Duke can't hold on, loses in OT
For about 35 minutes it was all Duke, and Virginia looked like they were going to lose once again to Duke. Then something happened.......Sean Singletary and JR Reynolds blew up. And Duke didn't know how to stop them. Duke decided to slow it down and run the clock with about five minutes left in the game. But, Virginia was having no part of that. They slowly clawed there way back. Duke missed about every opportunity to close it out, and when it came down to crunch time, they folded. Josh McRoberts tried to carry the load, and looked pretty good doing it. However, just like any other time this year, he couldn't get it down when it counted. Duke was lucky that they got another shot in OT to close it out, but Singletary took over the game, and pretty much did it all by himself. Great guard play beat Duke once again, and the "running the clock" plan finally bit Duke in the ass.
Since the beginning of the season I have been frustrated watching Duke get the lead, and then slow it down to preserve the win. However, like in football with the prevent defense, it only prevents you from winning. I am sure Coach K realizes that this team is young, and need to take it slow. But we had Virginia on the ropes, we could have gave the knockout punch if we would have kept playing up tempo. But instead we waited until five seconds left on the time clock, and then threw up a low percentage shot. We have been doing it all year, and usually got away with it, but not this night.
McRoberts was the leading scorer for Duke, and looked like he was going to be the hero of the game. However, it seems like when Duke needs him the most, he lets us down. 2 REBOUNDS!!! That is how many McRoberts had. When you are one of the best rebounding big man in the country and you are playing against a weak front court, two rebounds is a sign of not getting it done.
DeMarcus Nelson played 39 of the 45 minutes. He was the only player who would be able to handle Singletary, and for the most part did. However, like McRoberts, when we needed him, he was no where to be found. Nelson is our most consistent player, and the offensive leader, but this is the type of game where he has to take over. He needed to do the little things to help us win, but they didn't come.
Greg Paulus started out hot, and looked like he would have another solid night. However, cooled off later in the game, and was no factor. He finished with 10 points, but was a terrible 3-11 from the field and 2-8 from behind the arc.
Lance Thomas followed up his great effort against Boston College with another solid effort. He went 4-4 from the field and finished with 9 points 5 rebounds. However, he fouled out at a key time, and could have made an impact when Duke was folding. Thomas has got to be more controlled on the defensive side. He is now known for getting these stupid fouls that cost him minutes.
For Jon Scheyer, consistency is the key. He is either great or terrible. Tonight he was not there. He looked flat with his shot, and couldn't drive the lane. His bright spot was a three pointer late in the game that silenced the crowd, but that was washed away from memory for a poor effort coming out of the timeout with less than a minute left in regulation. Scheyer was trapped in the corner and has to throw up a terrible shot, that barely hit the side of the backboard. If Duke is going to do anything in March, Scheyer will have to be the kid we saw in the games where he was dropping 20 and could do no wrong.
The bright spot of this game was seeing David McClure come out on the floor. No one knew if McClure would play tonight because of a knee injury, but continued to be Duke's "savior". He once again came up with big plays, and had key moments late in the game that could of made the difference. I almost expect this kind of play every night from him. You can't say enough about him, and how much he means to this team. He is on his way to be the most improved player in college basketball, and Duke's MVP(not best player, but "most valuable"). He finished with 4 points, 7 boards, and 2 blocks.
A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. We had this one, but let it slip away. However, Duke can not let this game destroy the rest of their season. After losing two in a row, they came back with a vengeance. Let us hope they have a good weekend of practice, and take out there frustration on Florida State.
*On a side note.....I am not against "rushing the court". I have down it myself when I was in high school and college. However, I think that fans of all teams, should wait until the opposing team gets off the floor before the run out there. I know that it is in the heat of the moment, but when you add a bunch of college kids who are over joyous, and mix in a team that just lose a heart breaker, you have a situation that could get ugly. This goes for every team in every sport, lets keep it safe and have fun.
Since the beginning of the season I have been frustrated watching Duke get the lead, and then slow it down to preserve the win. However, like in football with the prevent defense, it only prevents you from winning. I am sure Coach K realizes that this team is young, and need to take it slow. But we had Virginia on the ropes, we could have gave the knockout punch if we would have kept playing up tempo. But instead we waited until five seconds left on the time clock, and then threw up a low percentage shot. We have been doing it all year, and usually got away with it, but not this night.
McRoberts was the leading scorer for Duke, and looked like he was going to be the hero of the game. However, it seems like when Duke needs him the most, he lets us down. 2 REBOUNDS!!! That is how many McRoberts had. When you are one of the best rebounding big man in the country and you are playing against a weak front court, two rebounds is a sign of not getting it done.
DeMarcus Nelson played 39 of the 45 minutes. He was the only player who would be able to handle Singletary, and for the most part did. However, like McRoberts, when we needed him, he was no where to be found. Nelson is our most consistent player, and the offensive leader, but this is the type of game where he has to take over. He needed to do the little things to help us win, but they didn't come.
Greg Paulus started out hot, and looked like he would have another solid night. However, cooled off later in the game, and was no factor. He finished with 10 points, but was a terrible 3-11 from the field and 2-8 from behind the arc.
Lance Thomas followed up his great effort against Boston College with another solid effort. He went 4-4 from the field and finished with 9 points 5 rebounds. However, he fouled out at a key time, and could have made an impact when Duke was folding. Thomas has got to be more controlled on the defensive side. He is now known for getting these stupid fouls that cost him minutes.
For Jon Scheyer, consistency is the key. He is either great or terrible. Tonight he was not there. He looked flat with his shot, and couldn't drive the lane. His bright spot was a three pointer late in the game that silenced the crowd, but that was washed away from memory for a poor effort coming out of the timeout with less than a minute left in regulation. Scheyer was trapped in the corner and has to throw up a terrible shot, that barely hit the side of the backboard. If Duke is going to do anything in March, Scheyer will have to be the kid we saw in the games where he was dropping 20 and could do no wrong.
The bright spot of this game was seeing David McClure come out on the floor. No one knew if McClure would play tonight because of a knee injury, but continued to be Duke's "savior". He once again came up with big plays, and had key moments late in the game that could of made the difference. I almost expect this kind of play every night from him. You can't say enough about him, and how much he means to this team. He is on his way to be the most improved player in college basketball, and Duke's MVP(not best player, but "most valuable"). He finished with 4 points, 7 boards, and 2 blocks.
A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. We had this one, but let it slip away. However, Duke can not let this game destroy the rest of their season. After losing two in a row, they came back with a vengeance. Let us hope they have a good weekend of practice, and take out there frustration on Florida State.
*On a side note.....I am not against "rushing the court". I have down it myself when I was in high school and college. However, I think that fans of all teams, should wait until the opposing team gets off the floor before the run out there. I know that it is in the heat of the moment, but when you add a bunch of college kids who are over joyous, and mix in a team that just lose a heart breaker, you have a situation that could get ugly. This goes for every team in every sport, lets keep it safe and have fun.
posted by Tim at 6:08 AM
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