Duke-Purdue: What We've Learned and What We Still Don't Know About Duke

Duke (No. 4 AP, No. 4 ESPN/USA Today) played Purdue (No. 9 AP, No. 10 ESPN/USA Today) in Mackey Arena on Tuesday night in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Blue Devils came in playing very well, namely due to the strength of their defense. Purdue, meanwhile, is a tremendously balanced team that is solid in all areas and whose lone loss this season came to Oklahoma (No. 6 AP, No. 6 Coaches).

Most people expected around a 10-point win by Duke tonight, with both teams scoring around 70 points each. These two teams are essentially mirror images of each other with the exception that Duke is slightly better in most facets of the game.

At halftime, Duke led 36-28. The Blue Devils' largest lead at that point was 13 points at 31-18 before Purdue responded with five consecutive points. With just over 15 minutes left in the second half, Duke held Purdue without a field goal for over eight game minutes, a stretch that carried over from the first half. This drought by the Boilermakers is a example of Duke's outstanding defense.

With this in mind, one thing we've learned is that Duke has the ability to shut down any offense in the country for long periods of time. This allows the Blue Devils to have consecutive possesions on offense when they fail to produce significant points.

Duke held on to its lead, winning 76-60 over Purdue. The Blue Devils never trailed in the game, and the key proved to be its ability to shut down the Boilermakers in crucial moments of the game. A defining statistic from the game is that Duke out-rebounded Purdue by 20.

The second thing we've learned is that center Brian Zoubek will never be able to be a double-double man at Duke.

In other words, he will never be a go-to option offensively. The only contributions he can make is because he is tall, and nothing else. His skills are not developed to the extent that opposing defenses need to gameplan for him or devote special attention to him in games.

One last thing we know about Duke, they will be able to close out games better than most—if not every—team in the country. Their defense makes opposing comebacks difficult and Duke's ability to use the entire shot clock is unmatched by any other program.

What we still don't know is the difference between starting Nolan Smith as opposed to Greg Paulus at point guard. Surely, Smith is a great defender with outstanding athleticism. Paulus, meanwhile, brings experience, quality ball handling, and a shotmaker's mentality.

Beyond that, however, each guy can produce about 10 points and three or four assists per game in roughly 20 minutes of action. So what is the reason for Paulus off of the bench? Is it merely to bring leadership and experience to the floor upon his entrance to the game?

Another unknown factor surrounding Duke concerns its offensive production. If Duke has a night when it struggles shooting three-pointers or when hustle play opportunities like offensive rebounding aren't available, how will the team respond?

Is the defense formidable enough to neutralize any woes that might exist on offense? Or will an average team be able to outlast Duke on offense and pull off an upset?

As the season progresses, note how true what we've already learned pertains to this team. Speculate about which is most crucial to the team: defense, production from Zoubek, or the ability to hold leads.

On the other hand, continue to track what is unknown about this program. Paulus is quite reliable, but Smith has the potential to edge him in production.

Lastly, if you're a Duke fan, hope that the team doesn't rely on three-pointers to win games. Undoubtedly, this team needs to dominate defensively by creating turnovers and controlling the glass. By doing so, Duke can remain in the top five.