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Overview:
It was the best of games, it was the worst of games. Duke
defeated DePaul 84-83 in overtime on December 4th in a raucous
Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke showed that it's a very young
team in that there were many moments of careless play, a general
lack of intensity and a hint of panic. But they also showed
that, above all, they are a team with heart. They truly are a reflection of their leader and coach and have become a team
that will fight tooth and nail no matter the score, no matter how
many mistakes have been made.
Duke had a number of chances to give up but they refused to stop
competing, helped along mightily by the leadership of James,
Carrawell and Battier. For the first time since the 98 season,
the Crazies were actually needed, and they responded. They never stopped cheering,
never stopped yelling on defense and never stopped believing.
The win marks Duke's 39th consecutive win in Cameron and leaves Pat
Kennedy winless there.
DePaul proved to be a real
offensive powerhouse, and played some weird zone variations that
flummoxed Duke for quite some time. Perhaps their most
impressive performance came from frosh Steven Hunter, who had 21
points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. He also played most of the
second half and OT with 4 fouls. The much-hyped Quentin
Richardson was held to 9-21 shooting by James and Carrawell,
although he hit some circus shots and a three to start off overtime
that were remarkable. Despite his bad shooting numbers, he made
a number of good decisions and didn't force things. Compare
his game to Illinois' Frank Williams and you can see the greater
maturity in Richardson's game. DePaul had excellent balance
offensively, with each starter nabbing at least 14. Also, 4 of
the 5 starters had at least 7 rebounds, a truly remarkable stat.
The Blue Demons had only one crippling weakness: a lack of depth.
And with Hunter's foul trouble, the Devils did a much better job of
attacking the basket when he was out.
The first four minutes of
the game were mostly a feeling-out process. Hunter
established himself quickly as an offensive force. Nate James
hit a couple of free throws and Nick Horvath had a nice tip-in,
trying to establish
himself as a starter. Then DePaul got serious with a 10-0 run
that featured 4 Duke turnovers. Mike Dunleavy in particular
looked flustered by DePaul's traps, picking up his dribble on the
sideline with two men on him. Nothing Duke did went right, and
DePaul used Richardson and Bobby Simmons very aggressively.
Down 17-8, Jason Williams
helped kick-start the offense with a three. Shane got a
follow-up slam on a C'well miss but the Demons held Duke at arm's
length, 23-15. Then it was Nasty Nate time, hitting a three
and getting a rebound and the foul. Williams then tied the
game with a perfect pass to Boozer in transition for a dunk.
This came after several ill-advised passes from the young frosh,
including a blown alley-oop pass on the break to C'well
when a well-placed bounce pass would have been a better decision.
DePaul then scored the next
6 before Shane cut the lead in half with a three. Battier and James
took over down the stretch in the first half, countered by
Richardson and Hunter. Nate hit 2 threes, including one to end
the half pulled Duke to within 2. Shane had another tip-in
bucket to help out.
Interestingly, Coach K chose
not to take a time-out when DePaul made its big initial run, instead
letting his team try to figure things out on their won. I
think it was a good move, because it let the young players grow up a
little and made the older players take a greater leadership role.
He did take a time-out when DePaul scored 6 straight to go up 29-23,
because it was clear that Duke was a little drained emotionally
after coming back to tie the game. While Duke had a very
sloppy 12 turnovers in the half, DePaul matched them and squandered
a number of opportunities to take a bigger lead.
Duke came out flat in the
second half and DePaul took advantage, going on a 12-2 run that had
3 Duke turnovers. DePaul's dimunitive point guard Rashon Burno
scored 8 and ran Williams silly. Duke pulled within 6 on a
James three with 14 minutes left, but mistakes by both teams slowed
down the scoring until DePaul went ahead by 8 with twelve minutes
left, on a rebound basket. Duke then made its charge with a 10-2
run, kick-started by a Horvath three, a beautiful pass from Dunleavy
to Battier and finished by a Williams three.
The last eight minutes of
the game is when the true drama began. With the fans going
nuts, the two teams traded baskets. C'well came to life but
was matched by a McPherson dunk that nearly knocked him out after he
hit the floor. Duke finally got over the hump with a James
foul shot with seven minutes left, putting Duke ahead 61-60.
C'well rebounded a shot he had had blocked for a 3 point lead, and
Williams forced a time-out with a three that clanked around the rim
like a cat settling in for a nap. Shortly thereafter, James
fouled out and Duke lost one of its best defenders. DePaul got
aggressive and started driving again. Williams responded with
a drive for a layup, his most aggressive drive of the game.
After DePaul again got within 2 at 68-66, Williams hit 2 foul shots.
