No. 4 Virginia (16-0, 4-0) at No. 1 Duke (14-2, 3-1), 6 p.m. ESPN
The Cavaliers crushed the rival Hokies 81-59 on Tuesday, their second easy top-10 win in as many weeks, leaving fans, commentators, and college hoops analysts alike thoroughly impressed.
In some recent games, as I have been pointing out, there was usually a good performance from one or two of the The Big Three and then someone else stepping up, such as Mamadi Dikaite, Braxton Key, or Jay Huff. Well, against Tech, there wasn't much need to supplement Virginia's top scorers. De'Andre Hunter put on an aggressive show with 21 points to lead all scorers, making 8 of his 12 shots to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Ty Jerome recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 assists, plus four boards, and went 4 of 7 from deep. Kyle Guy finished with 15 points and five rebounds and made 3 of 5 3-pointers. Kihei Clark, who had made one 3 all year, went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and had nine points. Key and Huff finished with seven points each, and Jack Salt and Diakite had four each.
Virginia shot an incredible 68 percent in the first half and made 10 of 14 3-pointers, basically putting the game out of reach by halftime when Clark sunk a 3 at the buzzer to make it 44-22. In the second half, the Hokies made a small run to cut the lead to 14, but UVa responded and got the lead back up over 20. That was great to see. Yes, it was highly unlikely Tech was going to come all the way back, but, being the UVa fan I am, I was thinking Tech still had a shot, especially with the way it can shoot.
I was happy to see the team deny the Hokies the chance to even get back within single digits.
Some other thoughts:
Early in the first half, Justin Robinson appeared to reach in and try to steal the ball from Jerome. It looked like he definitely fouled him, but nothing was called. Jerome turned to the referee, obviously upset. Well, it seemed to set Jerome off. He got the ball back after a few passes and sunk a long 3, then turned to the Tech bench, shaking his head. There's no doubt the Cavaliers played with an edge.
Clark was all over Robinson, frustrating the senior so much that Robinson gave him a little shove in the second part of the second half right after a timeout was called, drawing a technical. Upon rewatching the play, I didn't think it was that much of a push, but Buzz Williams did bench Robinson for the rest of the game. And it was just funny and weird to see a freshman get on a senior's nerves that much. Hopefully, Clark will be a great asset against tiny quick guards the rest of the season, something that hurt UVa when it faced UMBC.
Huff only played 11 minutes, but they were very efficient: He sunk a straightaway 3 in the first half -- when it looked like everyone and their grandma was going to make one -- then threw down two thunderous dunks in the game's final minutes that served as the game's exclamation points. Jerome, Clark, and Huff all showed a little bit of swagger in their actions, which was interesting to see. Opposing team's fans and possibly players are going to talk about UMBC all they want, especially on the road, but these players seem to have all the confidence in the world right now.
Two other plays that grabbed my attention happened near the end of the game when UVa showed great hustle when it didn't need to. One was on a breakaway for Tech, and instead of letting the Hokies get an easy layup or dunk, Salt jumped in the air like a volleyball player (which he used to play) and fouled the player. And then at the end of the game, Tech tried to finish with an alley-oop, but the pass did not get over the outstretched arm of Key, who tipped the pass in one last defiant "No!" to the Hokies. The Cavaliers played with a great attitude all night, something they displayed against Florida State as well. And now they have yet another top-10 matchup to get ready for.
This time, it's Duke at Duke. Never an easy win. These Blue Devils look special again, with another crop of amazing freshmen who are just going to stick around for one year and try to bring coach Mike Krzyzewski another national title before heading off to the NBA draft. Here's a statistical look at Duke so far this season:
Scorers in double figures: Freshman forward RJ Barrett (23.4), freshman forward Zion Williamson (21.2), freshman forward Cam Reddish (13.3)
Leading rebounders: Williamson (9.4), Barrett (6.9), junior forward Jack White (6.6), junior center Marques Bolden (4.6), junior forward Javin DeLaurier (4)
Assist leaders: Freshman guard Tre Jones (5.7), Barrett (4.1), Williamson (2.3)
Notable: Jones, the team's starting point guard, is likely out but could play after spraining his shoulder against Syracuse on Monday. Reddish was out against the Orange with flu symptoms, but it sounds like he is likely to play. Eight players average double-figure minutes. Jones averages 8.1 points and 3.1 boards. White averages 6.3 points. Jones, Williamson, and Reddish each average a pair of steals per game, and DeLaurier, sophomore guard Alex O'Connell, White, and Barrett each average one. Bolden and Williamson each block about two shots per game, and White and DeLaurier about one each.
