By Paul Gotham
Setting: It’s the ACC versus the Big East in a top ten showdown when Mike Krzyzewski brings his No. 8 Duke Blue Devils (17-3/ 5-2) to the Verizon Center for a tilt with the No. 7 Georgetown Hoyas (15-4/ 6-3) coached by John Thompson III.
Plot: Conference RPI is on the line. The ACC sits in third behind No. 2, the Big East, and No. 1, the Big 12.
Sub-plot: Georgetown is coming off a road loss to Syracuse – a game in which they opened with a 14-0 lead. Last time out Duke beat Florida State 70-56 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Seminoles out-rebounded the Devils 38-29. All three of Duke’s losses have come on the road this season (North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and Wisconsin). Georgetown is 9-1 at home losing to Old Dominion, 61-57.
Flashback: Gerald Henderson had a game-high 23 points on 10-15 shooting from the field, and Kyle Singler grabbed 16 rebounds as Duke beat Georgetown, 76-67 last season. Duke leads the all-time series, 7-6. The two have split 1-1 at the Verizon Center.
Foreshadowing: Fifty-one former Blue Devils have made their way to the NBA. Fourteen of those alums currently dot NBA rosters: Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Gerald Henderson, Grant Hill, Dahntay Jones, Corey Maggette, Josh McRoberts, Shavlik Randolph, J.J. Redick, and Shelden Williams.
Thirty-three Hoyas have laced them up in the Association. Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Allen Iverson, and DaJuan Summers all earn pay checks in the NBA.
Conflict: Both teams grab just under 40 rebounds per game while giving up 33.4 (Duke) and 34.2 (Georgetown). This is a game that could be won in the paint. Florida State exposed Duke last time out. Georgetown relies heavily on Greg Monroe. The sophomore has 10 double-figure rebounding games this season. Six of those performances have come at home – all wins. Monroe has three or more fouls in seven of Georgetown’s last eight games. Duke will run a stable of post players at the 6’11” sophomore forward: Lance Thomas, Miles Plumlee, Brian Zoubek, and Mason Plumlee. Monroe will need to stay aggressive but, more importantly, stay on the floor.
Austin Freeman leads the Hoyas with 16 points per game. The junior guard is knocking down threes at a rate of 47.3 percent.
Chris Wright averages 14.6 per game, and the Hoyas are 14-0 when the junior scores in double figures. Wright is 80 percent (53-66) from the free throw line.
Jason Clark and Julian Vaughn round out Georgetown’s starting five. Vaughn has nine double figure games this year and chips in eight points and five rebounds. The junior forward finishes 56 percent (66-118) from the field.
Clark adds 10 points and just under five rebounds for Thompson’s squad.
If Georgetown is to win, they must slow down Duke’s big three: Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and Kyle Singler. The trio combine for 53 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Smith has scored at least 20 points in seven of Duke’s last eleven games. The junior combines a deft shooting touch from behind the three-point arc (31-64/ 48.4) with the ability to slash to the basket and finish.
Scheyer is fourth in the nation with an assist to turnover ratio of 3.4:1. The senior guard adds just under 19 points. If Duke holds a late lead, Scheyer is deadly from the line – 98-109 (89.9).
Singler adds 16 points and seven boards.
Thomas scores five a game and grabs 4.6 rebounds. The senior forward will be counted on to keep Monroe in check.
Duke’s depth might be their biggest asset on this day. Only six Georgetown players average double-digit minutes. Duke uses eight palyers 14 minutes or more.
Resolution: Expect Duke to take the ball to the basket plenty today. The Blue Devils will want to make the Hoyas defend them. That is not to suggest Duke won’t let it fly from behind the arc. They will shoot from long-range to open the floor and then drive into space.
Georgetown will want to take a page from Florida State’s game plan and hit the boards. Duke is 16th in the nation in rebound margin, but the Seminoles exposed a possible weakness.
Duke used a zone to slow Florida State’s momentum. That tact will not have the same success against the Hoyas. Monroe is tough when he catches the ball at the high post and distributes.
This will be a one-possession game that Duke will win at the free throw line.
Got any comments on the game? Post them here.
Would be quite interested to get everyone’s take on what we saw in Georgetown’s solid beating of Duke today. What does it mean, if anything? I know it’s just one game, but it says to me that the Big East is really the top conference this year and I don’t think any other conference even comes close. The BE should, no could, get 8 teams into the Big Dance, but I know it’s early. With 3 teams in the Top 10, come Monday, and 5 or so in the Top 20 … then add in recent wins over Texas and now over #7 Duke … the depth of the conference is hard to question. Thoughts from the Pine?
No doubt the Big East is a strong conference. To say no “other conference even comes close?” Not sure I agree with that. Today was one game. Georgetown was at home, coming off a loss. A loss where they had a 14-0 lead. My guess is the Hoyas had some great practices the last couple of days. UConn beat Texas at Storrs in the first game of Calhoun’s absence. There was a lot of emotion there. If the Big east gets 8 in the tourney, it is because it is such a large conference.
Keep in mind Rhode Island beat Providence. Charlotte won at Louisville. Temple beat Villanova (yes, the Owls lost to Georgetown by 1 and St.John’s).
Well … if the Big East does get 8 teams … it’s because the teams “in the middle” like Marquette, UConn, Louisville are pretty darned good, not because it’s a huge conference … that’s a cop out. They are the strongest conference … at least right now, this year. ACC isn’t looking so hot … cannot remember when UNC and Wake were both unranked. This year’s ACC flagship team, Duke, just got flogged.
To no one’s shock, among the several teams making the Big Dance from the BE will NOT be Notre Dame. They slept through the first 38 mins of a MUST WIN game against conference cupcake 0-8 Rutgers and lost a very winnable game. I cannot believe how uninspired ND’s play was in a MUST WIN game. This team couldn’t win a road game vs Mishawaka CC. So here’s my last work on Mike “Better Pray” Brey … he’s gotta go! Boot him out. It’s not like he’s got anything going with a great team coming up in a year or two. The Irish just flat ouy suck. He’s got a veteran team that plays like a young team … add to that the fact they have no heart and no brains (Jackson!). I cannot believe how scared this team played in that ever dangerous lion’s den at 0-8 Rutgers! This team reflects the demeanor of their head coach … which is to say they lack passion in just about every dimension. Boot Brey.
Pete … I’m solidly with you now. There is no question.
Villanova is 19-1. Syracuse is 21-1. West Virginia is 17-3. Pittsburgh is 16-4.
Georgetown is 16-4.
Then there is a drop off.
Cincinnati 13-7
Louisville 13-8
Providence 12-8
Notre Dame 15-7
Marquette 13-8
South Florida 13-7
Seton Hall 12-7
Connecticut 13-8
St. John’s 12-8
Rutgers 10-11
DePaul 8-13
UConn, Marquette, and Louisville are good but all have 8 losses.
Yes, Duke got flogged. It counts as one win for Georgetown and one loss for Duke.
Casey, What does the ACC look like this year??
Duke 5-2 17-4
Maryland 4-2 14-6
Virginia 4-2 13-6
Florida State 4-3 16-5
Georgia Tech 4-3 16-5
Wake Forest 4-3 14-5
Clemson 4-4 16-6
Virginia Tech 3-3 16-4
Boston College 3-5 12-10
North Carolina 2-4 13-8
Miami (FL) 2-5 16-5
North Carolina State 2-5 14-8
Thank you.