Duke Basketball: 5 observations from Blue Devils’ win over Miami
On ESPN’s first edition of “Big Monday” for college basketball, Duke defeated Miami 83-75, in a hard-fought battle. Here are five observations from the game.
1. Grayson Allen‘s struggles continued
Four of the five Blue Devil starters scored at least 13 points and made five field goals. The one player who didn’t was Grayson Allen, who once again had a bad night. He scored just six points on the night on 2/9 shooting (1/6 from deep).
In six conference games, the senior has barely averaged double-digits. In a lineup filled with freshmen, he has looked like the weakest link. I understand that he’s deferring to his talented teammates, but it’s hurting his offense.
2. Miami’s Ja’Quan Newton‘s minutes might need to be shortened
The best guards for the Hurricanes in this game were easily Chris Lykes and Lonnie Walker. The freshmen duo combined for 32 points and six made 3-pointers. The experienced guards of Newton and Bruce Brown were non-factors in this one. Brown has been great most of the season, so he gets a pass.
Newton, however, is another story. This is just another chapter of a nightmarish season for him. He had just two points and two assists in the game, with the freshmen playing more minutes.
Here’s the question for Coach Jim Larranaga. Is Newton’s defense that much better than the 5’7 Lykes to play him 20+ minutes? If the answer is yes, then a better offensive game plan needs to be established. Otherwise, Lykes and Walker need to be on the court even more.
Related Story: Complete breakdown of Duke vs. Miami
3. Dewan Huell outplayed Marvin Bagley
The two leading scorers for their respective teams faced off in the post on Monday night. Bagley’s been on a tear in ACC play, averaging 24.8 ppg and 13.8 rpg in the first five league games. But one thing to note is the quality of big men he’s faced, with injuries to opposing players causing a lack of opposition talent.
The sophomore Huell was a McDonald’s All-American in his own right and was the toughest league test to this point. The Duke freshman certainly played well, with 13 points and 12 rebounds, but I felt that Huell’s presence was more felt throughout the game.
He had 18 points and 13 boards (7 off), and played a key role in Miami’s 19-2 run in the second half. He also had to deal with both Bagley and Wendell Carter, who had a double-double himself.
On a side note, it was good to see both guys on the court and not saddled with foul trouble, as there are plenty of times where fun matchups are ruined by foul calls.
4. Gary Trent Jr.’s recent efficiency is ridiculous
Unless you’re the bonafide star player of the team, wing players receive the least amount of the attention, because they neither bring up the ball or operate in the post. That’s the case of Trent, who takes 11 shots a game heading into the Miami game.
After going 6/7 from deep on Saturday against Wake Forest, he came back with a career-high 30 points on 6/9 three-point shooting. He took only 14 shots in the game. The biggest surprise from the freshman may have been that he missed two free throws in this game, since before he was 38/41 from the charity stripe.
5. By all accounts, the Blue Devils should’ve lost this game.
There were a number of potential turning points in this game. From Miami’s late first-half run to Allen’s steal leading to a 3-pointer to go into the break it was chaotic. The dominating first 10 minuets of the second half for Miami was capped by a Lykes’ trey to expand the lead to 59-46. I thought it was game-set-match for Duke at that point
In those 10 minutes alone, the Blue Devils had more giveaways (7) than points (6). But the final 10 minutes was all Duke, led by Trent’s threes. The team scored 32 points in the final 10 minutes and regained the lead with five minutes left.
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In a game where Duke had a season-high 19 turnovers and shot horrible from the free throw line (10/21), this should have been a win for Miami in front of a sold-out crowd. Yet, Duke shot 11/21 from deep to get the win. Still, there are certainly things to work on.