DUKE 75

WAKE FOREST 61

January 22, 2000

  1600 --  A Perfect Score, thanks to Jason

    Duke defeated Wake Forest 75-61 in Winston-Salem on January 22nd.  It's Duke's 15th win in a row, 28th in a row in the ACC, 15th consecutive road victory in the league and the program's 1600th victory overall.  But for the first 27 minutes of the game, the team's prospects for victory seemed cloudy, thanks to a sticky Wake zone and a misfiring Duke offense.  Duke hit only 3 of its first 17 three point shots, many of which were wide-open attempts.  The rugged play and patience shown by Wake on offense seemed to make Duke a bit sluggish, but Jason Williams kick-started the offense with a flurry of jumpers, threes, drives and assists.  He wore down Robert O'Kelley with his strength and made him work for his points.  Despite Duke's shorter bench and a grueling win on Wednesday, they looked much fresher down the stretch and started grabbing every rebound.  Once again, Duke's defense kept them in the game until they were able to hammer away at Wake and get them in foul trouble.  When enough jumpers started to fall to give Duke a small lead, they turned up the pressure even more and made sure that Wake didn't have a chance to get back in it.  This was a solid, workman-like performance for Duke, the kind that wins road games.  This was Duke's fourth road win against a Wake team that had beaten the likes of UNC at home.

   I was worried about playing a Wake team with wounded pride after two bad losses, and I was right to do so.  Duke looked flat and the Deacs were playing with a lot of energy in the first ten minutes.  The Deacs blew out to a 7-0 lead, thanks in large part to Robert O'Kelley, Wake's star guard.  Shades of Randolph Childress suddenly entered my head, but ROK ended up shooting 7-18, including 1-6 from three.  Duke's guards would do an excellent job of locking him up.  Duke responded with an 8-2 run led by Jason Williams, who sparked the team at several critical moments during the game.  Having taken Duke's counter-punch, Wake responded with a 7-0 of their own, with ROK driving and Josh Howard hitting a rare three. 

  This seemed to shock Duke back into reality, even after their various misses. Carrawell, as he has all season, took it upon himself to bust Duke out of its slump by drawing a foul and hitting a couple of free throws.  Then the shots finally started to fall for Duke, with Williams and James both hitting threes and tying the game at 18.  The two teams then slugged it out for the rest of the half, with Duke actually briefly building a 4 point lead.  Wake fought back to go up by 1, but 4 straight foul shots by Battier gave Duke a slim 33-31 lead at the half.  It wasn't a pretty half, particularly with Wake so strong on the boards, but Duke forced Wake to beat them inside and they couldn't hit a number of layups.  This problem would resurface in spades for Wake in the second half.

  The first four minutes of the half were more of the same, with the game looking like it was going to go down to the wire.  Wake even went ahead 39-38 on an Arinze basket.  It was to be their last lead.  C'well once again erased a lead with a tough jumper, and then Jason Williams went wild.  He scored 7 straight to put Duke up 4.  Duke then broke the game wide open thanks to Battier's only 2 field goals of the game, including a huge three.  Wake did cut it to 6 at 52-46, but Boozer and Williams, those roommates with devastating offensive games, pushed it back up to 10.  Wake gave it one last try and again trimmed the lead to 6 with six minutes to go.  This time, however, Duke wasn't taking any prisoners and Wake had run out of energy.  Jason hit  another three and Carlos tipped in a rebound.  Wake missed some close shots and Duke converted as Wake went to a man, pressure defense.  Jason twice found Nate in transition, picking up fouls both times, and Shane spotted Mike under the basket for an easy hoop.  After a Boozer dunk with two minutes left that put Duke up 70-57, Wake just started fouling, and could only manage 2 points the rest of the way.  Duke had that aura of confidence about them, as they knew they would win, and the Deacs looked frustrated.  That aura is one the great Duke teams have had, and this team is starting to develop it.  I think there's a self-awareness that the team simply isn't deep or talented enough to expect to win just by showing up, and must give maximum effort at all times. Thankfully, the leaders of the team are also its hardest workers, while the frosh have been more than willing to work hard and learn to improve. 

 ** Negatives:

 1. Rebounding.  Especially on the offensive end.  The Deacs had a 17-5 margin on the offensive boards, which explains why they were able to hang in so long despite such poor shooting.  Meanwhile, with all of Duke's three attempts, the long rebounds were going straight to Wake.  Wake was even able to fast break a couple of times on long misses.  

 2. Perimeter shooting.  In the first half, Duke seemed to either want to go all the way to the basket or shoot the three.  Thanks to Wake's zone, the three was there for Duke, but the shots weren't falling.  Instead of trying to drive in for slightly shorter jump shots, they just kept firing away. Duke changed strategies in the second half and hit 4 medium range jumpers, which got them into a nice rhythm helped set up the offensive barrage that was to come.

