Duke defeated Air Force last night 71-56 shooting an astounding 73% from the floor in the first half. DeMarcus Nelson led the Blue Devils with a career high 23 points and to be honest, it seemed like even more. Every time the Falcons made a run in the second half, it was Nelson who stepped up to either hit the big shot, grab an important rebound, or get a crucial steal.
Lance Thomas finished with 15 points but he was one of the main reasons Duke shot out to a double-digit lead early. Lance showed that he can face up to the basket and hit the medium range jumper or put it on the floor and drive to the basket.
Jon Sheyer continues to impress me by contributing 12 points. You can tell that Sheyer has Coach K's utmost confidence as well considering the type of minutes he's playing so early in the season.
Josh McRoberts had a solid all around game with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sure, I would like to see McRoberts become a little more assertive on the offensive end but it's refreshing to see a Duke big man who not only can but is willing to pass out of the double team. No offense to Shelden but he didn't do that once in his career at Duke.
Finally, Greg Paulus had his best game of the season with 8 points and 6 assists, including two huge 3-point shots. Seeing Paulus hit his open 3-point looks is very refreshing but one alarming thing about Paulus this year is his turnovers. Last night, he had 6 turnovers.
Duke will play Marquette tonight (ESPN2, 10:00 P.M.) for the CBE Championship. I expect the young Blue Devils to struggle with Marquette's elite guard play so Duke will have to take advantage of their size down low to create scoring opportunities and to deny penetration to the basket by Marquette.
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