http://www.duke-forum.com/blog/florida-gulf-coast-post-game-reaction/
FGC post game reaction
This was the epitome of a trap game. Coming off the big win over Kentucky on Tuesday, Duke played host to a very well coached Florida Gulf Coast team that had just knocked off ACC brethren Miami. Duke had to be careful to not look too far ahead to the Battle for Atlantis and for the majority of the first half, Duke looked ripe for the upset.
FGC played a tough match-up zone that forced Duke into additional passes and cut off some of the passing lanes to Mason Plumlee. It worked well throughout the first half as FGC was able maintain a lead through strong rebounding, ball movement, dribble penetration, and frankly, a couple lucky bounces.
Duke had a little trouble passing against the zone and for a team that thrives in ball movement, it showcased a great way for better teams to control the game against Duke.
However, once the shots started to fall, Duke began pulling away. To the tune of a 30-0 run that put the game away.
Observations:
- Duke actually wasn’t horrible at boxing out like I first thought. Upon the re-watch, Plumlee, Jefferson, and the guards all did a decent enough job (still would like to see better) boxing out but FGC was relentless on the glass and eventually won several boards through third and fourth efforts. This is still disconcerting considering the size advantage Duke enjoyed.
- Rasheed Sulaimon might just be a one and done simply on talent. Although he came in as a top 10 player, his hype was much weaker than his phenom predecessors Austin Rivers and Kyrie Irving. Perhaps because of this, Sulaimon’s play has been pleasantly but nervously surprising. Sheed finished with 19 points and has displayed through these first few games an ability to drive the lane at a very high level and be a very consistent outside threat. If the draft didn’t seem a little guard heavy, I’d say he’s lottery talent. Something to keep an eye on going forward.
- Quinn Cook had arguably his best game as he could have ended up north of 13 assists had some early shots fallen. He did have 5 turnovers but I’m not overly concerned as that seems like an outlier to a player that averaged about 1 turnover every 24 minutes. In 26 minutes last night, that number quintupled. I believe it is more due to the zone he faced than actual any indication of his ability.
- Ryan Kelly continues to be sneaky good. The classic player that blends into the game, gets his points in the flow of the offense, adds in a few offensive putbacks and before you know it he’s got 14 points, 9 rebounds, a few assists, a couple blocks and steals and he was quietly the biggest variable in the game. Could end up the most underrated player in the country this year just because of the shine from Plumlee and Curry.
- Speaking of, Curry had a quiet night. It made great sense because Curry has an attacking personality that flips on and off when necessary. In games that are tight or have big implications, Curry almost always shows up (with a few exceptions) but in games that seem to be in control, he has shown the tendency to pull back and defer to the rest of the team. As long as he knows when to flip the switch and it remains as easy as that, there wont be issues.
- Plumlee, the NPOY candidate, has been ridiculously efficient this season as he now shoots 77% from both the line and the field. Those numbers are due to regress to the mean as Plumlee’s free throw mechanics aren’t largely changed to indicate such a drastic improvement. However, if he is able to maintain that free throw rate, he’ll make a claim to being the best big man in the country. Kinda makes you wish Duke had drawn Indiana in the ACC/B1G challenge.
- I’m still loving the new and in-shape Josh Hairston. His quickness and defensive attitude has been fantastic so far and what I was happy to notice was that it didn’t change depending on the opponent. Its easy to get up for big games, which Hairston did very well. However, its another to get hyped to guard Florida Gulf Coast as a bench player and Josh showed out well. As long as he’s in good form as an assertive defender off the bench, Duke can steal minutes with Plumlee or Kelly on the bench.
- Thornton had a poor shooting game and perhaps because of that forced more plays than he normally would have. He had a few nice assists and played his defensive rotations well. Still, not his best game but not as horrible as the box score looks. Typical Tyler Thornton.
- I want to comment on Alex Murphy and draw some conclusions but I just can’t. Sometimes he looks lost and overmatched, other times he looks comfortable and aware. I really feel we won’t know what we have with him until he gets extended minutes.
- Amile Jefferson continues to impress as a silky finisher around the rim and an active rebounder and defender. I really don't expect much more out of him and don't think Duke needs much more than that.
As it stands now, Duke is looking at a definitive 8 man rotation with Thornton, Jefferson, Hairston off the bench. This should be fine but it sure would be nice to get Marshall Plumlee back and find some consistency out of Alex Murphy, if only for 10 minutes a game. Overall, there are only so many things you can take from a 21 point win over Florida Gulf Coast. Real answers should start to emerge after Atlantis, which it appears no one is acknowledging the discovery of this ancient world and we’ve decided it should host our in-season college basketball tournaments. I, for one, am excited to meet King Neptune.
