In the early minutes of the game it looked like the typical Dukes as they got off to a bad start shooting, turned the ball over, and made poor defensive plays. However, they regrouped quickly enough to gain a lead at the half due to Curry's three at the buzzer. The second half was back and forth with both teams going on short runs. The teams were tied at 71 until Curry yet again came up with a clutch three with 3 seconds to go. The Dukes would hang on to win by three.
Key Defensive Takeaways
Radford was a tough matchup for JMU because they had an extremely athletic lineup with undersized, but extremely springy guards. The Dukes started off in man but wisely switched to zone or it could have been UVA all over again. The zone exposed Radford's lack of discipline and forced a lot of turnovers. However, playing zone comes with vulnerability beyond the ark and the Highlanders sure did put up a lot of threes. Fortunately, they made only 8 of 26. The Dukes also gave up 14 offensive boards which lead to 15 second chance points. Although the zone had some positives, these other issues can add up and cost the Dukes a lot of games in the future. I was all in all pretty impressed with the new zone and think they should stick with it.
Key Offensive Takeaways
The early offense for the Dukes was tested with some full court pressing, but Curry handled his own in the back and had little trouble bringing the ball up. But once he crossed over half court we looked stagnant on offense. There was limited movement and cutting except for some ball screen action. We don't have the athlete's for one on one nor the size for pick and roll action so getting into sets that spreads the floor for our shooters would help tremendously. Spreading the floor could also help out our forwards too. When Yohanny isn't in foul trouble, he is a solid low post threat that can back down and score on nearly any defender. An aspect of our offense that impressed me was the fact that everyone contributed to scoring. The Dukes had four players in double digits and two more with nine and eight. Its tough to rely on one or two guys scoring so seeing other players step up is a good sign.
Juniors Step Up
After the UVA game I was dissapointed in the leadership of Juniors Winston Grays and Ron Curry. I expected them to step up in a game like that and they didn't show me much. But monday night I was really impressed with the way they both bounced back. Although Grays was in an early funk beyond the ark, he switched up his game and attacked the basket. He was rewarded with easier buckets that got him going in the second half. As for Curry, Radford had no answer for his shooting or driving capabilities. I'm going to be expecting this kind of leadership from Curry for the rest of the season because we won't be able to win if he isn't a threat on offense.
Key Losses
Once again, as Hari Hall entered the game, he stood out. His big build and length poses a serious mismatch for most defenders. Unfortunately, Hari left the game early in the first half from what appeared to be an ankle injury. He looked to be in a lot of pain on the sideline and I'm unsure of how long he will be out for. This is a key loss for the Dukes because Hari is a very talented freshman that can score at will and doesn't shy from big competition. Another key loss for the Dukes is freshman guard Joey Mclean. He sat out monday night with a boot on his foot. Im unsure if the injury is from the UVA game or occurred at practice but we hope to get him back soon. Mclean is also a promising freshman for the Dukes who can help handle the ball and also score. These guys will be tough to replace but it just means more Dukes will have to step up.
Key Defensive Takeaways
Radford was a tough matchup for JMU because they had an extremely athletic lineup with undersized, but extremely springy guards. The Dukes started off in man but wisely switched to zone or it could have been UVA all over again. The zone exposed Radford's lack of discipline and forced a lot of turnovers. However, playing zone comes with vulnerability beyond the ark and the Highlanders sure did put up a lot of threes. Fortunately, they made only 8 of 26. The Dukes also gave up 14 offensive boards which lead to 15 second chance points. Although the zone had some positives, these other issues can add up and cost the Dukes a lot of games in the future. I was all in all pretty impressed with the new zone and think they should stick with it.
- the zone forced a lot of turnovers and created fast break points
- the zone also made us vulnerable to perimeter shooting and slow rotations to the corners
- we were out-rebounded which lead to too many second chance points
- Yohanny Dalembert got into serious foul trouble again which lost us size in the paint
Key Offensive Takeaways
The early offense for the Dukes was tested with some full court pressing, but Curry handled his own in the back and had little trouble bringing the ball up. But once he crossed over half court we looked stagnant on offense. There was limited movement and cutting except for some ball screen action. We don't have the athlete's for one on one nor the size for pick and roll action so getting into sets that spreads the floor for our shooters would help tremendously. Spreading the floor could also help out our forwards too. When Yohanny isn't in foul trouble, he is a solid low post threat that can back down and score on nearly any defender. An aspect of our offense that impressed me was the fact that everyone contributed to scoring. The Dukes had four players in double digits and two more with nine and eight. Its tough to rely on one or two guys scoring so seeing other players step up is a good sign.
- handled the press pretty well without turning the ball over
- look stagnant and had limited motion which forced careless and forced shots
- we need to incorporate sets into the offense to spread the floor and shift the defense
- everyone contributed to scoring, making everyone on the floor a threat
Juniors Step Up
After the UVA game I was dissapointed in the leadership of Juniors Winston Grays and Ron Curry. I expected them to step up in a game like that and they didn't show me much. But monday night I was really impressed with the way they both bounced back. Although Grays was in an early funk beyond the ark, he switched up his game and attacked the basket. He was rewarded with easier buckets that got him going in the second half. As for Curry, Radford had no answer for his shooting or driving capabilities. I'm going to be expecting this kind of leadership from Curry for the rest of the season because we won't be able to win if he isn't a threat on offense.
Key Losses
Once again, as Hari Hall entered the game, he stood out. His big build and length poses a serious mismatch for most defenders. Unfortunately, Hari left the game early in the first half from what appeared to be an ankle injury. He looked to be in a lot of pain on the sideline and I'm unsure of how long he will be out for. This is a key loss for the Dukes because Hari is a very talented freshman that can score at will and doesn't shy from big competition. Another key loss for the Dukes is freshman guard Joey Mclean. He sat out monday night with a boot on his foot. Im unsure if the injury is from the UVA game or occurred at practice but we hope to get him back soon. Mclean is also a promising freshman for the Dukes who can help handle the ball and also score. These guys will be tough to replace but it just means more Dukes will have to step up.