As soon as both teams took the floor last night it was obvious that the Dukes were under-sized. The cavaliers had no trouble shooting over our defenders in the paint and getting easy buckets. The match-ups and size were way too much for the Dukes to handle and we suffered greatly because of it. Its simple; we don't play in a big enough conference to get size and strength like UVA's. In addition to size, our early nerves really hurt us. It seemed like we turned the ball over at least every other possession in the first 5 minutes of play. Our shooters took to long to settle down while UVA's shooters started the game off hot. Justin Anderson was killing us all game with his jump shot and penetration. Anthony Gill had no trouble taking 5 foot turn-around jump shots over our defenders. We were out-skilled, out-played, and undersized.
Key Offensive Takeaways
Key Defensive Takeaways
I predicted freshman, Hari Hall, to start last night. He didn't start but I assume he earned a spot in the starting lineup after last nights performance. He was the only Duke that seemed poised and under control. He was aggressive and attacked the basket strong, drawing fouls and making tough buckets. He also shot an impressive 4-7 from the three point line and ended up with 15pts, leading the Dukes in scoring. I expect him to improve more and more each game this year and pick up some of the scoring slack we are missing from Andre Nation.
Another player that impressed me was Jackson Kent. Although it took him a few shots to settle down, he didn't get discouraged when a shot didn't fall. He kept firing at the rim until he got hot. He finished with 14, shooting 55% from the field and 50% from three. He showed similar shooting at the PHILAU scrimmage and it was impressive that he carried it over to the big stage. I think he will continue to carry it over throughout the season and be one of the Duke's most consistent scorers.
Lack of Leadership
Juniors, Ron Curry and Winston Grays were basically non-existent last night combining for 2 points on 1-13 shooting. Even though they arguably had the toughest match-ups, going against tall guards Anderson (6-6) and Hall (6-5), they failed to show any type of leadership on the court. As a team without any seniors, the Dukes really need some type of leader that will get them out of bad situations and who other players will look up to and trust. If these two Juniors are going to lead the Dukes I'm expecting big games from both of them monday night against Radford.
Key Offensive Takeaways
- Started the game off hesitant and forcing a lot of bad passes that led to turnovers.
- We were very impatient offensively, which led to throwing up three pointers. UVA was very discipline on offense and waited for the best shot, usually a lay up or wide open mid range jump shot.
- Although Yohnny Dalembert had foul trouble, we had no one else to go to for inside scoring. I understand that we were undersized but if we would have taken the ball to the rim more we could have drawn more fouls.
- Our guards really struggled to get separation from UVA's defenders. Their length and quickness limited Curry and Grays to a combined 2 points. These two juniors have to step up and show some leadership.
- There was no team scoring, most of our points came from Jackson Kent and freshman, Hari Hall. No one else on the team scored more than 8 points besides these too.
Key Defensive Takeaways
- We have no discipline on defense. Just like the scrimmage, players were getting back-doored and beat of the dribble left and right. This is a coaching issue that needs to be solved and figure out as soon as possible. I think we have the quickness and craftiness to run zone, especially with guys like Curry and Mclean who like to disrupt the passing lanes.
- Losing shooters was a key issue as well. Often the Cavaliers would throw the ball in the paint, relocate, and then get the ball back for an open three. Defenders can't loose sight of shooters like that, any CAA guard can make a routine open three.
- Defense was like Deja Vu from the scrimmage except we somehow kept it close with PHILAU. This shows that a defense with a lack of discipline will lead us too a 20 loss season instead of a 20 win season.
I predicted freshman, Hari Hall, to start last night. He didn't start but I assume he earned a spot in the starting lineup after last nights performance. He was the only Duke that seemed poised and under control. He was aggressive and attacked the basket strong, drawing fouls and making tough buckets. He also shot an impressive 4-7 from the three point line and ended up with 15pts, leading the Dukes in scoring. I expect him to improve more and more each game this year and pick up some of the scoring slack we are missing from Andre Nation.
Another player that impressed me was Jackson Kent. Although it took him a few shots to settle down, he didn't get discouraged when a shot didn't fall. He kept firing at the rim until he got hot. He finished with 14, shooting 55% from the field and 50% from three. He showed similar shooting at the PHILAU scrimmage and it was impressive that he carried it over to the big stage. I think he will continue to carry it over throughout the season and be one of the Duke's most consistent scorers.
Lack of Leadership
Juniors, Ron Curry and Winston Grays were basically non-existent last night combining for 2 points on 1-13 shooting. Even though they arguably had the toughest match-ups, going against tall guards Anderson (6-6) and Hall (6-5), they failed to show any type of leadership on the court. As a team without any seniors, the Dukes really need some type of leader that will get them out of bad situations and who other players will look up to and trust. If these two Juniors are going to lead the Dukes I'm expecting big games from both of them monday night against Radford.