The Blue Devils’ play over the first half of Saturday’s contest certainly looked like a team in desperate need of a win. Behind solid play from Mark Williams and a highlight slam from Jalen Johnson, Duke leads 41-22 entering the break. Here are five observations from the first 20 minutes:
Slap the floor energy early
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski decided to make a defensive statement early, opting to start on-ball stalwarts Wendell Moore Jr. and Jordan Goldwire over the more offensive-minded guard Jeremy Roach. Early on, it certainly seemed like the right choice. The Tigers scored on just one of their first 11 possessions thanks to sloppy turnovers and a poor shooting start.
Moore offensive change, please
While Moore was a big help defensively, he continues to struggle on the other end of the floor. The sophomore’s closest shot to the basket came on an elbow jumper as he continues to struggle attacking the rim. Moore proved last year that he can score at the basket, and he can make plays for others, but a 2-for-9 shooting performance in Saturday’s first half should be a sign for the Charlotte native to take a different approach.
Shooting struggles
Duke’s lead would be even bigger if it weren’t for a slow shooting start. The Blue Devils failed to convert on their first four attempts from deep before Joey Baker connected on a triple more than 10 minutes into the contest. The program’s streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer was stretched to a whopping 1,102 games, but Duke will need to sure up its long range shooting in the second half if it wants to put away a pesky Clemson team.
Dunk of the year?
Forget just a player of the half, this noon tipoff brought a play of the half. Jalen Johnson picked off a lazy pass from Chase Hunter and took it coast-to-coast for a highlight-reel slam. PJ Hall made the foolish decision to jump with the talented freshman, who turned the Clemson defender into an iPhone screensaver. Johnson posted just five points in the half, but his massive dunk gave the Blue Devils a big spark in yet another empty arena.
Player of the half: Mark Williams
One big positive for the Blue Devils was a balanced scoring attack in the first half, with seven players in the scoring column. However, the big man Mark Williams deserves credit for his surprising contributions of late. The freshman collected four rebounds, one block and seven points, five of which came from an impressive alley-oop finish and a highlight and-one bucket. Williams also made his presence felt when keeping possessions alive, tapping loose balls out for more Blue Devil chances.
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