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Blue Devils get `down and dirty' in win over Temple**
When the Temple Owls came to Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday for their long-awaited matchup with the men's basketball team, they brought an entourage that included a full squad of cheerleaders, a giant Owl and television star and Temple alumnus Bill Cosby, all in an attempt to carve for themselves a friendly niche in enemy territory.
In an effort to create a similar environment on the court, they also brought along a slow tempo, bad-boy image and stingy zone defense -- elements of the game not often seen in Blue Devil country.
But on this day, it was Duke who turned the tables on the Owls, eking out a 59-47 victory in a manner that firmly suggests the Blue Devils can get down and dirty with the best of them.
"It's a very unique system we played against, probably unlike any other team in the country," said sophomore guard Chris Collins. "For us to come in here with some good preparation and be able to execute offensively, it's a good win for us."
Temple's matchup zone, as expected, threw a wrench in the style of play that so far this year led the Blue Devils to great success. It shut down the Blue Devils' inside game, and Duke finished with only 18 points in the paint. It slowed down the fast break, and the Blue Devils ended with only seven points on the fly. Duke's penetration was likewise ineffective.
"We really prepared for this," said Collins' backcourt mate Jeff Capel. "We knew that they were going to play a lot of zone defense, and we were really well prepared. They're a great defensive team."
The scoring burden, then, fell largely on the guards, and depended on their ability to sink shots from the perimeter. Capel answered the call by hitting what Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski called "the biggest bucket of the game," a three-pointer with 5:40 left in the game that put the Blue Devils up by seven.
Collins responded by pouring in 13 points, 12 of them on threes, each of which came at key points in the game.
"I knew I was going to get shots," said Collins, who attempted only one shot from inside the three-point arc. "Anytime you play against a zone, they're going to give up something. They wanted to take away our big guys, and I knew I had to step up and knock `em down. Most of the game I was able to do that."
Still, Temple's great defense held the Blue Devils to 48.8 percent shooting. Duke managed only 59 points for the game, it's lowest total since losing 58-55 to Virginia last season in Charlottesville. It was clear from the beginning this game wasn't going to yield much footage for the highlight films.
It was also clear the game would come down to defense, and once again Duke rose to the occasion. The Blue Devils limited the Owls to 27.9 percent shooting. Temple's leading scorer, forward Derrick Battie, managed only 14 points.
The Owls' backcourt trio of Aaron McKie, Rick Brunson and Eddie Jones -- what many call the nation's best backcourt -- produced a total of 33 points, 19 below their collective season average. Only four Temple players scored at all.
"You have to attribute everything, as far as our bad shooting is concerned, to their great game plan," said Temple head coach John Chaney. "Duke did a great job of scouting us and knowing very well you've got to stop Aaron McKie and Eddie Jones and Rick Brunson. I think they did an excellent job of doing that."
The only area in which Temple was clearly effective was on the boards. The Owls outrebounded Duke 39-31, 19-3 on the offensive end of the floor. Chaney was quick to point out, however, that this was only a natural result of the zone defense. Kryzewski attributed it to Temple's unique style of play, and the adjustments his team made to cope with it.
In the end, that's what this game was all about: the Blue Devils giving up their smooth and clean style of play and replacing it with the type of gritty performance so often needed to beat teams like Temple. And as this game comes with only one week left in the Blue Devils' regular season, it was also about preparing for similar contests that may lie ahead in the post-season.
"That's why you want to play different types of teams," said Collins. "We played at Iowa, we played Michigan, now we play a Temple -- games that are going to help you going into the [NCAA] Tournament.
"When you're playing in the tournament, more than likely, you're going to play a team you haven't seen before this year. You've got to be able to prepare for their style. That's part of winning basketball at the end of the year."
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