In Duke's final three games of last season (ACC tournament loss to Clemson, 1-point NCAA win over Belmont, and 6-point NCAA loss to WVU), the Blue Devils fired up 69 three-point attempts and only 99 shots from within the arc.
It looks like Coach K has learned his lesson and adopted a new style. Last night, Duke's four leading scorers (Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas) were a combined 19-29 on 2-point shots, and 2-5 from outside. Thanks to trigger-happy Greg B. Paulus, the team as a whole was 3-11 on three-point shots. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not this style will still apply once the ACC season starts and Duke no longer has a size advangate. But in their first ("tune-up") game last year against NC Central, the Blue Devils still tossed up 3-pointers at an alarmingly high rate (41% of their shots). This step is most certainly in the right direction for Coach K and Duke. Three-point shooting is clearly one of the strengths of this team, but it's far from the only strength. Duke has playmakers. Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson bring versatility to this team, and it's a team that can make a lot of noise in March if Krzyzewski keeps preaching the dangers of being a one-dimensional team.
Unspectacular debuts for Duke freshmen Miles Plumlee and Elliot Williams. Plumlee started at center (opposite a Presbyterian player 3 inches his shorter) and played 13 minutes (0 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers). The flashy Williams displayed very little of that flash (1-3 fg, 2 points, 3 fouls).
Three games today feature sub-DI teams: Arkansas-Monticello vs. UMass, Michigan Tech vs. Michigan, and California (PA) vs. SIU-Carbondale.
The Picks (1-1)
Northeastern 68, IUPUI 52
Houston 75, Presbyterian 52
#8 Duke 90, Georgia Southern 68
11 November, 2008
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