Best win: Kentucky, 118-84, when the Wildcats were ranked No. 2 in the season-opening Champions Classic in Indianapolis. Kentucky is now 12-3 and ranked No. 12.
Worst win: None really, but Duke's halftime leads over a handful of teams were in the single digits,
including Army, Hartford, and Yale.
Other wins: Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, Auburn, Indiana, Stetson, Princeton, Texas Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State
Best loss: Gonzaga, 89-87, which was ranked No. 3, at the Maui Invitational
Worst loss: Syracuse is always a respected and tough opponent, but the 95-91 overtime loss at Cameron Indoor on Monday was surprising.
What Duke does well: In a shock to no one, the Blue Devils can score with the best of them, as they are averaging 90.3 points (third). They do so with a strong inside game based around Williamson and the ability of Barrett to get to the rim as a slasher. They also rebound very well, sporting a +6.8 margin on the glass (15th). As a result, Duke shoots 48.8 percent from the field (26th). Duke also rates highly in assists, 18.4 per game (ninth), and assist-turnover ratio, +1.41 (25th). Defensively, the Blue Devils are tops nationally in blocks per game by a wide margin with 8.1 per game (second is Washington with 6.4), and they nab 10.8 steals per game (third). Duke allows 66.9 ppg (70th).
What Duke doesn't do well: The Blue Devils do not shoot well from beyond the arc at just 31.8 percent (286th), and they also really struggle from the free throw line at 67.7 percent (247th), which is last in the ACC. Despite the good assist and assist-turnover ratio numbers, Duke is a little sloppy with the ball at times, averaging 13.1 turnovers (151st).
When studying Duke, I actually came away more impressed by Virginia Tech. And Virginia blew the Hokies out. So I'm not sure what to think now. Granted, Duke has had a much tougher schedule than Tech and UVa. At the time of the games, Duke has faced the Nos. 2, 8, 3, 12, and 13th-ranked teams in the country. Many analysts seemed to give Duke a decent shot at going undefeated this year at the beginning of the season, but it is mid-January, and the Blue Devils already have two losses.
There is no doubt that Williams, Barrett, and Reddish are phenomenal athletic and physical specimens. But how will they react to seeing Virginia's defense for the first time? Last season, UVa went into Cameron Indoor and came away with a 65-63 win, the program's first victory there since 1995. In that matchup, Duke's sensational freshman duo of Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. played pretty well, but no one else did. Bagley had 30 points, almost half of Duke's output, and Carter put up 14. Grayson Allen only scored five points. Duke went just 4 of 15 beyond the arc. Virginia was not any better at 6 for 22. Duke also went just 5 of 11 at the line, while Virginia made 7 of 9. The 'Hoos were led by Guy with 17 points, Devon Hall with 14, Jerome with 13, and Hunter with 12. One of the lasting images of the game was Jerome sinking a huge 3 after a pass fake to give UVa a five-point cushion with 39 seconds left. You can relive the game here with some highlights.
Virginia matches up well with Duke because Duke wants to score inside and in transition, and the Pack-Line defense usually does a very good job of limiting those opportunities, as the scheme clogs
the lane and often double-teams the post. Teams that beat UVa normally have to shoot well from 3-point land, and Duke mostly hasn't proven it can do that. O'Connell, who plays 14.4 minutes per game and averages 5.2 points, is Duke's best 3-point shooter at 38.1 percent. He's made 16 of 42. Reddish has attempted the most 3s on the team, 106, and has made 38 (35.8 percent). He sunk the game-winning 3 at Florida State last Saturday. Barrett has taken a lot of 3s, too, with 104, but sits at only 31.7 percent. Williamson shoots about two per game but makes only 27.3 percent. I'm sure Coach K mainly wants him to stick around the rim, because he's making 66.2 percent of his field goals overall. White is the only other player making more than 30 percent of his 3s (32.8).
Jones is not the team's top scorer, but some analysts are giving UVa the edge because of the likelihood of him sitting out with his injured shoulder. He plays a big part in keying Duke's offense and defense. Some UVa fans seem to think Coach K is playing a game when it comes to how injured Jones is. After the Syracuse loss, it was announced that he was out indefinitely. That turned into being unlikely to play against UVa but not out a long time, and now, many are speculating he will suit up because it is only a Grade 1 sprain. I don't know if Jones can re-injure his shoulder, but if he can, I would sit him out. If he is that important, Duke should want him 100 percent and not likely to hurt it again. Duke gets to face UVa again, and still has big games coming up with North Carolina, Virginia Tech, N.C. State, plus the ACC and NCAA tournaments. This game is important, but not a must-have at this point.
