even though he leads the team in all three categories, he gets plenty of help from junior forward Landon Milbourne and sophomore guard Adrian Bowie, both of whom average double-figure scoring.

The Terrapins have been a tough team to figure out this season. They defeated Michigan State by 18 points, then lost their next two games (Gonzaga and Georgetown) by a combined 49 points.

Following the Georgetown loss, they reeled off seven straight wins, including a win over Michigan, the only team to defeat Duke thus far this season.

Following those seven wins, they inexplicably lost to Morgan State (ranked 160 by kenpom.com), at home. Following that, they defeated Georgia Tech at home, then dropped two Florida road contests, at Miami and Florida State.

They bounced back from those losses with an 84-78 home win over Virginia on Tuesday night, and must now go back on the road, to a notoriously hostile arena.

Given how unpredictable this Maryland team is, it is hard to predict how tomorrow's game will play out. One thing is certain though, unlike most opponents, Maryland seems to thrive in Cameron.

Greivis Vasquez in particular loves to rile the infamous Cameron Crazies up. Case in point, he was recently quoted in the DC Examiner as saying, "That's my house. I love going in there. It’s going to be fun.” (link)

I think the best individual matchup in this game may be Greivis vs. the Crazies.

Keys to the game for Duke:

Don't overlook the Terrapins.
Ball pressure on Vasquez
Control the boards

The first point needs no elaboration. If the UNC/Boston College game didn't prove that you simply can't overlook any ACC opponent, then Wednesday's Wake Forest-Virginia Tech game certainly did.

The Singler-Milbourne matchup will likely be a wash, with neither player greatly outplaying the other.

The only other player on Maryland's team capable of matching the kind of offensive output that Gerald Henderson will likely bring to this game is Vasquez.

So if the combination of Nolan Smith, Greg Paulus, and Jon Scheyer can keep the pressure on him and force him to make mistakes, Maryland will simply not be able to score enough points.

Finally, Duke needs to control the boards. They have done a very good job of this for most of the season, and Maryland is not a very big team. This is a game where either Brian Zoubek or Kyle Singler could pull down 10-plus rebounds. No one on Maryland's roster stands out to me as someone who can do that in this game.

Final Prediction

It wouldn't surprise me to see Maryland keep this game close, possibly even having the lead for quite a bit of time. But in nearly every game this season, Duke hits a spurt of about eight to 10 minutes where they simply take the game over.

I think we see that run midway through the second half, and Duke pulls away to a fairly comfortable margin of victory.

Final Score: Duke 83, Maryland 66

Gerald Henderson Delivers When Duke Needs It Most

Jason Ritchie — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:03:38 -0500

Over Duke's last four games, Gerald Henderson has averaged 22 points and 5.75 rebounds. He has shot 61 percent from the field and 73 percent from three-point range. Duke as a team has shot 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. But those numbers include Henderson's stats.

Without Henderson, Duke has shot 39.49 percent from the field and 33.33 percent from three-point range. Part of that has been Jon Scheyer's well-publicized slump (7-of-33 from the field in the last four games). But in reality, the team as a whole has been playing atrocious offensive basketball lately, with the obvious exception of Henderson.

One has only to look at the first half of the Florida State game to see that Duke is simply not hitting on all cylinders right now. They had 19 points in the first half against FSU. They managed only 22 in the first half two nights ago against NC State.

Now, this is something that would be truly worrying, were it not for the fact that Duke is playing very well defensively right now. They are currently rated third by kenpom.com in defensive efficiency, behind only Louisville and Memphis.

However, it doesn't matter how well you play defense, you must score more than 19 or 22 points in a half if you want to beat Wake Forest or UNC.

So, how does Duke fix their offense?

Well, if I could answer that question with certainty, maybe I should look into a coaching career. However, there are some things that Duke was doing earlier in the season that they haven't been doing as much lately, and I think that this may be part of the problem.

1. Play Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer a Bit Less

Both players are currently averaging between 30.5 and 31 minutes. But each player's minutes have steadily increased as the season has progressed. Both players averaged 36 mpg for the five games prior to Tuesday night's NC State game.

Letting them rest for a few minutes, maybe across a TV timeout in the first half, could greatly increase their productivity and efficiency at the end of games, where it may be needed most.

2. Feed the Ball to Brian Zoubek

You think I'm joking, I know you do. But the simple truth is that when Duke gets Zoubek the ball at the high post and runs the offense through him, they play cleaner and more efficiently.

Believe me, that's not something I ever expected to say, but from watching the games this season, it's true. He won't be a major scorer or "dominate" any games, but he's a good passer. When he pulls his man away from the basket and opens up the paint, he's very good at finding cutters down the lane or baseline for easy baskets. Duke did this very well earlier in the season, but they have gotten away from it lately.

3. Find a Few Minutes Per Game for Elliot Williams

I know he's a freshman still learning Duke's system. It's a big transition going from a very unstructured concept where he always had the ball in his hands, to a complex motion system where he always has to know where to be. But this kid has all the tools to be a dynamic scorer, and he already plays good on-ball defense. Over the last six games, he is averaging just over three minutes a game.

Prior to that, he was averaging 14. I'm not asking for 14 mpg for him, but give him eight to 10. He can bring explosiveness to the floor, something that is missing whenever Gerald Henderson is on the bench.

As I said before, I'm no expert. These three things may be the completely wrong steps to take. But judging from the way this season has gone, when these things have happened, Duke has played better.

The last few games have me worried that we will see another February/March swoon, and that's not something I want to see happen again.