Marvin Bagley, Wendell Carter and Javin DeLaurier had a few things to say after the huge Duke win over Iona. Check out what they had to say -
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Here are the condensed Duke vs Notre Dame game highlights -
Welcome to the final regular season edition of my ten random thoughts on Duke Basketball.
Putting a loss in perspective
It amazes me how some fans will say the season is over after a single loss. History shows us that most teams which make a deep run in March have some adversity during the season. Just ask current Duke assistants Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith what they went through before the 2010 title. Duke lost a game to a hungry Virginia Tech team where a single play could have won the game. Teams can learn some tough lessons and benefit down the road.
Duke-UNC Important in many ways
Duke is a lock to get a double bye in the ACC Tournament, but a win over North Carolina assures them of second place. And that would be a good finish is in the toughest league in America. The Tar Heels can be more damaged by a loss. The reason is that they can fall out of a top four seed if the ball bounces right for other teams. That will make for a hungry bunch.
Win it for Grayson Allen
Lets face it. A loss to North Carolina would be devastating on senior day. And not only that, a regular season sweep would mean a long summer for the fans and team pride. Grayson Allen will be playing his final game in Cameron Indoor Stadium after a four-year career. Winning this one for a player who gave his heart would be nice on many fronts.
But this will be other players last go round in Cameron, too
We all know that Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. will enter the NBA Draft due to their lofty draft status. This will be these two players last game in Cameron as well and they should want to go out with a bang. Here is hoping the dynamic duo has a great outing. And for the record, depending on how the season unwinds, Duke will be losing other freshman early as well.
Defense has been good
Not to be lost by a close loss is the play of the Duke defense of late. The Blue Devils have steadily improved by playing zone. A good measuring stick for the defense will be the game with UNC which is one of the best offensive teams in the nation.
Now, the offense needs to catch up
It is strange how things work out. Early in the season the Duke offense was unstoppable and the defense had holes to plug. In their last two outings, the Blue Devils have been a tad clunky on offense. There are many reasons for slowed production but none that cannot be worked out. And that is good news for the team as all the games count from this point forward.
Finally, some rest...
Duke will be fresh when they face North Carolina if they can avoid getting too high. Campus will be a hotbed of activity as ESPN Gameday comes to town. Duke was a tired bunch after the loss to the Hokies and they have finally been able to rest up. That same break will also be big heading into Brooklyn and the ACC Tournament which will be well underway at this time next week.
About Marvin Bagley III
Firstly, how awesome is it that he made the All ACC Academic team? But the elephant in the room is the brutal criticism from Dan Dakich and others of late. Duke is better with Marvin Bagley but the there is an adjustment period when a player comes back in the lineup. Here is to Bagley using the chatter as motivation to be his best self the rest of the season. I mean, he is likely to be the ACC's Player of the Year with a strong finish. As for Dakich, I thought his comments were off base and unfair to Bagley or anyone else who would have been a recipient of a rant from out of nowhere.
Prospects Visiting
Duke will have some very key prospects on campus this weekend. More on that later.
Final Thoughts
I feel pretty good about where Duke is at this time in the season. They have had some hard lessons on toughness but those have helped a young team grow. I think we will see Duke at its best this Saturday. One thing at a time.
My thinking is that Duke will land three players on the ACC All Freshman Team and a fourth will be very close in the voting. I feel Bagley III will come away with the Player and Rookie of the Year awards. Duke will likely have Bagley on first team and a couple of guys on second team or close.
Bold prediction? Duke is about to go on a four game run. That is if they treat each game like a fight.
If you have read some of the articles in the national media of late, you would think Duke Basketball was in trouble. In a Yahoo report released yesterday, there was tale of a ledger which said an agent had dinner with the Carters in 2016.
"I don't really know a lot about what happened. It really wasn't that much of a distraction because I know I haven't done anything wrong nor had my family," said Wendell Carter Jr. after his teams 70-54 win over Syracuse.
About that time, Trevon Duval yelled, "Yeah, man, he's good, right?" His teammate was looking to save Carter from what had been non stop questions on the Yahoo report and not his stellar game.
If Wendell Carter was bothered in any way by the minor accusation his numbers did not show it. In fact, he had the best stat line of any Duke player with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots. He was also 6-6 from the free throw stripe.
"I just went out and played the game," said Carter. He continued, I am just a player who wants to win. I don't care if I score two points a game."
Carter also addressed the return of Marvin Bagley and that he thought the two would only get better as they played together. "it was great to have him back, he is a great player on both ends."
