Plumlee emerges down stretch

Senior Miles Plumlee is averaging three more rebounds per game  since his 13-point, 22-rebound performance against Maryland.
Senior Miles Plumlee is averaging three more rebounds per game since his 13-point, 22-rebound performance against Maryland.

With the brackets finalized last Sunday, the NCAA tournament field is set, and people across the nation are laboring over their brackets to find the optimal selections. Several experts have said Duke is a favorite to be upset early this season, due to their defensive numbers and injury questions. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski, however, stressed that the team’s recent performances must be accounted for more than the seasonal statistics.

“Current stats are most important,” Krzyzewski said.

This concise response rings true not only for the team as a whole, but also for Miles Plumlee. The senior started in only seven of Duke’s first 25 games, but has since started in each of the past eight contests, averaging 8.5 more minutes per game in that stretch. While the minutes may be no surprise, the offensive and defensive statistics have been.

It’s no secret the Blue Devils shoot a great deal from behind the arc, which means that rebounding is paramount to the success of the team. Since his explosive game against Maryland over a month ago, in which he grabbed 22 missed shots and registered 13 points, Plumlee has averaged 3.8 offensive rebounds per game, a full rebound more than he averaged in the 25 previous games. The forward has also increased his defensive rebounding numbers by an average of two rebounds, meaning he is averaging three more rebounds per game in his elevated role as a starter.

Krzyzewski may have warned to not look into older statistics, but this is not the first time Duke has seen a senior improve his game this late in his career. Brian Zoubek became a household name after his coming-out game against—you guessed it—the Terrapins. In the eight games played following the win, Zoubek averaged nearly identical rebounding numbers to Plumlee. His high level of play continued during the 2010 NCAA tournament, when the Blue Devils took home their fourth national title.

With the striking similarities between Plumlee and Zoubek, does this mean this year’s Duke team will have the same success? After all, the Blue Devils were unable to reach their own conference final only a week ago. The difference lies in the immense defensive improvements that have come since Plumlee was installed in the starting lineup. Krzyzewski praised the team’s most recent defensive efforts in the ACC tournament, despite the semifinal loss.

Earlier in the season, the main problem defensively was the opposing shooting percentage. Even on days where Duke shot well from the field, teams still were positioned to win. Since Plumlee was put into the starting lineup, opposing squads have shot only 41 percent from the floor, compared to the 44-percent performance allowed previously.

Defensively, Plumlee has a plus-minus of plus-41 since being inserted into the starting lineup, with his worst game coming against North Carolina in the regular season finale at minus-4. The concern about points in the paint could be attributed to the ease of backdoor cuts and drives through the lane, which are chief concerns for perimeter defenders.

The point is that the rebounding and defensive numbers have improved. The real reason the Blue Devils continue to struggle, however, is their offensive production.

Up until the road game in Chapel Hill in early February, Duke had not shot under 40 percent from the floor in back-to-back games all season. Since then, the team has done so twice, most recently finishing the ACC tournament with a less-than-stellar 37-percent shooting.

Of course, the health of Ryan Kelly and the sudden disappearance of Andre Dawkins are both heavy contributing factors to this predicament, but the offensive game is something that can be fixed quickly, because that’s where Duke has been successful all year.

Now that Plumlee has found his groove in the starting lineup, the defense can follow suit. In that same ACC tournament, the Blue Devils gave up only 59 points per game, nine fewer than the season average.

Miles Plumlee has the intangibles to be a senior leader for Duke, something this young team will need now that the Big Dance has arrived. The oldest Plumlee brother now has the defensive game to match his class status, however, something that he and Cameron Crazies everywhere hope will translate to offensive success.

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