Duke Solves Butler Riddle

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

The No. 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils are 8-0 after beating the Butler Bulldogs in New Jersey Saturday afternoon. It took some time, but Duke needed nearly 30 minutes before pulling away from the pesky Bulldogs.

The win ended a brutal two-week stretch that saw Duke go 3-0 against teams that were ranked in the top 10 to begin the season. While Butler wasn’t in the top-25 anymore after losing twice, they sure played like a team capable of being a contender again.

THE GAME’S DEFYING MOMENT WAS…

…at the 13:04 mark when Ronald Nored picked up his fourth foul. The pesky point guard is the defensive and emotional catalyst for this Butler team and when he sat down with that fourth foul, the Blue Devils were finally able to make their typical second half run.

Starting with Nolan Smith’s three free throws, Duke would go on a 12-0 run, turning a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead. The Bulldogs would continue to fight, getting back within four a couple of times, but Duke would never relinquish the lead again.

WHO DESERVES MAD PROPS?

Kyrie Irving was again the most important player on this team. For the first 18 minutes, he was non-existent, though. He was 0-for-1 from the floor, with three turnovers. More importantly, he had two fouls, limiting his time on the floor.

The Bulldogs implemented the triangle and two. This defense really prevented Irving (and Smith) from penetrating into the paint. It also helped Butler to have Ronald Norad on Irving. He’s one of the nation’s best on-the-ball defenders.

However, Irving is a great player and great players learn to adjust and make great plays. Once he figured out the defense, he went off.

Over the next sixteen minutes, Irving would score 21 points with a combination of patient Irving drives (to his left) and three-pointers.

His most important points came with about 7-8 minutes to play. Butler was fighting to get back into the game, thanks mostly to Shawn Vazant’s scoring barrage.

However, Irving matched him point for point. Vazant scored eight straight in a two-minute span, but so did Irving.

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