Two down, two to go.
The tenth-ranked men's basketball team earned a trip to the Big Apple and the semifinals of the Chase Preseason NIT following a decisive 86-57 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores Friday night. The win not only moved the Blue Devils to within two victories of the cherished gold trophy, but it also served notice that the Duke of old is back.
Just as impressive as the team's performance was the individual triumph of junior point guard Steve Wojciechowski. His career, which has at times been severely scrutinized up to this season, was put into the past following what was arguably his best collegiate performance. More important than his 12 points, six assists and eight steals were the enthusiasm and control that Wojo brought to the floor.
"I thought we played extremely hard tonight," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Wojciechowski had a great basketball game. When you win a game like this you hate to single out just one guy, but in this case I think it's deserved."
Typical of Duke tradition, the cornerstones for the victory were defense and the crowd. The Blue Devils created 23 Vandy turnovers with a full court, in-your-face style of defense. When Duke did go on a run, it was the result of turnovers on the perimeter that led to easy transition baskets, something that the fans have not seen much of in recent years. A rejuvenated Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd feasted on the up-tempo attack.
"Our defense was excellent," Krzyzewski said. "I think our effort has been outstanding these two games. Speaking of the word outstanding, our crowd has been the best. It feels like the Cameron of old. For two NIT games in November to have the electricity that has been there the last two games has been terrific."
Similar to the game plan of its first-round victory over St. Joseph's, Duke looked to get an equally balanced inside-outside attack. Sophomore Trajan Langdon, coming off a 20 point performance in the opener, started the game on fire from outside, connecting on consecutive three point jumpers early in the half. He later converted a three point play after he was fouled on a put back off his own miss.
Junior Ricky Price, who got the starting nod over senior Jeff Capel, was also active on the outside and on the defensive end. He finished the half with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. Junior Roshown McLeod also chipped in with seven points to go along with Langdon's eleven.
The half, however, belonged to Wojo. Time after time he applied relentless pressure on the Vandy point guard. He rendered starter Atiba Prater inept and made the Commodores struggle just to get their offense started.
The defining moment came with about eight minutes left when Wojo and James Strong of Vandy wrestled at half court for a loose ball. The melee brought everybody to their feet and cheers erupted from the crowd when Wojo emerged from the pile and signaled to the fans by raising his arms into the air. After Vanderbilt received the ball on alternate possession, Duke built off of the emotion and made one of its patented defensive stands. Duke closed out the half by going on a 20-10 run to extend its lead to 15 points.
The Commodores were better able to neutralize Duke's inside game in the first half. Senior center Greg Newton was in foul trouble for much of the half, as he left the game after picking up his third foul with just under six minutes left in the stanza. McLeod and sophomore Taymon Domzalski were also in foul trouble by halftime, with three and two, respectively. McLeod, Newton and Domzalski took only seven shots between them, with one being a three pointer by McLeod. Duke's other weakness was on the boards, as the shorter, but stronger Commodore front line outrebounded the Blue Devils 18 to 14.
Duke's only lull of the game came early in the second half when Vandy twice closed to within eleven points. Duke managed to score only ten points in the opening eight minutes of the half as the Commodores rallied in the early going behind center Austin Bates, who finished with a game high 23 points.
From this point on, it was all Duke. McLeod started the ambush with a three point play after a pretty spin move inside the paint. Following another McLeod layup, the Blue Devils went on an 18-0 run to expand the lead to 29 points and all but seal the Commodores' fate. McLeod scored seven of his team-high 20 points during the run and sparked Duke with his presence both inside and outside.
"I took my opportunities," McLeod said. "My teammates set me up real well with good passes and they led me to the basket. I went up with a lot of intensity and a lot of strength and good things happened. I want to do a little bit outside but my game is a lot inside and mid-range. I've been working hard and I want to continue to do that."
McLeod and the rest of the Blue Devils will have an opportunity to build off of their consecutive 29 point victories this Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Duke will face Tulsa, who eliminated Oklahoma State on Friday after defeating UCLA in the first round. A possible championship game showdown with Indiana looms if both teams can win their semifinal games.
"I think this tough early schedule is going to give us quick development," McLeod said. "This is what you want when you play basketball. You want to be in situations where you have big games. It prepares you for the NCAA Tournament."
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