DePaul went up by 1 with less than a minute left, but Battier calmly
hit 2 shots to put Duke back up. The Demons got fouled
themselves, but Bobby Simmons only hit 1 of 2. Williams turned
the ball over as the clock wound down, forcing overtime. There
was a general feeling of deflation when this happened, because Duke
had had a lead late in the game and gave it up.
This carried over in the
first play of OT. Richardson missed a shot but then got it
back and hit a wide-open three when Duke was disorganized. C'well
answered by hitting 4 of 5 foul shots, settling the team.
Williams then put Duke up with a beautiful pass to Boozer, but
DePaul scored the next 4 points to go up 3 with only 45 seconds
left. Richardson got past everyone for the score on that play,
after DePaul already had gotten 1 offensive rebound
on the possession. Battier then hit an ugly, crawling finger
roll that barely went across the rim. Bobby Simmons then only
hit 1 out of 2 foul shots to put the Demons up 2. Horvath
spotted up and hit the game winning shot with only 13 seconds left,
sending Cameron into absolute delirium. C'well came up with a
great defensive play at the end, but not before the journalists on
press row beat a hasty retreat to the press room, because they knew
what was coming: a full-on stampede by the students! It was a
great, great scene as the frosh got a real taste of what Cameron can
be like, and proved once again that on its best nights, there is no
arena in the country that can match it for passion and noise.
** Negatives:
1. Inside offense. Broken record, I know. There were two
big problems in this game: first, the big guys kept bringing the
ball down low or put it on the floor. Big no-no. Second,
the guards kept throwing passes at their feet, especially Boozer.
Duke did not have a single successful post-up; its paint points came
from offensive rebounds or on the break.
2. Rebounding. Duke was whipped 23-18 on the offensive boards
and in general did a poor job boxing out.
3. Lapses of concentration. There were several times when Duke
was asleep on defense and allowed easy penetration.
** Positives:
1. Foul shooting. A number of different players came through
in pressure- packed situations. Special kudos to C'well and
Dunleavy, because both hit some clutch foul shots in a game where
they weren't hitting much otherwise.
2. Three point shooting. Saved Duke's bacon. It's
distressing to think that Duke has to rely on shooting because
balance is so much more preferable, but it's good that it's there if
Duke needs to lean on it. Moreover, the team had a good
shooting night even when its best shooter (Dunleavy, 0-4) didn't.
3. Toughness. This win was all about desire, pride and every
other cliche in the book you can think of. They're all true in
situations like this. Like against Illinois, Duke is learning how to
win.
Player-by-Player Evaluation:
** Horvath: I don't think Nick
the Stick will be forgetting this game. He got his first
career start and looked like he would be a feisty contributor before
he got two quick fouls. He rebounded and tipped in a miss in
the first half, a big positive in a game where Duke was often
outworked on the boards. In the second half, he hit a big
three that drew Duke within 5 points right after DePaul had scored.
And of course, he hit the Brass Balls shot of the game, taking a
three with 15 seconds left with Duke down 2. He didn't
hesitate for a second when he got open, and while it wasn't pretty
and it banked in, it got the job done. Nick started the game
and boy, did he finish it. He got interviewed by Dick Vitale
right afterward, and it was nice to see this kid who was facing a
possible redshirt step up and become
a hero. All this said, he still has a way to go. His
overall lack of strength is a factor on defense and led to his
fouls. While he's quick and clever on the offensive boards,
he's not been much of a factor on the defensive boards. But
the skills are there; he simply needs to get stronger.
** Battier: The one thing that
Shane didn't do well enough was try to pick up more of C'well's
slack offensively. Of course, he was busy trying to fend off
Hunter, but only 8 field goal attempts is not acceptable. That
said, he did many, many great things. He had 4 blocks,
including a brilliant grill from behind to prevent a dunk. He
only had 5 boards, but they all seemed to be crucial. His 6-8
shooting consisted of 2 tip-ins, 2 threes and some other junk around
the basket. He also took 2 huge charges. He was
screaming at his team to pick up the defense and urged on the crowd.
** Carrawell: On one of his
worst-ever shooting (3-14) and rebounding (1) nights, Chris still
found ways to contribute, the way a leader should. His jumper
wasn't working at all, but he compensated by driving to the basket.
One time, he just cut through the teeth of the defense and flipped
it in. Another time, he rebounded his own miss. But his
biggest plays came in overtime.
After Richardson hit a three to start the period, Chris got fouled
and hit 2. After Hunter scored to put DePaul up 3 again, Chris
got fouled on a three point attempt, a very savvy, senior play.
He hit 2 of three and then made the biggest play towards the end of
the game: ferocious defense on Richardson that led to an airball.
C'well showed his maturity in this contest. He knows that a
leader isn't always going to score a lot of points, but that there
are other areas in which they can help. Furthermore, I'm glad
that he didn't abandon his jumper. He knows he's one of Duke's
prime offensive weapons, and had to keep trying.
