Duke basketball: Revisiting three key games from the 2012-2013 season

In preparation for the start of the 2013-14 Duke basketball season, we rewind back to three games from last season that tell us something about this year's Blue Devil team.

Jan. 23 at Miami
In a game most Duke fans would prefer to forget, the Blue Devils, recently re-instated as the No. 1 team in the country, were thrashed by the No. 25 Hurricanes in Miami, 90-63. Duke was playing its third game without forward Ryan Kelly, and struggled to slow down a torrid Hurricane offensive pace. Miami guards Durand Scott and Shane Larkin had 25 points and 18 points, respectively, while big man Kenny Kadji—who Kelly likely would have guarded—added 22. Miami ran away from the Blue Devils in the first half, then protected its lead and cruised to a victory in the second half.

As badly as the Blue Devils struggled to defend the Hurricanes, they were even worse on the offensive end. A trio of Duke guards—Seth Curry, Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton—combined to shoot 1-for-29 from the field. As a team, Duke shot a season-low 29.7 percent from the floor, and went just 4-for-23 from beyond the arc. The lone bright spots for the Blue Devils were the freshmen. Rasheed Sulaimon had a team-high 16 points and Amile Jefferson, playing 28 minutes with Kelly out, had 13 points and five rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting.

Implications for this year: With so many key players lining the perimeter, Duke cannot become one-dimensional—an off shooting night could spell disaster.

Feb. 7 vs. N.C. State:
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has made it clear that he wants his team to push the tempo in 2013-2014. No game from last season more clearly demonstrates the virtues of pushing the tempo than the Blue Devils' 98-85 victory over the Wolfpack. Behind 10 first-half 3-pointers—four each from Curry and Cook, and a pair from Sulaimon—Duke was up 58-37 at halftime. The offensive flurry continued in the second half, but the Wolfpack fought back into the game, behind 23 points from Richard Howell and four Scott Wood 3-pointers. Duke made key plays down the stretch, and made 32-of-41 from the free throw line to secure the victory.

Implications for this year: The Duke offense can be prolific when it pushes the tempo, but the defense may also suffer. Transition opportunities can also lead to foul trouble for opponents, as we saw on display at Countdown to Craziness. Both Howell and CJ Leslie fouled out for N.C. State due at least in part to the tempo.

March 23 vs. Creighton:
With Kelly and Plumlee both battling foul trouble trying to slow down Doug McDermott and Gregory Echinique. Cook and Curry weren't cutting it offensively with the big men in foul trouble, hitting just 2-of-12 from beyond the arc. Duke had to look to other sources if it wanted to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Enter Sulaimon. The freshman scored a team-high 21 points, nailing 3-of-5 from behind the arc and hitting 8-of-10 free throws. Thornton also drilled both of his 3-point attempts, and the Blue Devils got past the Blue Jays 66-50.

Implications for this year: If Sulaimon and Thornton can remain scoring threats from deep, they'll draw some pressure away from Cook and give Jefferson, Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker more one-on-one opportunities. If teams try to double the Blue Devils down low, kick-outs for open 3's should be available. The return of Andre Dawkins should go a long way in helping Duke preserve its 3-point shooting excellence after the departure of long-range aces Kelly and Curry.