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Readers respond to the Davidson game!
First and foremost, some serious love for the frontcourt -- Boozer most of
all, but
also Casey and Matt. Carlos put up a double-double, was something like 13-14
from the freethrow line, and really forced the issue inside against a weaker
Davidson
team. He still needs to work on not committing some of those giveaway fouls,
but he was
very strong overall. I was especially impressed with the focus on
rebounding -- tons
of desire showed by all three.
I think my favorite rebound of the game was
Matt's at
the end (off of -- I think -- a Causey missed free throw), where he hustled
to beat the Davidson guy there, put it up and got the shot
and the foul. He's playing some of the best basketball I've ever seen him
play. The
monster's out of the cage, indeed.
Reported: Found -- Chris Duhon's shot. He not only made shots, he had a ton
of
confidence in taking them, and from deep. And speaking of confidence, is
anyone
else just in love with Dan Ewing? This freshman has ice in his veins, making
one
amazing pass there (to start off some great ball movement) at the end as
well as
showing no fear offensively. He's definitely exceeded the expectations I had
for him
this season.
Reported: Nasty -- Dahntay's dunk. All appeals on this decision
pre-emptively
denied. Dahntay came out and exploded off the bench with 19pts, before
going out
with a somewhat vague injury (cramp/hit to the groin/tweaked knee?).
One word to describe the way we played this game: desire. We were scrapping
and
fighting even when up by 26 -- that's the way I like to see us play. And we
did it with
about as many different lineups as I've ever seen us play ... Coach K came
out with
a ramped up substitution plan, and it let us do some nice things, such as
freeing up
Carlos to hit those mid-range shots. I'd like to see some more of that -- it
should
create some interesting matchups. We clearly need improvements before that
can
happen (specifically from Casey stepping it up in terms of not fouling and
working on
his touch around the basket), but I believe we can do it.
Overall: I feel much better about playing Maryland in 2 weeks than I did
after the
SDSU game. We showed the mental toughness/killer instinct to put Davidson
away,
which we are going to need big time as we go through the ACC. There's a lot
of
work to be done, and no way are we this dominant team batting about the rest
of D1
with one hand tied behind our back, but we are one of the few teams who can
truly
claim to be contenders for the NC. Now we just have to play like it for
another 3
months.
Injury update:
Dahntay, who was huge off the bench tonight, looks to be OK -- sounds like
it was
a bit of a cramp (maybe something with his hip?), but not a twisted knee.
Coach K says he should be fine for the next
game.
Mike twisted an already tender ankle in another location. I wouldn't be
surprised to
see him sit the FSU game, even if he is technically able to play. We're
going to need
him, and badly, if we want to win the ACC & NC.
Nick came in and contributed nicely, but is clearly still hampered by these
lingering
injuries. I'll be thrilled to have him back at full strength (hopefully
soon!).
Additional notes: Casey was put into the starting lineup tonight for the
first time since
last season, replacing Dahntay. Unclear whether this was to send a message
to
Dahntay (who, it seemed to me, was struggling a bit with internalizing the
fact that he
doesn't have to be "the man" on this team) or a long-term change -- either
way, it
worked as Casey showed a lot of desire in fighting for rebounds and Dahntay
was
huge, working better within our offensive scheme. Substitutions came thick
and fast,
starting early in the first half. The guys played well in the blue road
uniforms tonight
... 45 points off the bench.
-PomPomGirl
just want to express my humble thoughts on the Duke/Davidson game.
Davidson was feisty and did their utmost in the first half of the game, especially during the first 15 minutes or so.
In my humble opinion, if I had to pinpoint one thing at all that we've had to work through this season, it would be heart, and locating it. Of course, all of our guys have it big time, but I have decided that Matt C. is becoming the heart of the team, for me (if one has to choose one player). The guy is wrecking his knees and giving his all whenever he goes out on the floor, making each second count. Matt is really making a huge difference. He invigorates the floor, the bench and the crowd. He's one of the most earnest players on the team. Another player that comes to mind with a ton of heart (not to mention raw, unadulterated, animalistic athleticism) is Dahntay Jones. His monster dunk with him flying through the air like Superman was something I don't believe I've ever seen but a few times in college basketball. It was huge and his driving ability was impressive down the lane... I think he has the potential to become a huge scorer for us if he can stay out of foul trouble. It's great seeing Duhon taking his shot again. He is so lethal on the perimeter, it's scary. Duhon was extremely confident tonight, and it showed. He and Jason are entertaining as heck to watch! And Jason was wonderful as ever. We have yet to see a great deal in Ewing and I think we might see it soon. IMHO, he just needs more floor time. I recall what a joy it was seeing Jason's game developing as a freshman; Ewing has the same potential. Let's pray Dunleavy is ok... the remainder of the game was just not the same without him. It was clear that his presence organizes the floor so much better... he was greatly missed.
GO DUKE!!
-PJ
Duke recovered from a rusty performance earlier this week, by beating
Davidson 106-71. Duke jumped out to an early 9-0 lead in the first half.
Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy were Duke's offense early. Dunleavy had 7
points before he was sidelined with an injury. Davidson saw an opportunity
and took it. Bree and Anderer hit long threes to put Davidson up by 1 with
ten minutes left to go in the first half. Duke then made their comeback.
Jason Williams stepped up and hit 3 threes in an 8 minute stretch to put
Duke up by 14 at halftime.
In the second half, Duke came out firing. Chris Duhon found his stroke and
was not shy about using it. At one point, Chris came down the court and
drained an NBA three in Michael Bree's face. Duhon hit 2 more NBA threes
later in the game. While Duhon was raining jumpers, Davidson was pounding it
down low to Martin Ides and Emeka Erege. Duke's three pointers ended up
being too much for Davidson, as Duke cruised to a 35 point victory.
-Nate Jones