** James: Nate is a player who gets some
criticism in fan circles for, well as far as I can tell, not being
Grant Hill. He's not a great ballhandler or playmaker.
My response: So what? Nate can rebound, shoot and defend, and
that's plenty. Moreover, he has heart and toughness. He
may not always make the prettiest play, but he's showing more and
more that he'll make the big play. He scored 18 of the team's
first 36 at a time when no one on the team was hitting. He
looked smooth and relaxed when other players were second-guessing
themselves. He had a dunk to break Duke out of an early funk,
hit a three to end the first half, nailed 6-7 foul shots and grabbed
8 boards. When he fouled out (with a very loud round of
applause), he had a serious look on his face and exhorted his
teammates to win the game. Nate's always been one of the most
spirited players in Duke history and he truly made a mark tonight.
** Williams: Jason grew up a
lot tonight. Yes, he made many mistakes. Yes, he nearly
cost Duke the game when he tried a fancy dunk off a steal and blew
it. Yes, he prevented Duke from winning in regulation when he
lost control of the
ball. This is part of growing up, because you also got a player
who was running the break like no one since (here we go again)
Hurley, a player whose understanding of when to shoot is becoming
more sound, and a player who can break down a defense. Not to
mention a player who can cause a 5-second call and hit pressure
packed free throws, or who is so quick and strong that he can rip
down 9 boards. Battier and C'well are the two leaders of the
team, but the point guard runs things, and tonight was the first
time I've felt that Jason was firmly in control. Why? Because
tonight was the first time that he was able to get past his
mistakes, to brush them aside and move on to the next play.
This is the sign of a maturing player. This not to say that he won't
have occasional lapses, but he's really learning how to be a true
college point guard.
** Dunleavy:
Mike definitely had an off game tonight. Perhaps he was dispirited
by not starting; in any event, his shots weren't falling and it was
affecting other areas of his game, like ballhandling and defense.
He started to pass up way too many shots that were wide open.
Like all frosh, he will have his ups and downs. He did hit two
crucial foul shots and made a nice pass to Shane. He'll be
back; I've noticed that he tends to bounce back after bad games.
** Boozer: Definitely some signs of
life for 'los. He was spectacular on the break, and a layup he
hit (plus the foul) was the first of those little shots he's taken
that have actually gone in. He warmed up on the boards and
started to really use his body and push people around. He had
trouble catching some passes but that wasn't entirely his fault.
Best of all, he simply competed and looked like he was starting to
play more by instinct. This is easily his best showing against a
good team and Duke will need more of the same against Michigan.
** Christensen: At a time
when half the team was losing their heads and Duke was down 17-6,
Matt got a rebound and was fouled. He hit both foul shots and
helped Duke on its way back. Still didn't look all that
comfortable and seems absolutely snakebit when it comes to putting
the orange sphere in the hole, but his maturity definitely helped.
Cameron Craziness:
The crowd was as loud today at times as I've ever heard them.
And I'm talking everyone: students and season ticket holders, who
were standing for the end of the game and much of OT. Not much
in the way of cheers other than old standards like "Nate's a
badass", "Who's your daddy? Battier!", "Nice
pass", etc. But there was one significant addition as
Duke was rallying in the second half: "Our house!"
It was both a bold assertion towards DePaul and an exhortation to
the Duke players. At times, the fans ran out of steam as the
action was so emotional and exhausting. When that happened,
Battier or Williams would exhort them again, and the fans would
respond. Williams in particular seemed to have an excellent
rapport with his fellow students, even quieting them when a Duke
player was taking a foul shot.
The fans were pretty fired up for this one. As the
pregame clock was winding down, the fans counted down. They
were ready for a big game. And while there weren't many
original cheers, there were lots of signs and painted bodies.
I will ignore those folks who were whoring for ESPN and instead list
some of the better signs:
"Carrawell: Give 'em Hell"
"CWELL 1000"--held up when Chris scored his 1000th career
point.
"Hey Q
Here's a Tip
Not in our house!"
"Q: ?
A: C-Well"
And my personal favorite sign had the Quentin Richardson cover photo
from ESPN the Magazine, the one where he's covered with nails ala
Pinhead from the Hellraiser films. Surrounding the photo was
the following caption: "Anyone got a hammer?"
My two favorite fans of the night were two young ladies
wearing nothing but Saran Wrap. Tastefully done, but
definitely Saran Wrap. Tinted blue, of course.
Next Game: December 11th at Michigan. The Wolverines
are really improving behind superfrosh Lavell Blanchard. Duke
hasn't won in Ann Arbor since 93, so this will be a very good test
that caps off an impressive 4 game run.
Reported by Rob Clough, tmc@duke.edu
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