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Game commentary
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Despite loss to Wolverines, men's hoops showed its heart**
After losing for the second time this season, many people are ready to leave the men's basketball team for dead. But before you give up your seat in Cameron and prepare for another last-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference, take another look. This is not last year's team. It may have lost its two best rebounders to graduation, but it got something else when head coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the bench--a heart.
Duke has an inside weaker than a jelly donut and a perimeter game that can be labeled as streaky at best, yet the Blue Devils have managed to be in every game they've played, and they've won a few of them.
Saturday's game against Michigan was a perfect example of this ability to remain in games. Duke started off the game ferociously, but watched an early lead turn into a 44-40 deficit at halftime. After a probable halftime lashing from Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils stormed out and had reversed the score, taking a four-point lead in just 1:37. Duke would hit another scoring slump later in the half and found themselves down by seven points with 6:03 left in the game. Duke took a timeout a few seconds later and found itself in a precarious position.
The Blue Devils had been outscored 13-6 in the past few minutes and center Greg Newton had missed his last four free throws. As if they weren't hurting enough offensively, Newton had just picked up his third and fourth fouls, also limiting the defensive plays he could make on a Michigan inside game that Duke was already having trouble stopping. Despite these problems, Duke again stormed back and tied the game at 75 in just three minutes time.
"You're playing against some pretty good players and you get worn down," Krzyzewski said. "I thought our guys showed a lot of heart, with about [six minutes] left, we had a chance to go south quickly because we were that exhausted. Not having [point guard Steve Wojciechowski] hurt us a little bit as far as conditioning was concerned. Our kids really showed a lot of heart and put us in a position to win. I thought we could get really annihilated at that point."
The fun was not over, as Michigan would not give up either. It responded right away with a three-pointer to restake its claim to the lead. Duke's answer? Junior Jeff Capel, who brought the ball up the floor and responded with a three-pointer of his own 10 seconds later to retie the game at 78.
However, before Duke could walk away with victory, the Blue Devils went cold and Michigan took a six-point advantage with some sharpshooting of its own. This time it took a little longer--32.6 seconds to be exact--but Duke again fought back from the grave and tied it up at 84.
"We try not to talk too much about the things that happened last year because there's nothing we can do to change it," Capel said. "This year we just don't quit, we fight, we dig in deeper, whatever. We just go after it."
Another difference between last year and this year is the amount of leadership on the team. Collins, who was often a shadow last year--averaging only 3.9 points per game, has stepped up to a new level averaging 17.6 points per game and showing that along with Capel and forward Ricky Price, the Blue Devils have three different players that can win a game in the closing seconds.
True, Collins missed two tries in the closing seconds of the game, but last year would have seen the ball never find the hands of someone willing to take the shot. Witness Wojciechowski misfiring from inside the lane in double overtime against North Carolina last year after finding no one else open, and then there was Erik Meek taking a fade away baseline jumper against Maryland. Yes, that was 6-foot-11 Meek, the rebounder, taking the fadeaway. This year, there are open players everywhere willing to take the glory or the heat for winning or losing the game with one flick of the wrist.
"I know if we're going to win some tough ball games, I'm going to have to step up and hit some tough shots," Collins said.
This was not the first time this team has responded in this way. The Blue Devils fought back from a 14-point deficit against Illinois and an 11-point hole late in the game against Iowa.
Krzyzewski was asked during the Michigan press conference if he thought the game was like two heavyweights trading punches. Krzyzewski responded that it was more like, "One cruiserweight trying to fight a heavyweight."
Coach K shouldn't fool himself. His team may not have all of the arsenal of a true heavyweight, but this year they certainly have the heart of one.
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