Tit For Tat

Virginia Tech came into Cameron Indoor Stadium yesterday and beat the Blue Devils 69-67 in OT to come away with a huge ACC win, a win that eluded them in heartbreaking fashion last year thanks to Sean Dockery.

As for the Blue Devils, this game can be summarized by one word: turnovers. Their two primary ball handlers, Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts, combined for a total of 12 turnovers. Greg Paulus had his worst game as a collegiate yesterday and it cost the Blue Devils dearly. The last play of the game summed up the day for Duke when McRoberts rebounded a missed free throw and tried to hit Paulus with an outlet pass and he did hit him (in the face though) and this took off a few seconds on the clock and forced Paulus to launch a desperation 3-pointer that Deron Washington (the guy who stomped on Lee Melchionni last year) swatted away for the victory.

DeMarcus Nelson, despite 4 turnovers of his own, was spectacular yesterday and he was the only one to show up consistently for the Blue Devils. He hit a huge clutch 3-pointer to force OT and it really hurt the Blue Devils when he was on the bench for a long period of the 2nd Half with 4 fouls. Josh McRoberts had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks but his 6 turnovers and missed free throws really killed Duke yesterday.

To me, the biggest play of the game was when Duke was up 67-66, McRoberts missed the free throw, they got the rebound and kicked it out to a wide open Jon Sheyer and he didn't pull the trigger and elected to reset the clock. Listen, I understand the mindset but Sheyer is as pure as anyone on their team and that could've put the game away. Sorry to sound like Herm Edwards but YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!! That play, showed the Blue Devils were playing not to lose.

Overall, this game really showed how vulnerable Duke is this year. Whether it's point guard play, their inability to guard dribble penetration, or a lack of a go-to guy, this team was exposed yesterday and they didn't to either correct or shadow their weaknesses better. I like how DeMarcus stepped up yesterday and I thought Gerald Henderson was solid despite some shady shot selection in OT but they need more consistenly from all 8 or 9 players they use.

Next up is Georgia Tech in Atlanta and will be Duke's first road test this season. With such a young team themselves, Georgia Tech has been extrememly inconsistent but you can't knock their talent. They just threw Lewis Clinch off the team for violating the school's honor code but they still have Morrow and freshman sensation Thaddeus Young, who should have his way with Duke down low. Remember, Paul Hewitt always gets his teams up to play Duke even last year, when they weren't very good. Both teams will be coming off of losses but since Georgia Tech is at home, I would unfortunately give them the edge. I expect it to come down to the wire and whatever team executes best in crunch time will come out victorious. No prediction from me. I can't predict a Duke loss.