What about those pesky zebras? Any chance there's no way the sports gods allow Duke to lose two home games in a row? I don't recall many egregious referee errors in this game last season, but maybe that will change for this contest. But keep in mind, even if Duke gets more free throws at crucial times than UVa, it hasn't been making them at a great clip. Williamson takes six per game and is making 70.8 percent, and Barrett shoots about 5.5 per game at 68.5 percent. The Blue Devils' best players at the line are White (78.9 percent), O'Connell (76.5), and Reddish (72.1).
As I alluded to above, UMBC is probably going to be talked about a lot. Duke's students are going to be holding papers that read "UMBC" on them. There was even a campaign to get K.J. Maura to the game. He was one of the Retrievers' heroes in that historic upset, but UMBC coach Ryan Odom put a stop to a GoFundMe that was going to help Maura afford to travel to Durham from Puerto Rico, where he now plays professionally. Guy has talked openly about his feelings after the loss, and I believe him when he says the Wahoos have moved on from it. I think the only time those thoughts could creep into players' minds would be in the first round of the NCAA tournament this year, but I don't think it is going to matter much in a regular-season game, and Duke's students' attempt to get in the Cavaliers' heads could backfire, as we've seen UVa perhaps play with a chip on its shoulder in several games this season, the Virginia Tech affair included when the team seemed to sense the big moment, seize it, and play with a certain bravado.
At the beginning of the week, I would've been happy with a split of the Tech and Duke games. But Virginia has really impressed me with its dismantling of the Seminoles and Hokies. I remain unsure on the outcome of this game. Studying Duke has made them seem less scary. UVa should be able to slow down what the Blue Devils want to do, and my head is thinking Virginia could even win somewhat comfortably. Ultimately, though, I think Duke will be ready and inspired to play a great game. Perhaps the Blue Devils were even caught looking ahead to the matchup a little bit when they lost to Syracuse (what a thought, huh?). They also got one more day of rest and got to stay at home, which could factor into the result. This is the second straight huge game Virginia's players are having to get up for. This one could go either way, but I'll say Virginia goes down in a tight, tight contest that really just ramps up the hype for the return trip for Duke to Charlottesville in February.
Gut feeling: Duke wins by 1-5 points.
The Cavaliers crushed the rival Hokies 81-59 on Tuesday, their second easy top-10 win in as many weeks, leaving fans, commentators, and college hoops analysts alike thoroughly impressed.
In some recent games, as I have been pointing out, there was usually a good performance from one or two of the The Big Three and then someone else stepping up, such as Mamadi Dikaite, Braxton Key, or Jay Huff. Well, against Tech, there wasn't much need to supplement Virginia's top scorers. De'Andre Hunter put on an aggressive show with 21 points to lead all scorers, making 8 of his 12 shots to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Ty Jerome recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 assists, plus four boards, and went 4 of 7 from deep. Kyle Guy finished with 15 points and five rebounds and made 3 of 5 3-pointers. Kihei Clark, who had made one 3 all year, went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and had nine points. Key and Huff finished with seven points each, and Jack Salt and Diakite had four each.
Virginia shot an incredible 68 percent in the first half and made 10 of 14 3-pointers, basically putting the game out of reach by halftime when Clark sunk a 3 at the buzzer to make it 44-22. In the second half, the Hokies made a small run to cut the lead to 14, but UVa responded and got the lead back up over 20. That was great to see. Yes, it was highly unlikely Tech was going to come all the way back, but, being the UVa fan I am, I was thinking Tech still had a shot, especially with the way it can shoot.
 |
| It seemed like Ty Jerome got mad and then got after it Tuesday. |
Some other thoughts:
Early in the first half, Justin Robinson appeared to reach in and try to steal the ball from Jerome. It looked like he definitely fouled him, but nothing was called. Jerome turned to the referee, obviously upset. Well, it seemed to set Jerome off. He got the ball back after a few passes and sunk a long 3, then turned to the Tech bench, shaking his head. There's no doubt the Cavaliers played with an edge.
