Jumbo
03-22-2009, 03:05 AM
The beat goes on for Nolan Smith. He was +12 off the bench, meaning Duke got outscored by seven when he was out of the game. And this leads to a larger point that I've mentioned in passing, but now warrants more serious attention: The starting lineup does not play well as a group. That quintet has produced a negative plus/minus rating in three of the last four games. Binghamton was the only positive performance. On the season, they are now -5 as a group.
Look, Duke is heading to the Sweet 16, and now is hardly the time to mess around the with the starting lineup. But I'm ready to advocate quick subs early in each half, without a return to that group. And it's not that the guys are bad players. Lance played well against Texas and Williams, despite the -11 he endured with the other starters, finished at +6. It's just that this group, for whatever reason, doesn't function at an optimal level together, which really stands out, because they've received the bulk of the credit for Duke's turnaround.
Meanwhile, former starters Smith and Zoubek continue to make positive contributions. Therefore, for K, it's worth considering a change in his substitution pattern so, at the very least, Williams and Thomas are rarely in the game together. Also, Duke will sub less often in the second half, so it makes sense to get Smith and Zoubek/McClure in early, so there's a chance for Williams, especially, to come back in for a stint, giving Smith another break before he finishes the game. For me, that's the big plus/minus takeaway from this game. Anyway, on to the numbers ...
Individuals
Nolan Smith 59-47 (+12)
Brian Zoubek 28-21 (+7)
Kyle Singler 62-56 (+6)
Elliot Williams 38-32 (+6)
Greg Paulus 3-2 (+1)
Jon Scheyer 61-61 (0)
Gerald Henderson 66-67 (-1)
Lance Thomas 44-46 (-2)
David McClure 9-13 (-4)
Per 40 Minutes
Brian Zoubek +21.5
Greg Paulus +20
Nolan Smith +16.6
Elliot Williams +10.9
Kyle Singler +7.3
Jon Scheyer 0
Gerald Henderson -1.1
Lance Thomas -3.2
David McClure -26.7
Lineups
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x3) 22-16 (+6)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Singler-Zoubek 5-0 (+5)
Smith-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x2) 8-4 (+4)
Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek (x2) 6-2 (+4)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Zoubek 3-0 (+3)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-McClure 2-0 (+2)
Paulus-Smith-Williams-Singler-Thomas 3-2 (+1)
Smith-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek 2-2 (0)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-McClure-Thomas 0-0 (0)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek (x4) 7-8 (-1)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-McClure-Thomas 2-4 (-2)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler 0-2 (-2)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-McClure-Zoubek (x2) 5-9 (-4)
Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x3) 9-20 (-11)
Look, Duke is heading to the Sweet 16, and now is hardly the time to mess around the with the starting lineup. But I'm ready to advocate quick subs early in each half, without a return to that group. And it's not that the guys are bad players. Lance played well against Texas and Williams, despite the -11 he endured with the other starters, finished at +6. It's just that this group, for whatever reason, doesn't function at an optimal level together, which really stands out, because they've received the bulk of the credit for Duke's turnaround.
Meanwhile, former starters Smith and Zoubek continue to make positive contributions. Therefore, for K, it's worth considering a change in his substitution pattern so, at the very least, Williams and Thomas are rarely in the game together. Also, Duke will sub less often in the second half, so it makes sense to get Smith and Zoubek/McClure in early, so there's a chance for Williams, especially, to come back in for a stint, giving Smith another break before he finishes the game. For me, that's the big plus/minus takeaway from this game. Anyway, on to the numbers ...
Individuals
Nolan Smith 59-47 (+12)
Brian Zoubek 28-21 (+7)
Kyle Singler 62-56 (+6)
Elliot Williams 38-32 (+6)
Greg Paulus 3-2 (+1)
Jon Scheyer 61-61 (0)
Gerald Henderson 66-67 (-1)
Lance Thomas 44-46 (-2)
David McClure 9-13 (-4)
Per 40 Minutes
Brian Zoubek +21.5
Greg Paulus +20
Nolan Smith +16.6
Elliot Williams +10.9
Kyle Singler +7.3
Jon Scheyer 0
Gerald Henderson -1.1
Lance Thomas -3.2
David McClure -26.7
Lineups
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x3) 22-16 (+6)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Singler-Zoubek 5-0 (+5)
Smith-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x2) 8-4 (+4)
Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek (x2) 6-2 (+4)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Zoubek 3-0 (+3)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-McClure 2-0 (+2)
Paulus-Smith-Williams-Singler-Thomas 3-2 (+1)
Smith-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek 2-2 (0)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-McClure-Thomas 0-0 (0)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-Singler-Zoubek (x4) 7-8 (-1)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-McClure-Thomas 2-4 (-2)
Smith-Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler 0-2 (-2)
Smith-Scheyer-Henderson-McClure-Zoubek (x2) 5-9 (-4)
Scheyer-Williams-Henderson-Singler-Thomas (x3) 9-20 (-11)