CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — It’s no secret the Blue Devils have struggled on the road this season.
Part of the problem has been the team’s difficulty generating a rhythm on offense. Lack of ball movement and player movement has led to stagnant possessions and contested shots, and consequently, a lot of low scores for Duke away from home.
To counter that, head coach Mike Krzyzewski started working on the team’s motion offense this week in practice, the idea being that a balanced attack would better serve No. 10 Duke against a Boston College team that has had its fair share of success against the Blue Devils, particularly at home. It worked, as a solid offensive showing—especially in the first half—balanced Duke’s stringent defensive effort in a 66-63 win over the Eagles.
“What we wanted to do this week is we wanted to have more guys touch the ball,” Krzyzewski said. “And so motion is not just to get unpredictable movement, but it’s to make everyone think that we’re scoring, that not one guy is scoring.”
In the first half, the Blue Devils were incredibly smooth on the offensive end, converting on 15-of-25 shots for a 60 percent clip. The efficiency on offense resulted from good spacing and movement, both on and off the ball, and Duke had seven assists on 15 scores.
Junior Nolan Smith led the way in the opening session with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and three assists. Smith scored in a variety of ways, including coming off of curls, pulling up from midrange and driving directly to the basket, giving the Eagles fits as to how to defend him.
“Every shot that I was taking, I had confidence,” Smith said. “My teammates, they know where I like the ball and they do a great job of getting me the ball where I like—off curls and getting those good midrange looks.”
Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer chipped in seven and nine points in the first half, respectively, on a combined 7-of-13 shooting, including seven straight by Scheyer to close the period and give the Blue Devils a 10-point lead entering halftime.
“Sometimes in our losses, we didn’t move the ball as well,” Scheyer said. “For whatever reason on the road, we haven’t done that. So that’s something we talked about and I thought we did a really good job of that today.”
Duke barely managed to hang onto its first-half advantage in the closing stretch. With the Blue Devils playing their second game in 43 hours, tired legs left the team unable to move as effectively in the second half. The wear showed on the stat sheet, as Duke shot only 8-of-23 in the second period and struggled from the free throw line throughout the game, making just 15-of-26 free throws.
With the motion coming to a halt, Duke turned to its most important strength: its veteran leadership.
After Rakim Sanders blocked Smith on a potential fast-break layup and Corey Raji converted for the Eagles on the other end, Scheyer calmly sank a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to maintain the Blue Devils’ double-digit lead. And when Boston College pulled to within four with under two mintues to play, Smith found an opening in the lane for a lay-in to keep Duke comfortably in front.
“Today we showed a lot of poise, and we played together,” Smith said. “The guys that we have on the court are definitely ready for anything.”
Even though the Blue Devils’ offensive plan faltered in the second half, Krzyzewski maintained that the team will continue to work on its movement with the ball as ACC play progresses. And even if the ball stops moving, Duke knows that it has experienced leaders to make the correct plays, as the veteran perimeter came through once more Saturday in a tough road environment.
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