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Duke and Georgetown reached the finals of the 2K Classic by beating VCU and Wisconsin respectively and will meet in the Garden Sunday afternoon.
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Georgetown is off to an erratic start this season, losing at home to Radford in double overtime, then going the distance with Maryland before losing 75-71. That was probably the most electrifying game of the year to date, not that that's saying very much.
And they played well against Wisconsin obviously. Georgetown held the Badgers to 31.7% from the floor, while hitting 42.9%. However, the Hoyas hit 9-18 from three point range and a very impressive 20-24 from the line. That's 47 points right there and the 12 point advantage on treys almost perfectly provides the margin of victory (+2).
Georgetown used eight guys for at least 14 minutes each and no one played more than 33.
The Hoyas are an odd mix: four seniors, one junior, five sophs and three freshmen. Bradley Hayes, Isaac Copeland and Reggie Cameron are all shooting at least 60% from the floor.
One of the most interesting things about Georgetown under John Thompson III is just how different Georgetown's style is now.
III runs his version of the Princeton offense, which is faster than most versions, since he has better athletes, but no less cerebral. His dad's style was much more macho.
The contrast carries over to personal style. Big John was confrontational and abrasive; his son is almost always even-tempered and polite.
But his teams compete, just like his dad's did, and he's never an easy out.
Just like dad.
It'll be interesting to see who starts for Duke. We're pretty sure that Derryck Thornton will start again. Duke really needs what he has and he's the only one who can provide point guard skill.
So who sits? Not Grayson Allen. He sat against VCU but had 30 points by the end. So he'll play.
And not Matt Jones, or at least we wouldn't expect that. Jones has been a real catalyst for Duke and a defensive key.
So we'd guess Brandon Ingram. The freshmen is extravagantly talented, but he's struggled a bit early.
It's not a big deal, but in the short term, he may come off the bench. We'll see.
Or Duke could pull Marshall Plumlee and go small, but Plumlee has played really well early.
The thing is though that in different years, Duke has made surprising adjustments and revealed different combinations which work very well together.
Think 2010 and Jon Scheyer moving to the point with Brian Zoubek at center. Think walk-on Reggie Love getting serious minutes in 2001.
Whoever starts, Duke will have a tougher time than they did against VCU.