Stat Chat: Look at the time

Duke and UCLA play largely the same way. Both teams score a lot of points, while struggling to stop opponents from scoring on the other end of the court. Struggling may be the understatement of the century, as the Blue Devils rank 268th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage this season, allowing 45 percent shooting. So how did Duke manage to hold the Bruins' high-powered offense to 63 points? It all comes down to the pace of play.

One of UCLA's strengths is getting down the floor quickly and scoring before the defense has time to react. In the first half, the Bruins averaged 12.9 seconds per possession (SPP) on made field goals. More than half of these baskets came in the paint, where UCLA scored at a rate of 10.6 seconds per two-point field goal. Considering the Bruins scored only four fast break points in the first half, scoring at such a rapid rate is impressive, especially since 64.3 percent of the team's made baskets were assisted.

The Bruins couldn't find the same speed in the second half, averaging 15.8 SPP on made baskets and 23.5 SPP on made three-pointers. Credit the Blue Devils' ability to get in the passing lanes as a major reason why. Duke forced eight turnovers and UCLA assisted a mere 30.0 percent of made field goals.

Of course, I'd be remiss not to point out the biggest difference was the amount of long rebounds UCLA gathered from Duke's missed 3-point attempts. The Blue Devils shot a season-high 32 3-pointers in the game, a strategy that had many scratching their heads early. There was a sequence in the first half where Duke proceeded to shoot and miss five 3-pointers and turn the ball over four times in a nearly five minute span (11:58-7:16). The Bruins ended up going on a 14-5 run.

The solution to the problem was taking their time on the offensive end. The Blue Devils SPP on made baskets overall and from deep changed by less than a second; however, the SPP on made three point baskets (18.91) is far greater than the SPP on missed three point shot attempts (14.71). Duke moved the ball well the entire game, but taking the extra time to find a quality shot made the difference in the second half. Despite drops in overall assisted field goals, from 73.33 to 62.50 percent, the Blue Devils were able to work the ball inside and free up perimeter shooters for easier looks.

Duke is very athletic and has plenty of perimeter shooters, but we saw against UCLA that playing tough defense and being patient in the half court set can prove to pay higher dividends than trying to get out in transition and sometimes neglecting defensive responsibilities. The Blue Devils will probably not shoot 32 3-pointers again, but as long as the offense is set properly, let the 3-point attempts fly.