I don't think I'll be able to choose a MOTM. I nominate the whole team, their tenacity, the crazies, the snow, etc . . . What a team! What a game! I love Duke!!
The Defense and on ball pressure get my vote
Good defense tonight aided by some poor guard play by Clemson. Duke was able to capitalize big time on Tiger miscues. What sticks out in my mind is when Clemson went up 61-60, Duke stepped it up a few notches and left them in the dust going on that 21-4 run. That was impressive on both ends of the floor. Rebounding was better in the second half but is still a little dis- concerting.
It was a little shocking to see Taylor King on the bench all through the game tonight. I think he will see some playing time in conference play but my mind goes back to a post from Jumbo (I am pretty sure it was Jumbo-sorry if I am wrong) several weeks ago. At that time, he stated something to the effect that during the ACC schedule King's PT and effectiveness would be less than it was during the pre-conference schedule. Are we seeing this come to pass?
Why wouldn't we? I'm not saying we are a better team but we have played a stronger schedule and our 1 loss was to a ranked team and theirs was at home and to a team that has already lost 7 games (American, Ohio and VCU among the 7). Add the fact that they have needed overtime to beat Clemson (which we just beat handily) and almost lost to a mediocre GaTech team and I think that there is a strong case that can be made for Duke to be ranked higher than UNC.
I'd love it if UNC stayed #1!
As was alluded to in the broadcast, Duke does have an inside presence this year. Not a Boozer, Brand type; but, a driving Henderson, Nelson, Smith, Scheyer type... more than one way to skin a cat!
What a great team win. With the game in doubt with 9 or so minutes left- there were a series of plays by 5 or 6 different players that were impressive with the degree of confidence with which they were executed. First Nelson, hits a huge three (Nelson played great today- just great)- they Paulus, who again struggled with his shot, hit three throws and then got the steal for the layup. Then Henderson did his thing- slashing and driving- getting fouled, Smith got the layup off the turnover, Singler hit two huge threes and then the close game became a blowout. It is becoming a habit that I really like seeing - hitting threes when really needed. Also huge props to Coach K for throwing in the zone when Duke got separation and not before. That was brilliant. It messed up Clemson just enough that Duke got 6 or so points to break it open. They never got a chance to figure it out and make adjustments.
Clemson is a strong and solid team-no doubt- and absolutely dominated Duke on the boards and inside. It was pretty brutal- but Duke is what it is and forced turnovers- and kept Clemson off balance all game. Of course, Clemson is an awful free throw shooting team- If they are just decent- they are a a very tough out. But they will never be able to win those close games if this keeps up.
A few other highlights to mention. Smith is really getting better. He was a huge spark in the first half and having him in there for stretches makes Paulus better at the end. Nelson really turned it around from a really bad game in Florida. Again he made plays when it counted. Henderson again showed his potential. Also, this is two straight games where Duke has played much better in the last quarter of the game. Depth is really helping there. A great win for this team. If they can play on the road as well as they play at home- watch out.
I wanted to echo an earlier person's statements...despite four fouls, Lance really had a much better game today...now if he could finish those moves he pulled off, he'd be better, but i was impressed.
Smith looks impressive in spurts, and thus the current situation is good for him. I feel he's still a bit young to be playing 40 minutes, but splitting time with paulus is being extremely effective.
A great win.
This summer, I expressed some doubt about Markie . . . after having watched him dribble the ball off his foot time after time last year. I was soooooo wrong. What a warrior. Anybody who wonders if Coach K has lost his touch need only look at Markie's performance. Coach K made Markie the captain . . . the only captain. He obviously knew that Markie would respond this year . . . and has he ever. As Jumbo's thread celebrated . . . I am so proud of Markie.
I also liked Hendo's game tonight. Didn't force much. Played with his head up most of the time. Made some very nice passes. And that would have been a dunk for the ages.
Scheyer just makes me laugh. The choirboy assassin.
The zone. I hate zone. But it was a nice change of pace at just the right time. Show it . . . confuse them . . . and get the hell out of it.
A great win.
I love Taylor King... I love his enthusiasm, his heart, and (of course) his shot!
But Taylor hasn't learned to play Duke defense and, in truth, he is not one of the fastest players on the team. He made two egregious errors when he first went in, Coach gave him one more play, and he didn't do well on that.
We didn't need Taylor on offense tonight... we could have used his body to eat up space but not at the cost of not getting back on defense. Like Pocius, Taylor is a project in the making... I think he'll be great when he thinks DEFENSE FIRST, Then shoot!
What a great game! Cameron was ROCKING! And to have Maryland beat Carolina.. if only our water shortage would disappear and world peace would appear, my life would be perfect!
Go Devils!!!!
DukeDevilDeb
Many good choices for MOTM tonight. Nelson will be the winner, but many players had good games -- Henderson, Scheyer, Smith, Paulus (in the second half), and of course Singler. He was a man among men tonight.
I was impressed by the team effort -- particularly in the second half, after we had worn them down in the first half. A good win.
for MOTM my vote goes to Markie. The guy is turning into money for Duke and has stepped up his game.
dth.