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski cleared the matter with Carter up even more in his post game presser. Krzyzewski said he was out walking his dog "Blue," when he received a call from Kylia Carter, who is Wendell's mom.
"Kylia called me at home when I was walking Blue. And she said did you see the Yahoo report. I said, Kylia, I am walking Blue and I haven't seen the Yahoo report. And she was nervous about and I said tell me about it. And she said, Coach this is what happened. A couple of years ago through a friend we met this guy and we were suppose to get something to eat. As soon as Wendell's father sat down, he did not like the guy and he left. She said, you know, I am a good southern girl from Mississippi, so I just stayed there a little longer. We did not have anything to eat and we left and never had anything to do with them," said Krzyzewski.
The Duke coach then said, "Please don't be nervous. We met at 9:00 with our compliance and at 11:00 Kevin White (Duke Athletic Director) arranged for compliance to meet just with the Carters. Wendell has never... he didn't know anything about it. So, they went through with preparation just like you would do with the NCAA and they let them know about that. Our team here at Duke did a great job providing the help a player and parent would need. And I applaud the NCAA for working so swiftly. It is too bad every item mentioned (in the report) had the same magnitude. It was a little bit of a rush to judgement, but that is the world we live in today."
Krzyzewski said he felt comfortable in using Carter in the win over Syracuse in that there were no violations committed.
"Ledgers are ledgers. It is not the Ten Commandments. I think everybody should be careful on rushing to judgement with something like that. It was an alleged ledger entry," said Krzyzewski.
"We don't feel like we were taking any chances with that particular thing," added Krzyzewskl.
What best describes the mood surrounding Duke Basketball at this point in the season? I will take a look-see at that question and more by sharing some thoughts on the Blue Devils.
I see you, Grayson Allen
Grayson Allen is in a good place right now. He has been all smiles of late and for good reason. His game is coming together full circle and at the right time in the season. Allen is leading his team and has come out of his admitted somewhat shy shell to command and tell players where to be on the court. Allen is at his best when the ball goes through him and the team as a whole seems better off as well. Allen has beamed in consecutive games while talking in the ESPN post game interviews as the player of the game. I see you're happy, Grayson Allen.
I see you, defense
Duke has been playing some darn good defense of late. It has been mainly zone but Mike Krzyzewski may go to man at anytime to shake things up. The head man said that Duke communicated better in the zone with concern on where to be on the court during his post game press conference. As a bystander, I agree. The Blue Devils have held three consecutive ACC opponents to under 60 points for the first time since 1980-81. I see you, Duke defense.
I see you staff
The Duke staff is in serious mode these days and they are pushing the right buttons of late. Not only are they recruiting like crazy when eyes are not on them, but they have made the right adjustments with a young team. Whatever tweaks they have made, the team is in a good place mentally and physically at this time. I see you working, Duke staff.
I see you, Wendell Carter Jr.
I notice you led the team in assists last evening while almost garnering a double-double. Carter has become a steady player who shows up in every game. He has learned to play tired at times with Bagley out and that has only made him better. It is hard not to miss Momma Carter behind the Duke bench cheering her son on. It is a reminder of how the Duke family works. I see you crashing Allen's ESPN interview last night, Wendell. We all know you are a big part of the recent success.
I see you, Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. is at his best when he allows the game to come to him. He is also very consistent as a true freshman. Trent scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season in the win over Louisville. He finds ways of helping his team and is a hard worker when it comes to improving his game. I see the work you are putting in, Gary Trent Jr.
I see you, Trevon Duval
Duval had an off shooting night, but he had more assists than turnovers while leading the team in steals with five. He also grabbed six rebounds from his guard spot and we all know Krzyzewski wanted his guards to hit the boards better. I see you slithering in the passing lanes for steals and protecting the ball more, Trevon Duval.
I see you, Marvin Bagley III
Marvin Bagley III is a part of conspiracy theories these days. If you go on the message boards, some pretty active imaginations are at work. But Bagley is shooting around and is close to coming back sooner rather than later. His dad is behind the Duke bench cheering as if his son were playing and they both know the comeback will be worth the wait as should you. I see you about to reenter the Duke lineup, Marvin Bagley.
I see you, Marques Bolden
Bolden is showing flashes of what many know the big man can do. He had some great moments last night (8 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk) and some tape will show him that similar play will lead to good things. He is putting together some very efficient minutes. I see you improving and becoming a factor, Marques Bolden.
I see you, Duke cast
Javin DeLaurier has averaged 9.0 rebounds per game in his two starts. His energy can make things happen. Meanwhile, Jack White has been logging great minutes as well. Even Alex O'Connell dropped 2 assists in 7 minutes of play. I see you guys.