 3. Tempo.  For a variety of reasons, Duke was playing at Wake's speed in the first half.  The Deacs like a nice, slow controlled game where they can use some clock and either pound it in down low or pitch it out for an open three.  Alternately, they'll use O'Kelley for a last-ditch three because of his great range.  Their zone made things sticky for Duke and forced them to look for the best outside shot available.  Duke controlled the second half tempo, and when they started to run, things got ugly for Wake.

  ** Positives:  

 1. Perimeter defense.  Wake was only 3-12 from three, and this is a team with several great shooters.  O'Kelley only had 1 three, Dawson was completely shut out.  Williams, James and Carrawell all did great jobs.

 2. Interior defense.  Battier was masterful, erasing layups and taking a charge on what would have been a monster dunk from Niki Arinze.  Boozer was moving bodies around and started controlling the boards down the stretch. Dunleavy played excellent defense and had 2 huge blocks.  The team did a great job rotating except for allowing one dunk.

 3. Getting to the foul line.  Over a quarter of Duke's points came from the foul line.  This was even bigger in the first half, where 12 of Duke's 33 points came from the charity stripe.  Considering that the Devils hit only 9 of their first 26 shots, this was a huge plus.  Battier made a big difference, hitting 6-6 in the first half.

 Player-by-Player Analysis:

 ** Boozer:  Wake's effective zone made it hard to get the ball into Carlos, but on the few occasions where he did have it, he knew what to do with it. He scored Duke's first points on a very tough turnaround jumper in the lane, after Wake had run out to a 7-0 lead.  He later made a difficult leaner with heavy pressure on him.  He looked extremely agile on both plays, and has looked quicker with each passing game as he gets healthier.  Duke's perimeter misses meant that he wasn't near any of the potential rebounds, which hurt him even further.  He was much more active in the second half, dominating the boards. One came on a tip-in basket that looked like it might have actually been Songaila's doing!  Carlos had another soft turnaround jumper and put the Deacs away with a strong dunk on a C'well feed.  Not a dominant performance like against State, but he was able to create a surprising amount of offense, and when Wake went to man-to-man, he took advantage of it.

 ** Battier:  Battier was unfortunately the captain of the legion of clankers, but the crafty forward found many other ways in which to contribute.  Even though he missed all four of his first half shots, he still scored 6 points on foul shots.  He also was fantastic on defense the entire game, terrorizing the Deacs with 4 blocks and coming up with 7 boards.  One of the game's key plays came when Niki Arinze exploded over him for a dunk, but Shane was set and got the charge.  It deflated Wake a bit, particularly when Arinze eventually fouled out.  In the second half, he was responsible for turning a slim 4 point lead into a commanding 9 point advantage.  He started it by hitting his first three, on the same kind of shot he had missed repeatedly throughout the game. Then he pulled up for a nice 15' jumper.  Shane kept it going with a bullet pass to Dunleavy under the basket later in the game, pushing Duke's lead out to 14.  It reminded me a bit of some of Grant Hill's efforts in '94, where his shooting was off but his defense, rebounding, passing and shotblocking were all excellent.  Battier and Carrawell find ways to win games, and have proven they can step up at critical times even if they aren't on a hot streak. Coach K called Shane's three the biggest shot of the game, because it finally gave Duke a little breathing room after fighting Wake hammer and tong for the entire contest. 

 ** Carrawell:  Chris' shooting was off early on, but he found other ways to help, particularly in the second half.  He was held without a field goal until the 6:44 mark of the first half, when he pulled up and swished a three to give Duke a 23-20 lead.  He later broke a 26-up tie with a nice drive for a basket.  In the second half, he only took 2 shots, but both were big. He hit a 15' jumper in stride to put Duke up 3, and then pulled up for a 17' shot that put Duke up for good at 40-39.  After that, he concentrated mostly on defense and passing, hitting Battier for a three and Boozer for an easy dunk after a drive in a play that's starting to become a signature for this team.  He was part of the team effort that helped smother Wake's perimeter players.  One note: he just moved ahead of Tommy Amaker to become #29 on Duke's all-time scoring list.  

 ** James:  Nate really struggled early on, missing open shot after open shot. He even missed a couple of free throws in the first half, unusual for him. But he kept plugging away at the shots that were available, and finally hit a three that cut Wake's lead to 3.  He also had a steal that he took to the rim but got fouled on.  In the second half, he found Jason for a three, and started to run the floor.  He got 2 three point plays thanks to filling the lane, which really helped put Wake away.  Nate wasn't spectacular in this game and didn't take over the way he has in others, but he did a lot of the  little things. He did have 7 boards and good defense, and while his shots  weren't going down, they weren't bad ones either.  I like the fact that he  kept shooting even though they weren't falling.  The last thing Duke needed  was for him to disappear on offense--all five starters have a responsibility  to take shots. 