Clark was all over Robinson, frustrating the senior so much that Robinson gave him a little shove in the second part of the second half right after a timeout was called, drawing a technical. Upon rewatching the play, I didn't think it was that much of a push, but Buzz Williams did bench Robinson for the rest of the game. And it was just funny and weird to see a freshman get on a senior's nerves that much. Hopefully, Clark will be a great asset against tiny quick guards the rest of the season, something that hurt UVa when it faced UMBC.
Huff only played 11 minutes, but they were very efficient: He sunk a straightaway 3 in the first half -- when it looked like everyone and their grandma was going to make one -- then threw down two thunderous dunks in the game's final minutes that served as the game's exclamation points. Jerome, Clark, and Huff all showed a little bit of swagger in their actions, which was interesting to see. Opposing team's fans and possibly players are going to talk about UMBC all they want, especially on the road, but these players seem to have all the confidence in the world right now.
Two other plays that grabbed my attention happened near the end of the game when UVa showed great hustle when it didn't need to. One was on a breakaway for Tech, and instead of letting the Hokies get an easy layup or dunk, Salt jumped in the air like a volleyball player (which he used to play) and fouled the player. And then at the end of the game, Tech tried to finish with an alley-oop, but the pass did not get over the outstretched arm of Key, who tipped the pass in one last defiant "No!" to the Hokies. The Cavaliers played with a great attitude all night, something they displayed against Florida State as well. And now they have yet another top-10 matchup to get ready for.
This time, it's Duke at Duke. Never an easy win. These Blue Devils look special again, with another crop of amazing freshmen who are just going to stick around for one year and try to bring coach Mike Krzyzewski another national title before heading off to the NBA draft. Here's a statistical look at Duke so far this season:
Scorers in double figures: Freshman forward RJ Barrett (23.4), freshman forward Zion Williamson (21.2), freshman forward Cam Reddish (13.3)
Leading rebounders: Williamson (9.4), Barrett (6.9), junior forward Jack White (6.6), junior center Marques Bolden (4.6), junior forward Javin DeLaurier (4)
Assist leaders: Freshman guard Tre Jones (5.7), Barrett (4.1), Williamson (2.3)
Notable: Jones, the team's starting point guard, is likely out but could play after spraining his shoulder against Syracuse on Monday. Reddish was out against the Orange with flu symptoms, but it sounds like he is likely to play. Eight players average double-figure minutes. Jones averages 8.1 points and 3.1 boards. White averages 6.3 points. Jones, Williamson, and Reddish each average a pair of steals per game, and DeLaurier, sophomore guard Alex O'Connell, White, and Barrett each average one. Bolden and Williamson each block about two shots per game, and White and DeLaurier about one each.
Best win: Kentucky, 118-84, when the Wildcats were ranked No. 2 in the season-opening Champions Classic in Indianapolis. Kentucky is now 12-3 and ranked No. 12.
Worst win: None really, but Duke's halftime leads over a handful of teams were in the single digits,
Other wins: Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, Auburn, Indiana, Stetson, Princeton, Texas Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State
Best loss: Gonzaga, 89-87, which was ranked No. 3, at the Maui Invitational
Worst loss: Syracuse is always a respected and tough opponent, but the 95-91 overtime loss at Cameron Indoor on Monday was surprising.
What Duke does well: In a shock to no one, the Blue Devils can score with the best of them, as they are averaging 90.3 points (third). They do so with a strong inside game based around Williamson and the ability of Barrett to get to the rim as a slasher. They also rebound very well, sporting a +6.8 margin on the glass (15th). As a result, Duke shoots 48.8 percent from the field (26th). Duke also rates highly in assists, 18.4 per game (ninth), and assist-turnover ratio, +1.41 (25th). Defensively, the Blue Devils are tops nationally in blocks per game by a wide margin with 8.1 per game (second is Washington with 6.4), and they nab 10.8 steals per game (third). Duke allows 66.9 ppg (70th).
What Duke doesn't do well: The Blue Devils do not shoot well from beyond the arc at just 31.8 percent (286th), and they also really struggle from the free throw line at 67.7 percent (247th), which is last in the ACC. Despite the good assist and assist-turnover ratio numbers, Duke is a little sloppy with the ball at times, averaging 13.1 turnovers (151st).
