Last night's game started off shaky with the Duke's poor zone and stagnant offense. They quickly fell down ten points in the early going and only scored 7 points in the first ten minutes of play. Their zone looked lackadaisical and they had poor rotations to shooters. The Camels picked it apart with inside/outside passing to get open looks. The Dukes struggled on offense as well because everyone stood outside the three point line passing the ball around and not attempting any interior passes. It was so stagnant, just passing, standing, and watching. No one had urgency to cut to the rim and get an easy bucket. The tides turned when the Dukes switched back to their man defense and suffocated the Camels. They switched a lot of ball screens which put pressure on the Campbell guards. Turnovers lead to fast paced transition where the Dukes got out and cut to the middle and rim. They went on at least a 14-0 run at one point to take the first half lead 30-22.
After halftime, the Dukes struggled to find the rhythm they acquired late in the first half. The man defense became sloppy and the players looked like they were putting no energy into it. The lapses in the defense carried over to lapses on the offensive end and we were back to how the game started. The Camels turned the Dukes over 8 times in the second half compared to only 4 turnovers forced by the Dukes. However, with these periods where the Dukes struggled, they kept fighting out of it and managed to keep the lead until the Camels tied it late. After forcing a clutch turnover late, Brady called up a miracle and with 6 seconds to go Curry threw the game winning lob to Nation for the 63-61 victory.
Key Offensive Takeaways
Andre Nation made his presence felt in his first game back against powerhouse Ohio State. He had some early rust that was obvious but really settled in and made a big impact in the game. I expect him to be back in the starting lineup in the near future as Satkus hasn't been playing his absolute best ball. Nation and Curry have a clear chemistry on the court and they contribute to the Dukes success on multiple levels. Both of them have a passion for defense and have sneaky hands to force turnovers. Its always one or the other making a big play offensively or defensively to get the Dukes back on track after a rough few minutes. Their leadership is clear and it seems they have real control over the game. There was no one else I would be comfortable with handling the ball in the final few seconds of a close game than either Nation or Curry, it has proven to get the job done for us on multiple occasions this season.
After halftime, the Dukes struggled to find the rhythm they acquired late in the first half. The man defense became sloppy and the players looked like they were putting no energy into it. The lapses in the defense carried over to lapses on the offensive end and we were back to how the game started. The Camels turned the Dukes over 8 times in the second half compared to only 4 turnovers forced by the Dukes. However, with these periods where the Dukes struggled, they kept fighting out of it and managed to keep the lead until the Camels tied it late. After forcing a clutch turnover late, Brady called up a miracle and with 6 seconds to go Curry threw the game winning lob to Nation for the 63-61 victory.
Key Offensive Takeaways
- very stagnant offensively early; everyone was stationary and not cutting to the bucket in the Camel's zone.
- when we did pass inside it was to the short corner where Dalembert dished to cutters like Grays and Curry
- I was surprised that Brady did not put in Nation at the high post like against Ohio State where it was effective.
- Tom Vadonovich had 3 illegal screens that killed our possessions and momentum.
- when the Camels fought back, we had no urgency on offense; we got stuck playing to their pace instead of pushing the ball up and hitting cutters
- Jackson Kent came back from a tough Ohio State game and heated up right when we needed him in the second half
- turned the ball over 18 times which lead to 23 point for the Camels
- Nation and Curry ran the offense and its easy to see a lot of chemistry between the two Junior leaders
- very slow rotations early which lead to open threes and easy entry passes down low
- allowed 34 points in the paint which signifies how easy offense was for the Camels
- had Campbell on the ropes at half time but would always let them back in the game with lapses in our defense: these lapses lead to runs for the opposing teams and kill our momentum and rhythm
- we looked really tired the last 5 minutes of the game and had no urgency to put them away; we played to cautious on defense and it hurt us
- if he have higher energy in either or man or zone they would be very successful, but we break down to easily
- Curry, Grays, and Nation had great defensive games and harassed the Camel guards
Andre Nation made his presence felt in his first game back against powerhouse Ohio State. He had some early rust that was obvious but really settled in and made a big impact in the game. I expect him to be back in the starting lineup in the near future as Satkus hasn't been playing his absolute best ball. Nation and Curry have a clear chemistry on the court and they contribute to the Dukes success on multiple levels. Both of them have a passion for defense and have sneaky hands to force turnovers. Its always one or the other making a big play offensively or defensively to get the Dukes back on track after a rough few minutes. Their leadership is clear and it seems they have real control over the game. There was no one else I would be comfortable with handling the ball in the final few seconds of a close game than either Nation or Curry, it has proven to get the job done for us on multiple occasions this season.