I see the better free throw shooting
I think we have all noticed Duke has been efficient from the free throw stripe of late. The team went a phenomenal 15 of 16 last evening. I see the work, Blue Devils.
I see you, togetherness
Duke has been playing with great chemistry of late and seems to be building upon that in each time out. They have played big time defense, looked good in their half court offense, had a solid rotation and are having fun while competing. And when you have fun playing the game, the weight of the season lifts. Despite going through a brutal stretch of their schedule, Duke seems fresh with three regular season games remaining. I see you having fun and competing for a full forty minutes, Duke Basketball.
The Associated Press college basketball top 25 poll was released today where Duke moved up seven spots to become the nations 5th ranked team.
As usual, the Duke haters questioned how the Blue Devils could make such a jump in the rankings. And as always, the facts are right in front of them.
The Blue Devils won consecutive conference games over Virginia Tech and Clemson. Both of these teams are NCAA Tournament bound and are considered consensus op 30 teams. Meanwhile, almost every team ahead of Duke stumbled.
Duke won games via their much improved defense which is a sure sign that the team is improving and on the rise as the regular season winds down.
In the win over Virginia Tech, Duke unleashed a new version of their zone defense which caught the Hokies off guard. And trust me, Virginia Tech is a good offensive team, so that lopsided win was a huge notch in the Blue Devils belt.
Duke then followed that win up with another grinding style win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Considering the Blue Devils were the first team to defeat the Tigers at home this season while holding them to 57 points was impressive.
In the last two wins, Duke had held its formidable competition to just 54.5 ppg. And that is a huge improvement from what was happening a few weeks ago.
These Blue Devils are also starting to play much better half court offense. In fact, Krzyzewski and his staff knows to win games in March you will play a grinding style at times.
That grinding style which Duke has been good at of late grooms much-needed mental toughness. This is especially the case with a team full of freshman who are asked to become older than their years by making wise on court decisions on every play.
And then there is the play of Duke's team captain, Grayson Allen. In his last few games, Allen has looked like his old self. After being in a bit of a slump, Allen is now vocally leading his teammates on both ends of the floor.
"In the last two years he has led us in assists each season, so he is accustomed to making passes. He is much more mature as a player -- he's a smart player," stated Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
He was alluding to the fact that his team has now developed more individually and that opened the door back up to get the ball in Allen's hands.
Krzyzewski continued, "We are putting him now in charge of a more veteran group of freshman. He is a lot better and it has helped Trevon too. He can go out on the side and also play on top."
Allen flat-out kept Duke in the game against Clemson in the first half and his defense of late is has been outstanding. Allen had 4 steals in the game against Clemson as did his teammate Trevon Duval.
Speaking of Duval, he had one of his better games of the season in his last outing You may have also noticed that he played at the top of the zone in the win at Clemson. This was a switch off with Allen who manned to top versus Virginia Tech.
The bottom line is that the zone is getting better or at least staying consistent. Add that to Allens improvement and Duvals acceptance of a different role and it once again points to improvement.
The list of positives continues. Duke has succeeded of late without the services of the likely ACC Player of the Year, Marvin Bagley III. His absence has afforded Duke the chance to design other players roles.
Wendell Carter Jr. has learned top play tired during this stretch. He will also benefit from the return of Bagley in that he can no longer be double teamed.
Duke has also seen its bench step up and give truly meaningful minutes. Marques Bolden is logging good time and has become a respect shot blocker and a good finisher.
JavinDeLaurier grabbed 10 rebounds in his first collegiate start and has earned the praise of his head coach. And Jack White and Alex O'Connell have both filled in admirably at times as well.
Duke has also been hitting their free throws of late and making the three-point shot where Gary Trent Jr. is always a threat. Trent consistently puts up good stats at times plays mature beyond his years.
With the expected return of Marvin Bagley on the horizon, there is a bright future for Duke. That is as long as he is able to return in time to take care of easing back into the new-found team chemistry.
There is no timetable on Bagley per Krzyzewski, but he is getting better. "It is not day-to-day but in some respects it is. He is moving and I will know more today, He is getting better and we're going to make sure that he is completely good before we get into March," said Krzyzewski during his Monday press conference with the ACC.
Duke will take on Louisville and Syracuse in home games this week and the team has four regular season battles left. The team has a golden opportunity to take care of business at home.
So, while Duke is certainly worthy of their rise in the rankings, they must take another step in the process. That points to simple consistency and continued forty minute effort and communication.
If the Blue Devils can take it one game at a time, protect their home floor with wins, then once again, next week, they'll remain a team on the rise,
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