EAST LANSING, Mich. - Defense is the backbone of any championship team, and it was the cornerstone of the Blue Devils when they were at their best. But a rugged, intense Michigan State squad shattered that foundation and handed Duke an early exit from this year's Tournament precisely because it played better defense than Duke.
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie was beat at her own game, as the Spartans played solely to their strengths and neutralized any Blue Devil advantages.
"I felt that we could break their zone pressure," head coach Suzy Merchant said. "I know it was intense, but the way that they run it, if you have enough outlets, the trap is ineffective."
Merchant effectively eliminated Duke's athletic edge by breaking its press defense and matchup zone, and McCallie did nothing to compensate. Instead, the Blue Devils played directly into the Spartans' forte: size and strength in the paint.
Michigan State's overwhelming size inside was a huge advantage both on offense and defense. All of its post players were six feet or taller, making it exceedingly difficult for the Blue Devil guards to drive inside for layups and kickouts.
Rarely an informative statistic, layup percentages played a huge role in Tuesday night's frenzy. In the first half, the Blue Devils made 1-of-9 layups and a totaled only four points in the paint. The problem persisted in the second half, as Duke finished an abysmal 5-of-15 from close.
The team's struggles to score inside affected all aspects of its game. Confident that they could stop the Blue Devils' inside offense, the Spartans concentrated on the perimeter to seal off any open shooting opportunities or kickouts to the Duke guards.
And while the Blue Devils struggled in the paint, Michigan State owned the post. On defense, the Spartans totaled 11 blocks as they continually thwarted Duke's attempts to drive inside. Their offensive efforts were similarly impressive, showcased by their 32 points in the paint.
"I tried to push [Chante Black] out a little more," junior center Lauren Aitch said. "From watching her on film, she's not that great when she's far from the basket. We tried to push her out, and when they missed a basket, we tried to get our rebounds."
In her final game as a Blue Devil, Black was held to four points and eight rebounds-drastically below her season averages of 14.5 and 8.5, respectively. The blame cannot rest solely upon her shoulders, however. It must be placed on the team's defective press defense.
The spark of the Duke offense is usually its defense. Averaging 23.3 forced turnovers, the Blue Devils are accustomed to harassing opposing teams and generating quick fast-break points. Against the Spartans, though, they only managed to force 14 turnovers and four fast-break points.
"We generate a lot of offense off of broken plays and turnovers," McCallie said. "We needed to do a better job."
That would be a theme of the entire night: Duke just simply needed to do a better job.
The team was held to a season-low 49 points and nothing seemed to take form. The team that struggled in the Breslin Center was not the same team that emerged in the last two weeks or the one that deserved a No. 1 seed on Selection Monday.
Without their effective high-intensity pressure defense, the Blue Devils were broken down systematically. They constantly had to run back into their matchup zone, which was dissected by the precise passes of the Michigan State guards. It's not a surprise that fatigue set in at the end of the game, when the Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 17-2 game-ending run.
The agility and ability that characterized this year's team was nowhere to be seen. Instead of using its advantage in quickness, Duke forced improbable shots and eventually, the deficit became to much to overcome.
"We were taking all of these ridiculous threes when we needed to just score," McCallie said. "We didn't have poise at that point and time, and that's not a good thing to lose, especially if you're in a hostile environment.
"Our season ends on a learning note."
Michigan State taught the Blue Devils all they need to know: Anything can happen in the Tournament, especially when a team's hallmark becomes a liability.
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