 ** Williams:  An excellent, veteran game for Jason.  He was matched up against a very tough opponent, although O'Kelley doesn't have the ability to drive like the other guards who have had some success against Jason.  Sure, ROK can put on a burst of speed and get to the hoop, but he won't do this in a halfcourt situation and that's where Jason kept him in check all game.  Williams did  fine job of busting through screens and making sure ROK had someone  challenging him.  This kind of grind-it-out game meant that Jason wouldn't have gaudy assist numbers, but that didn't mean that he couldn't put the ball in the hands of folks who might get fouled.  It was also the kind of game where one hot player could make a big difference.  After Wake's big start, Jason cooled them off a bit with a nice 15' jump-stop.  He later followed  that up with a drive that brought Duke to within 1.  He tied the game at 18 with a three.  Jason really stepped it up in the second half, when he was involved in 4 out of 5 scoring plays.  He penetrated and found C'well open for a 15' jumper, pulled up for an 8' jumper of his own, drove for a nice runner, and then hit a huge three from the wing that put Duke up 4.  He helped Duke pull away with some more solid offensive efforts, including a driving layup, another three, and a defensive rebound that led to a transition pass to James for the basket and the foul.  That latter play really seemed to break the Deacs' spirit a bit, and he followed it up with exactly the same play just a minute later.  Jason shot 8-10 and the rest of the team shot 16-40.  It was nice to see him past his shooting slump and in position to really help the team.  K commended him for playing smart with 2 fouls, and he played with 4 for a decent bit as well.  I think Jason is becoming more comfortable in other arenas, an important factor for Duke.  Getting the frosh accustomed to ACC play was a big priority for the upperclassmen, and I think that they've helped them understand the level of intensity necessary to compete in these games.

 ** Dunleavy:  A pretty decent game for Mike D, though he made a bigger impact on the defensive end.  He helped fight off Wake's army of forwards with some timely defense, including 2 excellent blocks.  One came on a Wake player driving in for a layup that took away a sure score.  His offense came in cutting to the basket and getting some good passes.  I think he surprised Wake with his size and deceptive strength.  Mike's shooting continues to be a concern.  He has had trouble hitting from the outside, even when wide open. There's nothing wrong with his form, so one hopes that he'll simply get better. He was at least active at all times, which is better than in some of his early games where he'd have a brief period of activity followed by too much standing around. 

 ** Christensen:  Matt's contributions won't show up in the box score, but he did two good things.  First, he played aggressive defense on an inbounds play, as the flustered Wake player dribbled the ball out of bounds after he brought it in.  Second, he went to the floor to force a held ball.  Most importantly, he bought some minutes for Carlos.

 ** Horvath:  Nick helped steal a few minutes for the top six with three hustling minutes.  He drew a foul going to the basket, knocking down both shots.

 ** Sanders:  Casey showed both why he has such tantalizing potential and why he's not playing much this year in this contest.  He had a remarkable blocked shot right around the rim that took a great deal of concentration and leaping ability.  On a later play, he had his hands on a defensive rebound but was pushed aside, too weak to hold onto the ball.  When he gets stronger, he will play.

 Next Game: 

  January 29th in Cameron against Clemson.  The Tigers are 0-5 in the league and 6-12 overall, and have gone through a rough season.  In addition to being thin on talent to begin with, they've had a series of strange injuries and defections that have weakened them even further.  They do have three experienced, talented players in Will Solomon, Adam Allenspach and Andrius Jurkunas.  Solomon is the leading scorer in the league, exploding for 43 against Virginia recently.  Allenspach is a huge center whose offensive touch has greatly improved lately.  Jurkunas is a veteran who has struggled offensively but has also played better of late.  Pasha Bains has also helped out a bit at the guard spot, and he's known as a scorer.  Clemson's big problem has been on offense, being unable to create anything outside of Solomon.  They're a good defensive club and can rebound, both trademarks of the old Rick Barnes style that Larry Shyatt still preaches.  By blanketing Solomon and attacking Allenspach, Duke will have a great chance of winning, if they keep up their good perimeter defense.  The Tigers just lost frosh Arturas Javtokas, a strongman who decided to go back to Lithuania.  Also, Ed Scott, Tomas Nagys and Ray Henderson all missed the Maryland game with injuries, leaving the Tigers with 6 active scholarship players.  Walk-on Walker Holt has played some big minutes for the Tigers as a result, and has actually done pretty well.

  While I realize that Clemson's chances of victory are slim in Cameron, I  will remind readers that a huge underdog came into Cameron in January of 1995 and beat Duke.  That team was Clemson, a team that had lost stars Sharone Wright and Devin Gray and outshot and outhustled Duke that day.  This was a game that started Duke on a long ACC losing streak, and thus it's important to remember that every team in the league deserves attention.  After all, no  one expected FSU to beat UNC in Chapel Hill, but it happened.  Clemson is playing very hard despite their losses and Duke must match their intensity.

Reported by Rob Clough, tmc@duke.edu