Play.
Paolo Banchero dropped 20 in the first half.
Paolo Banchero scored 20 in the first half as he scored from all over the court. (1:45)
1:45 AM.
It was a pity that any college basketball fan who was disappointed by the UCLA game on Tuesday night had to wait until Friday to see the Duke-Goliath game. The game on Nov. 26 had the feel of a late March or early April match as the Blue Devil's won by a score of 84-81.
The battle between future NBA lottery picks was one of the highlights of the contest, with Banchero of Duke leaving with the upper hand in the first half, as he scored 20 points in the first half. The celebrated freshmen were not the only stories, as Duke's Mark Williams (17 points, 9 rebound, 5 blocks) and Andrew Nembhard (6 points, 11 assists, 8 rebound) were also noteworthy.
The loss was the first regular season one for the Bulldogs in over a year.
The team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway, and Joe Lunardi weighed in on which team was the best positioned for a top seed on Selection Sunday, and which team had the best freshman class.
The show on Friday night featured a lot of players from Duke and Gonzaga.
What was the most surprising part of Duke's performance on Friday night?
The most surprising aspect of the game was that both teams were competitive even without their stars. He picked up his second foul near the 10-minute mark and missed most of the first half. In front of friends and family, Strawther excelled in front of them, scoring 20 points. The Iowa State transfer had 15 points.
Duke's Banchero was forced to go back to the locker room in the second half because of a problem with his stomach. He didn't look like the same guy after scoring 20 points in the first half of a game that was one of the most dominant efforts I've seen from a freshman. Other players stepped up. Williams' length was a problem. Drew Timme's bucket with 30 seconds to play was perfectly defended by the young big. Moore helped Duke keep an edge. Roach made some big plays. Both teams have a couple of key co-stars this season. The team did not fall through adversity. That is a good sign.
-- Medcalf
Paolo Banchero affirmed his lottery-pick status before he was hurt.
We didn't know what Paolo and Chet were up to on Friday night.
That may be a thing for Banchero. I don't think he's going to be a chronic cramper in his basketball career, but this is the second big game for Duke so far this season, and it's the second game that Banchero has needed to leave for an extended period of time in the second half He had as good a first half as we'll see from anyone in college basketball this season. He was aggressive, looked comfortable from the perimeter, and led the break with the ball in his hands. Twenty points on 8-for-13 shooting with three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
Consistency from 3-point range and whether or not he could be more decisive with his offensive moves are two areas that have raised question marks. In the first half, he took 3s and had a few catch-and-shoot attempts. He moved quickly when he received the ball. The isolation sets from the elbow and mid-post areas are effective, but he moved much more quickly against them in the first half.
I'm not sure if he showed or didn't show anything we didn't already know. He looked fluid with the ball in his hands, his 3-point release was fine even though he was 0-for-3 from behind thearc, and he blocked shots. He was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 He was aggressive on the offensive glass and finished around the rim. I think one thing to note is that Williams had a big impact on the game in the first half. We know that the areas of improvement for Holmgren are his strength and body.
Borzello.
Play.
Paolo Banchero drained a 3-pointer.
Duke's first month included victories over Kentucky and Gonzaga. Is there a reason this team can't win a national title?
There is no reason at all. Duke showed that it's more than just the game of basketball. The potential No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft was limited to a single free throw the rest of the way after a 20-point first half. The Blue Devil were able to prevail thanks to big games at both ends of the floor from Moore and Williams.
This group is different from other Duke teams in the past. For a long time, Mike Krzyzewski's teams have excelled on offense. His national title contender has tended to be defense-oriented, unlike the "mere" Elite Eight teams in Durham.
Excellent defense is defined as holding a team to 81 points in a game and harassing them into 17 turnovers. The Zags knew they were in for a long night when they gave the ball away on a pick-and-roll with Timme setting the screen. Williams is one of the best rim defenders in the nation, and six Duke players recorded at least one steal. Coach K has a chance to close his career with his sixth national title because of that kind of D and the scoring of Banchero.
Gasaway.
Play.
Duke took a timeout after the bucket was followed by a miss by the man.
What weaknesses did Duke expose in the game on Friday?
Duke's first-half performance could be a good guide to slowing down the team. There were some worrying signs. Duke beat Gonzaga in the transition game. The Blue Devil's got back defensively and forced the Zags to play in the half-court. Duke had success beating the other way, and the Zags made some mistakes in terms of getting back and getting set in a half-court defense.
Duke being aggressive going to the rim was one of the reasons for the foul trouble. Texas completely avoided the paint in the first half when it played UCLA, and the Bruins had trouble finishing at the rim. That allowed the perimeter defenders to be aggressive. Williams was a legitimate go-to post presence for the Blue Devil because they had three physical drivers in Moore, Banchero and Keels. Timme picked up his fourth foul on an ill-advised reach-in when the game was starting to change.
3-point shooting and turnovers were two issues for the team. The team isn't a great outside shooting team, but they are an incredibly skilled passing team that is still able to keep the defense off balance. When things slowed down, they didn't fall. The Zags were just 3-for-21 from 3. Duke was very aggressive in its ball-screen coverages against the best point guard in college basketball, limiting the time he had to make decisions and find teammates. Duke forced him to speed up his decisions because he was controlling the tempo as well as anyone in the country.
I'm not overly concerned about the future of the school. Duke is a legitimate national title contender, the Bulldogs struggled to make shots, and there were major foul trouble issues. It was still a one-sided game.
Borzello.
Play.
Andrew Nembhard makes a pretty pass to the other side for a layup.
Duke was a No. 1 seed as well as a firm overall No. 1 seed. What are the implications of this result for the teams?
If Selection Sunday were today, Duke and the other No. 1 seeds would be on the top line. The Blue Devil's victory solidified their position, and the Bulldogs don't fall far enough to drop off the top line.
How likely is each of these teams to be a No. 1 seed four months from now? Even in defeat, the odds favor the team. The bulldogs will be favored in all of their remaining games. The same can't be said for Duke, with another big test coming Tuesday at Ohio State in the Big Ten Challenge. It is the only true road game for either of the two teams.
Our tourney odds chart gives Duke a better chance of being a top seed than it does of being a top seed. It would take at least three teams to knock both the Blue Duke and the Zags from the top of the brackets.
-- Lunardi.
