DURHAM – Get ready for revolving door of college basketball teams occupying the No. 1 chair in national rankings. Unless, that is, Duke’s pressure defense has something to say about the upcoming weeks.
The No. 2-ranked Blue Devils are poised to become the third No. 1 team in three weeks of voting in next week’s voting after defeating Central Arkansas 105-57 Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Yes, the top-ranked teams are falling like flies.
Preseason No. 1 Michigan State was pushed out the exit door with its season-opening 69-62 loss on Nov. 5 to then-No. 2 Kentucky in the Champions Classic. The Wildcats naturally moved up to No. 1 in Tuesday’s poll, with Duke climbing from No. 4 to No. 2.
But a few hours after the poll was released, Kentucky went spinning out the door with a 67-64 loss to Evansville at Rupp Arena. That opens the door for Duke (3-0) to replace Kentucky with a win against Georgia State (1-1) Friday at Cameron before next week’s voting.
Michigan State’s downfall was poor three-point shooting, hitting only 5-of-26 shots (19.2 percent).
Kentucky also struggled against Evansville with three-point shot, hitting only 4-of-17 (23.5 percent).
Duke will certainly have its days when the three-pointer won’t fall, but the Blue Devils are banking on defense as their consistent thread. Duke forced 11 steals in the first half en route to a 57-20 lead before they backed off in the second half and finished with 14 steals. The Blue Devils have 37 steals in three games.
Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell said his Bears couldn’t get into their offense with the pressure defense from end to end.
“I think it was the relentless pressure,” Pennell said. “Everything you do is an adventure, whether it’s dribbling, trying to make your entry pass. I think first you have to have the horses to match up. Second you’ve got to put them on their heels, you got to make plays toward the rim. When you play, as we say East-West, sideline to sideline, they’re going to eat you a live.
“Once they did that in the first half, I’d see sagging chins in timeouts. They’ll take the heart out of you.”
Duke scored 26 points off turnovers and 21 points off fast breaks. The lopsided score allowed coach Mike Krzyzewski to empty the bench, but 55 points off the bench also was indicative of the number of fresh bodies rotated onto the court.
“We’ve been consistent at forcing turnovers,” senior forward Jack White said. “It was a good defensive game overall. We’re just trying to learn from each game. We’re 3-0 and excited about that. Any team we go up against we want them to know we’re going to play hard and take them out of what they want to do and create some easy opportunities in transition. We’re 10 or 11 deep. Anyone can have a big night. It feels like the whole team is scoring.”
Freshman Matthew Hurt led scoring 19 points coming off the bench after starting the first two games. Freshman Vernon Carey posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cassius Stanley scored 13 points and Alex O’Connell and Wendell Moore 10 each.
Duke’s Central Arkansas and Georgia State games are part of the 2K Empire Classic that benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. The tournament continues Nov. 21 and Nov. 22 with Duke, Cal, Texas and Georgetown advancing to New York at Madison Square Garden.
Georgetown-Texas meet at 7 p.m. and Duke and Cal at 9 p.m. The losers meet at 5 p.m. Nov. 22 and the winners at 7 p.m. on Nov. 22.
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Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
Don’t believe the myths at Duffy Daugherty’s expense about Bear Bryant’s motivation to play the 1970 USC-Alabama game or myths about the Charlie Thornhill-for-Joe Namath trade. Bear Bryant knew nothing about black talent in the South while he dragged his feet on segregation.
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
http://shanahan.report/a/myths-that-grew-out-of-1970-alabama-game-with-usc
http://shanahan.report/a/mystery-solved-in-thornhill-and-namath-myth
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.”
https://www.augustpublications.com/
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