The Dukes took on CAA number one ranked Northeastern tonight in it was clear to see only one team showed up. The Huskies started off on a tear offensively while the Dukes came out lackadaisical at best. Once again this season JMU started off in a deep hole as Northeastern jumped to a 10 point early leading eventually spreading it to 21 points in the first ten minutes of play. It does not matter what team you are or what conference you play in at the collegiate level, if you refuse to come out ready to play then you will get trampled, just like the Dukes did this evening.
The Dukes slow rotations in the 3-2 zone lead to an early switch back to man by Coach Matt Brady which had no affect on Northeastern's scoring due to the fact that the Dukes had no intention of playing help defense tonight. Duke bigs were fronting the bigger Husky forwards relying on weak-side help that was non-existent all night long. Therefore, the Northeaster guards had no trouble throwing the ball over top to the forwards for an easy two or simple trip to the foul line. Another issue that could be addressed defensively was that the Dukes were getting caught watching all night long. Time after time Duke off-ball defenders would get stuck in "no mans land" watching other people try to defend while their man would sneak back door for a highlight reel worthy dunk. Overall, energy was absent tonight for the Dukes and there was no sense of urgency to try and dig deep and fight back from an embarrassing display of defense.
On the offensive side of the ball Ron Curry seemed to be the only shot we had. He played aggressively tonight but when 3 out of 5 starters fail to score more than 5 points there are very limited options. Although foul trouble kept him from playing, Yohanny had glimpses of strong finishes and physical play down low on the block. He has been the only real physical Duke player this year offensively who can take contact and turn it into points or free throws. In addition, I also really like what I am seeing from freshman standout Joey Mclean. He is a great passer to bigs so if Satkus and Vodanovich could learn how to catch and finish instead of fumble and turnover then his presence will really be felt. He seems to have more control over the point guard position than Curry and Ron seems to feel more comfortable at the second guard position because it opens up his shot and gives him good looks. Without Nation, it was obvious scoring would be a problem so Curry may have to assume that shooting guard position and be our go to scorer rather than ball handler.
In the big scale picture they man problem at hand to me is the personnel that JMU has on its roster. Countless bruisers such as Vodanovich, Satkus, and, Cabarkapa seem pointless if they are undersized and not athletic. It is nearly impossible to beat good teams if there are players that are not threats offensively or defensively. Teams at this level notice these weak spots in a heart beat and pounce on it as soon as the ball is tipped. If the Dukes want to see another CAA championship they need to really focus on recruiting players that can be a threat on the court at all times.
PHOTO CREDIT: JMUSports Facebook page
The Dukes slow rotations in the 3-2 zone lead to an early switch back to man by Coach Matt Brady which had no affect on Northeastern's scoring due to the fact that the Dukes had no intention of playing help defense tonight. Duke bigs were fronting the bigger Husky forwards relying on weak-side help that was non-existent all night long. Therefore, the Northeaster guards had no trouble throwing the ball over top to the forwards for an easy two or simple trip to the foul line. Another issue that could be addressed defensively was that the Dukes were getting caught watching all night long. Time after time Duke off-ball defenders would get stuck in "no mans land" watching other people try to defend while their man would sneak back door for a highlight reel worthy dunk. Overall, energy was absent tonight for the Dukes and there was no sense of urgency to try and dig deep and fight back from an embarrassing display of defense.
On the offensive side of the ball Ron Curry seemed to be the only shot we had. He played aggressively tonight but when 3 out of 5 starters fail to score more than 5 points there are very limited options. Although foul trouble kept him from playing, Yohanny had glimpses of strong finishes and physical play down low on the block. He has been the only real physical Duke player this year offensively who can take contact and turn it into points or free throws. In addition, I also really like what I am seeing from freshman standout Joey Mclean. He is a great passer to bigs so if Satkus and Vodanovich could learn how to catch and finish instead of fumble and turnover then his presence will really be felt. He seems to have more control over the point guard position than Curry and Ron seems to feel more comfortable at the second guard position because it opens up his shot and gives him good looks. Without Nation, it was obvious scoring would be a problem so Curry may have to assume that shooting guard position and be our go to scorer rather than ball handler.
In the big scale picture they man problem at hand to me is the personnel that JMU has on its roster. Countless bruisers such as Vodanovich, Satkus, and, Cabarkapa seem pointless if they are undersized and not athletic. It is nearly impossible to beat good teams if there are players that are not threats offensively or defensively. Teams at this level notice these weak spots in a heart beat and pounce on it as soon as the ball is tipped. If the Dukes want to see another CAA championship they need to really focus on recruiting players that can be a threat on the court at all times.
PHOTO CREDIT: JMUSports Facebook page