When studying Duke, I actually came away more impressed by Virginia Tech. And Virginia blew the Hokies out. So I'm not sure what to think now. Granted, Duke has had a much tougher schedule than Tech and UVa. At the time of the games, Duke has faced the Nos. 2, 8, 3, 12, and 13th-ranked teams in the country. Many analysts seemed to give Duke a decent shot at going undefeated this year at the beginning of the season, but it is mid-January, and the Blue Devils already have two losses.
There is no doubt that Williams, Barrett, and Reddish are phenomenal athletic and physical specimens. But how will they react to seeing Virginia's defense for the first time? Last season, UVa went into Cameron Indoor and came away with a 65-63 win, the program's first victory there since 1995. In that matchup, Duke's sensational freshman duo of Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. played pretty well, but no one else did. Bagley had 30 points, almost half of Duke's output, and Carter put up 14. Grayson Allen only scored five points. Duke went just 4 of 15 beyond the arc. Virginia was not any better at 6 for 22. Duke also went just 5 of 11 at the line, while Virginia made 7 of 9. The 'Hoos were led by Guy with 17 points, Devon Hall with 14, Jerome with 13, and Hunter with 12. One of the lasting images of the game was Jerome sinking a huge 3 after a pass fake to give UVa a five-point cushion with 39 seconds left. You can relive the game here with some highlights.
Virginia matches up well with Duke because Duke wants to score inside and in transition, and the Pack-Line defense usually does a very good job of limiting those opportunities, as the scheme clogs
 |
| Ty Jerome's excellent fake froze Duke defenders long enough for him to make the game-sealing 3-pointer at Cameron Indoor last season. |
Jones is not the team's top scorer, but some analysts are giving UVa the edge because of the likelihood of him sitting out with his injured shoulder. He plays a big part in keying Duke's offense and defense. Some UVa fans seem to think Coach K is playing a game when it comes to how injured Jones is. After the Syracuse loss, it was announced that he was out indefinitely. That turned into being unlikely to play against UVa but not out a long time, and now, many are speculating he will suit up because it is only a Grade 1 sprain. I don't know if Jones can re-injure his shoulder, but if he can, I would sit him out. If he is that important, Duke should want him 100 percent and not likely to hurt it again. Duke gets to face UVa again, and still has big games coming up with North Carolina, Virginia Tech, N.C. State, plus the ACC and NCAA tournaments. This game is important, but not a must-have at this point.
What about those pesky zebras? Any chance there's no way the sports gods allow Duke to lose two home games in a row? I don't recall many egregious referee errors in this game last season, but maybe that will change for this contest. But keep in mind, even if Duke gets more free throws at crucial times than UVa, it hasn't been making them at a great clip. Williamson takes six per game and is making 70.8 percent, and Barrett shoots about 5.5 per game at 68.5 percent. The Blue Devils' best players at the line are White (78.9 percent), O'Connell (76.5), and Reddish (72.1).
As I alluded to above, UMBC is probably going to be talked about a lot. Duke's students are going to be holding papers that read "UMBC" on them. There was even a campaign to get K.J. Maura to the game. He was one of the Retrievers' heroes in that historic upset, but UMBC coach Ryan Odom put a stop to a GoFundMe that was going to help Maura afford to travel to Durham from Puerto Rico, where he now plays professionally. Guy has talked openly about his feelings after the loss, and I believe him when he says the Wahoos have moved on from it. I think the only time those thoughts could creep into players' minds would be in the first round of the NCAA tournament this year, but I don't think it is going to matter much in a regular-season game, and Duke's students' attempt to get in the Cavaliers' heads could backfire, as we've seen UVa perhaps play with a chip on its shoulder in several games this season, the Virginia Tech affair included when the team seemed to sense the big moment, seize it, and play with a certain bravado.
At the beginning of the week, I would've been happy with a split of the Tech and Duke games. But Virginia has really impressed me with its dismantling of the Seminoles and Hokies. I remain unsure on the outcome of this game. Studying Duke has made them seem less scary. UVa should be able to slow down what the Blue Devils want to do, and my head is thinking Virginia could even win somewhat comfortably. Ultimately, though, I think Duke will be ready and inspired to play a great game. Perhaps the Blue Devils were even caught looking ahead to the matchup a little bit when they lost to Syracuse (what a thought, huh?). They also got one more day of rest and got to stay at home, which could factor into the result. This is the second straight huge game Virginia's players are having to get up for. This one could go either way, but I'll say Virginia goes down in a tight, tight contest that really just ramps up the hype for the return trip for Duke to Charlottesville in February.
Gut feeling: Duke wins by 1-5 points.
Comments
Post a Comment