Duke got off to another slow start and this time they were not able to dig themselves out of the hole, falling 89-84 to Boston College. Freshman Gary Trent Jr. scored a career high 25 points, but it was not enough as the Eagles were red hot from the field, hitting 57.7% of their three point attempts.
Three Key Takeaways
1.) No Comeback this Time
After overcoming second-half deficits against Portland State, Texas, Florida and Indiana, it looked like Duke was up to their old tricks the game after a Gary Trent Jr. three put the Blue Devils up 79-75 with 3:33 to play. However, Duke ceded the lead after some questionable decision making from its freshman and sloppy play down the stretch. After seemingly possessing an uncanny ability to play as a cohesive team during crunch time in its previous games, the young squad broke down and left the coaching staff with many problems to solve.
2.) Rookie Decision Making
Although Marvin Bagley III has been consistently brilliant throughout the season, his second half play against Boston College left much to be desired. After dominating the start of the contest with 10 points in 12 minutes, the freshman only took four shots from the field in the second half – three of which came from behind the arc. For a big man who has been unstoppable for most of the season and has typically gone to his “bread-and-butter” in the paint, such a shot distribution is puzzling. Trevon Duval's play when the Blue Devils are in a back-and-forth game has also been an issue. He has often reverted to his high school tendencies of flying up the court and trying to get to the rim by himself or trying to make a flashy play – a behind the back pass to Wendell Carter Jr when a simple dump off would have worked comes to mind. Although it may have worked in high school, college is a completely different ballgame and Duval has yet to display consistently smart decision making.
3.) Defense Needs Work
If this team has any hopes of winning the national title, Duke must improve on defense. The squad is now 71st in the country in defensive efficiency according to statistician Ken Pomeroy – allowing 98.1 points-per-100 possessions. Since 2010, every national champion has finished in the top-15 of Pomeroy’s end of the season defensive efficiency rankings. The Blue Devils had lapses in communication and were completely gutted on the perimeter against the Eagles as Boston College lit up the scoreboard from beyond the arc. More concerning is that neither man-to-man nor zone seem to be consistently working and the coaching staff has been often switching between the two trying to find an answer.
Three Key Stats
1.) 57.7%
While the snow fell outside the arena in Boston, it was raining threes inside Conte Forum. Boston College shot an astounding 57.7% from deep, knocking down both wide-open looks and contested shots. In the first half, the Eagles converted on an astounding 68.8% of their attempts, allowing them to race to a seven-point halftime lead. Jerome Robinson was perfect from downtown on five shots en route to 24 points while Jordan Chatman and Ky Bowman combined for seven triples and 52 points. This was a very out of character performance from Boston College, who are shooting only 34.8% from three point land on the season.
2.) 35 Rebounds
For the first time this season, Duke was out-rebounded, with Boston College pulling down 35 boards compared to the Blue Devils 34. Bowman had 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles but it was a team effort on the glass with all five starters collecting four or more rebounds. The Blue Devils entered the game leading the country with 46.45 rebounds per game, but were held significantly beneath their season average, which certainly had an impact on the final score.
3.) 11.1%
While Boston College seemingly could not miss from deep, the same could not be said for Grayson Allen, who only connected on one of his nine attempts. Although he had many open looks, including his classic pump-fake step back three, Allen could not seem to buy a bucket. The poor shooting performance could have been attributed to the shiner he received courtesy of a Javin DeLaurier knee, but hampered the Blue Devils who struggled to make shots from outside.
Three Key Plays
1.) Jerome Robinson Back-to-Back Threes, 1:20 remaining in the second half
With the Blue Devils up four with 3:33 left to play, Robinson pulled down an ill-advised Duval three and converted from deep to cut the deficit to one with 2:45 left to play. Two possessions later, a Trent turnover gave the ball back to the Eagles, and Robinson made the freshman pay by hitting another three to give them the lead for good with 1:20 left.
2.) Trevon Duval’s Foul, 37 seconds remaining in the second half
With Duke down two and the shot clock down the six, Duval was called for a foul with 37 seconds remaining for grabbing an opponent’s jersey. Instead of being an ordinary foul and a one-and-one for Boston College, the foul was ruled a flagrant-one, giving the Eagles two-shots and the ball, ultimately putting the nail-in-the-coffin for the Blue Devils and their undefeated season.
3.) Free Throws Down the Stretch
The only way Duke was going to get back into the game was if Boston College missed its free throws. Unfortunately, the Eagles made all six of their free throws in the last 17 seconds, sealing the deal.
Looking Forward
Winning usually masks problems and this was certainly the case thus far in the season. The Blue Devils always found a way to win so their defensive lapses and poor decision-making were overlooked by the W on the record books. However, the loss is certainly a slap-in-the-face for the young squad and they will have to use the game as a learning lesson. With 11 days before their next game, there are plenty of opportunities to improve and come out a more cohesive team.
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