The Blue Devils didn’t get the result they were looking for in Vegas against number 1 Kansas, but they showed that they are always going to punch back. Kansas threw haymakers at Duke early, to the tune of a 13 point lead early in the game. The Blue Devils didn’t fold; they worked back and managed to trim the deficit at the half to 2 points on a last second Tyrese Proctor 3. The second half saw Duke fight and claw, but the Jayhawks week of rest really showed. Duke overtook a tough Kansas squad but could only muster a 2-point lead, which soon evaporated. The experience of the Jayhawks having been in a ton of these games with their plethora of grad transfers and older players really shined, and at times Duke looked like a young team, but still in the waning moments it was a one possession game – the Blue Devils just couldn’t cash in those last possessions in the end losing by 3 points.
The Blue Devils were led by Tyrese Proctor, who shot the ball remarkably well from deep, going 5-7. The junior guard also grabbed 6 rebounds, but was responsible for 4 of Duke’s 16 giveaways. Freshman Cooper Flagg was brilliant at times, scoring 13 points on 5-9 shooting, grabbing 6 boards and dishing 3 assists, but looked 17 at times with his 4 turnovers. Flagg is still clearly trying to find his footing in college basketball and discovering some truths about what will and won’t work. Once the freshman figures it out, he will be just fine. Kon Knueppel had a tough day shooting, going 0-8 from beyond the arc and 4-14 overall. Knueppel still managed to score 11 points and dish a team high 8 assists. The only other double-figure scorer for the Blue Devils was Sion James, who scored 11 points on 3-3 shooting. The Blue Devils were out-rebounded 31-25 by the Jayhawks, who doubled Duke up on offensive rebounds with a 10-5 edge.
The good news for Duke is that they are not a finished product, and gaining this experience as well in Kentucky and Arizona is beyond valuable – especially for the young players. The negatives for Duke were mostly on the defensive end. The Blue Devils allowed Kansas to shoot 49.1% from the field and 47.1% from 3, while giving them 21 points off of 16 turnovers, a 6 point edge for the Jayhawks in that category. Which leads me to the turnovers. You simply cannot turn the ball over 16 times against a top-5 team. It’s not going to end well for you.
People will look at Kon Knueppel having a bad game shooting the ball, but overall offensively, the Blue Devils shot 50% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc. There has to be improvement from the free throw line, where they only shot 72%, which in a normal game is satisfactory – against a tough opponent, Duke has to shoot better there. But losing a game by 3 points where you shoot 50% from the field means you definitely need to tighten up in other areas.
Why Worry
A very wise woman named Lauren Brownlow and the quotes of the night last night for me. Follow her on BlueSky, and Twitter.
Why would I worry about games in November? There are two schools of thought, 3 if you are somewhat irrational.
Yes, the opportunities for impressive wins shrink, of course, but in reality, most top 25 teams are dropping games with tougher schedules; not many are getting through unscathed. I’d much rather be a team playing high level games than one ducking them. I know there are those that worry about seeding. I get it, it’s legitimate, but I’m also of the school where, for me, I’d rather be a team that is playing high level basketball. My concern is the product on the floor. Does being a 1-seed improve your chances of winning it all? For sure, but you know what dampens your chances? Being a team that isn’t ready for March. I guess that covers 2 schools of thought. The other is that yes, I get it; fans, for the most part, cannot think rationally. I blame places like Twitter for this. They seem to be more concerned with how other fans view Duke, rather than how good a team Duke is building through these tough experiences. That’s fine. I’ve seen Duke at their absolute best over the years and at their worst. I’m not worried about this. I don’t care about being able to brag on Twitter, I don’t care if we go 4-3 or 4-4 or whatever as long as we are preparing our players for the stretch run. It’s not always going to be pretty, and development isn’t a straight line. I’m not one to be on social media saying the coach is horrible because some shots didn’t go in, or a player made some mistakes. It’s sad that 17- to 18-year-old players, who actually have skin in the game, handle wins and loses better than fans. I mean, what happens when your own kids mess up in games… You know what? I shouldn’t ask that question. I’m scared of the answer.
The Bench
Am I worried about the bench? Nope. Yes, I think a lot of fans believe in the theory of participation trophies. Those are also fans basing their realities about players on mix tapes that came out when said players were in high school. The reality of it is, for me, that John Q. Public has no idea what goes on in practice and behind closed doors, nor do they seem to understand the reality of high level college hoops. You play the best 8 players as much as you can against good teams. Every team does that unless it’s a blowout or a weaker opponent. Basketball has always and will always be that way.
10 times out of 10, the coaching staff is right, and that is not a knock on the players, nor is it an indictment of their skill; it just means their time is coming. They know that going to Duke, and if not, they have always been welcome to leave, but as history has shown us, that generally doesn’t equate to success. Fans called for tougher games early, and with that is going to be the inevitable bench shortening in those games. You aren’t going to be able to have it both ways because each possession matters. Duke is working to try to be the best defensive team in the country, and to that end, each possession matters.
I believe that Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris Jr., should they stick it out past 6 games in which they’ve only not played 3 will be fantastic players for Duke, but you don’t come to Duke to be given things, you come to Duke to earn them. There is a stretch of games after Auburn where we will likely see them get time, but fan sentiment has zero to do with that. Remember, if you were a better judge of talent than the people in the coaches seat, then you would be the coach.
