3 Key Takeaways
1.) No Freshmen, No Problem
One of the biggest headlines entering the game was how Duke’s four starting freshmen would handle the big stage early in their college basketball careers. Although they by no means failed to live up to the test, Grayson Allen proved that he should not be forgotten about. With both Gary Trent and Trevon Duval struggling to shoot – combining to go 10-for-34 from the field – and Wendell Carter in foul trouble, Allen exploded for 37 points to lead the Blue Devils to victory down the stretch and remind the world why he should be in the conversation for National Player of the Year.
2.) Deep Bench
As is the question almost every year, how deep would head coach Mike Krzyzewski go into the bench. Typically, in primetime games such as tonight, the rotation goes only about seven deep. However, with Marvin Bagley going down, both Javin DeLaurier and Carter fighting foul trouble, and Marques Bolden still slowly recovering from strep throat, the coaching staff went 10-deep. Jordan Goldwire registered a solid 11 minutes, scoring four points while Antonio Vrankovic provided some energy off the bench for a quick relief stint that saw him score three points. Although the decision to go deep was obviously situational, it is nice to see that Duke has players who can step up when their number is called.
3.) Bagley’s Injury
Arguably the biggest takeaway from the game will be Bagley’s health and the response to the injury. When Bagley was on the floor, there was no question that the Blue Devils were a different team. They had just gone on an 11-0 run to take a seven-point lead and the six-foot-11 freshman was dominating the glass, grabbing five offensive rebounds in just 10 minutes. However, when he went down after being inadvertently poked in the right eye by teammate DeLaurier, the Spartans went on an extended 22-11 run to take a 34-30 lead. For Duke fans everywhere, hopefully the injury is not long-term as Bagley is truly a once-in-a-generation talent who can take this team far.
3 Key Stats
1.) 37 Points
Without a doubt, the headline tomorrow will be Allen’s phenomenal performance. With the lights on him, the senior connected on 63.4 percent of his attempts downtown, 55 percent overall, and was perfect from the charity stripe. With the game tied at 75, Allen hit Trent who knocked his only three of the game, before canning two of his own triples to give the Blue Devils an 84-77 lead with just 72 seconds to play. His 37 points set a new career high and he now averages over 25 on the season.
2.) 17 Turnovers
After Marvin Bagley went down, Duke transitioned from playing a man-defense to primarily a 2-3 zone. Zone defenses are notoriously hard to execute at the college level, especially with so many freshmen, yet the Blue Devils did find some success. Led by six steals by Trevon Duval – who also recorded his second straight double-double with 17 points and 10 assists – Duke forced 17 Michigan State turnovers. Although there were some stretches where the Spartans found open threes or Miles Bridges brilliantly shot over the guards, the scheme most importantly kept Bridges out of the lane and limited him to perimeter looks.
3.) 46 Rebounds
Looking at team shooting-percentages purely, the Blue Devils should not have won the game, shooting 39.5 percent from the field compared to 50.8 percent for the Spartans and only marginally shooting better from deep. However, Duke used its dominating size in the post to pull down 25 offensive rebounds, leading to second-chance opportunities and as a result 15 more shots. As a whole, the Blue Devils outrebounded Michigan State by a 46 to 34 margin. This imposing frontcourt should continue to produce similar results as the season continues.
3 Key Plays
1.) Marvin Bagley Goes Down
With about 10 minutes left in the first half, Bagley and DeLaurier both went up for a defensive board. As the latter came down to the floor, his fingers swiped across Bagley’s right eye and the freshman went down immediately. After being attended to by the medical staff, where he mouthed, “I can’t see,” he was led to locker room. The forward returned to floor in the second half but did not play, and was visibly irritated by his eye that was bloodshot red.
2.) Allen to Trent for a Go-Ahead Triple
With just over three minutes to play, the game was all locked up at 75. Following an Allen miss from deep, DeLaurier scooped up the offensive board and sent it back to the senior. With the Spartans collapsing on him in fear of another Grayson triple, Allen swung the ball to an open Trent who sunk the go-ahead three. The make was a huge moment for the freshman, who had gone 0-for-6 from deep and 2-for-13 from the field up until that point.
3.) Allen puts the Game Away
Among the plethora of Allen highlights from the night – such as his NBA-range shot to end the half – the most important ones were the back-to-back threes to put the game out of reach. Throughout the contest, Allen kept Duke competitive as his teammates struggled to make baskets. With 2:28 left, following offensive boards from DeLaurier and Trent, Allen connected over Bridges on the left wing to give the Blue Devils a six-point lead. After a Jaren Jackson jumper that cut the deficit to four, Allen responded with another three at the key with two seconds left in the shot clock to put the nail in the coffin.
Looking Forward
This team truly has the pieces to be something special. Despite battling injuries, foul trouble, and poor shooting, the Blue Devils were able to defeat the No.2 team in the country. Assuming the Bagley injury is not severe and Duke improves on its subpar free throw percentage, all the tools are there for a deep run and tonight showed the toughness and adaptability of the team. With a point guard who now boasts a 7.5 assist-to-turnover ratio to go along with four steals per game, a shooter in Allen who is now 65.4 percent from deep, and bigs that have been cleaning up on both ends of the floor, the season will be exciting to watch.
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