Is there any team in college basketball that can overcome mistakes and shooting struggles better than young, yet ridiculously talented, Duke?
Think not after witnessing the Blue Devils’ 69-58 come-from-behind win over unbeaten and 11th ranked Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden. How’s this for a Garden variety of missteps while somehow avoiding defeat?
- Duke missed its first 14 three-pointers of the game.
- Duke picked up eight offensive fouls on its way to 19 turnovers.
- Duke was held to 28 points in the first half, its lowest total of the season.
- Duke’s leading scorer, freshman RJ Barrett made just 3-of-13 shots in the first half and ended up missing all seven of his 3-point attempts.
- Duke’s other star freshman and second-leading scorer, Zion Williamson, fouled out on his third charge call with 3:30 remaining.
Seriously, what team in college basketball could survive all this and find a way to beat a team as good as Texas Tech by double digits? Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they have the perfect antidote for young mistakes — unbelievable athleticism forcing more-than-enough miscues of their own.
Texas Tech is one of the best defensive teams in the country, and Coach Chris Beard’s club might be better than anybody at drawing offensive fouls. Imagine mustering the courage to take a charge on the super explosive 285-pound Williamson (who plowed over the Red Raiders three times in this game) at the rim? Sort of like standing in the way of a refrigerator rolling down a steep staircase.
With the Red Raiders drawing four charges in the first eight minutes off the game, Duke’s halfcourt offense came to a complete halt. But the Blue Devils had an answer on the other end, using their superior athleticism to put relentless ball pressure on Texas Tech’s inexperienced guards and forcing 15 first-half turnovers. All but four of Duke’s 28 first-half points came off turnovers or second shots, the only reason the Blue Devils trailed by just two, 30-28, at intermission.
Duke’s ability to force so many turnovers in the first half was impressive, especially considering Texas Tech came into the game averaging only 11.5. When the Red Raiders weren’t turning the ball over, they were looking for star 6-6 sophomore forward, Jarrett Culver. In a game that hardly lacked star power just a few blocks down from Broadway, Culver grabbed top billing
During the broadcast, ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale was critical of Culver for not taking more shots. Was wondering what game he was watching? For starters, Culver took 20 shots. And several times when Duke’s defense converged on him, he threaded the needle with great passes to find open teammates for layups. Those passes by Culver impressed me every bit as much as his scoring. Compare that to the passing of the other two stars on the floor, Barrett and Williamson. The only time either of them made a teammate better was when Barrett made a kick to Cam Reddish for a big corner 3-pointer late in the game.
Early in this season, nearly all of Duke’s freshmen hype has centered around Barrett and Williamson, who are both averaging more than 20 points. Williamson finished with a team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds and Barrett contributed 16 points despite his early game shooting struggles. But Duke’s star of the game was forgotten freshman point guard Tre Jones, who kept the Blue Devils in the game with six first-half steals all leading to baskets. Projected as Top 3 picks in the NBA draft, Barrett and Williamson will continue to grab the headlines, but Duke’s most important freshman is clearly Jones. It would definitely be a serious blow to Duke’s NCAA title chances if either Barrett or Williamson (with similar slashing games) were injured, but with Jones gone, the Blue Devils’ chances would be zero. As the team’s only pure point guard, Jones spearheads both Duke’s offense and defense.
And in Duke’s two most competitive games this season, Jones has shown he’s a gamer, with an unmatched ability to make clutch plays. Down the stretch in an earlier two-point loss to Gonzaga, Jones made two big floaters in the lane to keep Duke in the game. And with the Blue Devils trailing by eight points in the second half against Texas Tech, Jones started the rally with two big baskets. Then, on the next play, stealing from the Red Raiders’ defensive playbook, he drew a momentum-changing offensive foul.
Finally, after a miserable start from the arc, the Blue Devils found a way to make some timely 3’s to pull away from Texas Tech down the stretch. The first two came from valuable substitute Jack White, and with just a few minutes remaining, Duke’s other star freshman, Reddish, hit his first 3 of the game on Barrett’s assist to put the Blue Devils up, 63-57. Reddish has been in a shooting slump lately and entered the game having made only 8 of his previous 35 shots. It would stand to reason that Duke, which ranks 202nd nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, will need Reddish’s 3-point shooting to make a run for a national title.
Then again, if the Texas Tech game is any indication, the Blue Devils’ superior young talent might just be enough to cut down the nets regardless of what happens.