Game Blog: Duke overcomes 16 point deficit, tops Miami 78-75
Feb 7, 2009
3:57 p.m - The overtime period saw Miami make just two field goals, and yet the Canes only fell by three points to the Blue Devils. Jon Scheyer was tops among Duke's four players in double figures, with 22 points. Jack McClinton hit huge shots time and time again, but it wasn't enough to bring his team back when it counted. I was surprised that Dwyane Collins only had five field goal attempts in this game. Also, James Dews attempted a forced three-pointer on Miami's second-to-last possession, when I thought McClinton should have gotten a look. Give Duke credit for a huge comeback win, outplaying Miami in the 2nd half.
Final score - Duke 78, Miami 75. Off to the lockerroom for interviews with the players and coaches.
3:35 p.m. - Duke led 68-65 with 30 seconds to play. You had to know Jack McClinton was going to get the last shot for Miami. McClinton was actually defended well by Jon Scheyer and David McClure, but was able to find some space and bury a three from the wing. Duke had a chance to win the game, but Scheyer missed a three, and Singler's tip-rebound attempt banged off the glass. WOW. This game is deserving of extra time.
End of regulation - Duke 68, Miami 68
3:23 p.m. - Jack McClinton is carrying Miami, Gerald Henderson lifting Duke. The Blue Devils lead by one point, for now. The Canes and Devils have been trading baskets. McClinton is creating his own shot, what a deadly shooter. I truly believe when he's on his game, no one in the ACC is better. McClinton has 23 points to lead all scorers. Meanwhile, Henderson is up to 15 points after he just made a lay up. He was fouled and is heading to the line after the official timeout. Jon Scheyer's 19 points leads all Duke scorers.
3:03 to play - Duke 63, Miami 62
3:10 p.m. - Duke has been full throttle since the break. The Devils' shooting has improved (10-of-26 in the 2nd half), and so has the aggressiveness on the glass. Duke leads the rebounding battle now 28-27, meaning they've out-boarded Miami 13-2 since the intermission. Duke's lead is two points, but the momentum is clearly in the Devils' corner. Jack McClinton and James Dews are keeping Miami in the game, with clutch shooting for the Canes.
7:24 to play - Duke 51, Miami 49
2:58 p.m. - Greg Paulus just got familiar with DeQuan Jones' elbow. After Gerald Henderson scored from the top of the key, Paulus stole the ball on the inbounds play and scored an easy lay up to tie the game at 42 apiece. After the basket, Jones appeared to get tangled up with Paulus, and when he extended his arm it clocked Paulus. After a few minutes of reviewing the play, the officials charged Jones with a flagrant foul. I'm pretty sure the ACC doesn't want their host arenas showing replays of controversial plays, but apparently Cameron doesn't follow that mantra. The "Crazies" went, well, crazy after the scoreboard replay of the elbow-to-face incident.
Overshadowed by the Jones' elbow incident, is the 14-0 run the Devils went on from the 15-minute mark to about the 11-minute mark. During that time Henderson nailed two three's and had a big break-away dunk. His effort is contagious for this Duke team.
Scheyer hit one of the two free throws awarded for the flagrant foul, then nailed a three from the corner on the next possession. Duke has overcome a 16-point 2nd half deficit to take a lead of 4 points. That is the Blue Devils' first lead since 3-0 in the first minute of the game. Looks like we have a game on our hands. Wow...
11:53 to play - Duke 46, Miami 42
2:47 p.m - Henderson may just be heating up. Duke's junior leader has just drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the lead to 10 points. If he can find his stroke it may inspire this Duke team to start hitting some shots. Duke also was aided by a crowd-rousing Greg Paulus three pointer.
15:51 to play - Miami 40, Duke 29
2:35 p.m. - Rebounding, shooting, three-point shooting, bench scoring. Those are all statistics that Miami leads by considerable margins at the break. The Canes have out-rebounded the Devils 25-14. They've scored twice as many field goals as Duke; 12 to the Devils' 6. Duke is just 6-of-31 from the field, including 4-of-16 from three point range. Meanwhile, Miami is shooting 46.2%, 12-of-26 from the field.
This is a brutal shooting performance for the Blue Devils. Miami's defense has looked tough, but it also feels like Duke has missed some good looks. Another big factor is bench play. Duke has just 2 points from a non-starter (David McClure), while Miami's bench has scored 14 points.
2:26 p.m. - Duke's offensive woes continue. Unofficially the Blue Devils are shooting just under 20% for the game. This is surprising. Miami is led by Jack McClinton's 10 points. I'll gather the official halftime stats and post again in a few minutes.
Halftime - Miami 32, Duke 19
2:14 p.m. - Rebounding advantage equals a game advantage. As I predicted, rebounding is a big key in this one. Miami leads that category 18 to 8, and leads the game by twelve points. Dwayne Collins has been a big factor on the glass for the Canes, leading Miami with 5 rebounds. Duke is still struggling to find open looks, again running the shot clock down multiple times in the last few minutes. What's worse for Devils fans, no one seems to be "feeling it" today. Henderson, Paulus, Singler, Scheyer and Thomas have all missed open looks.
3:03 to play in the first half - Miami 27, Duke 15
2:05 p.m - Duke is having trouble establishing any offense. The Blue Devils have taken nearly the entire shot clock on at least four occasions before settling on an undesirable shot. Credit the Hurricanes' pressure defense, switching fast off of screens and pressuring the ball heavily. Miami's James Dews leads all scorers with 8 points. He's knocked down a couple of three pointers.
My apologies for not posting at the second media timeout. Blame the failed wi-fi connection at Cameron.
7:04 to play in the first half - Miami 20, Duke 15
1:46 p.m. - Tied up at the first media timeout. Jack McClinton is being guarded by John Scheyer. I was curious who the Blue Devils would put on McClinton to try to slow him down. Duke's man-to-man defense has been impressive thus far. Miami didn't score it's first basket until after a couple minutes of action. Duke's offense has not been crisp either. A three-pointer apiece from Greg Paulus and John Scheyer account for all of Duke's scoring.
15:06 to play in the first half - Duke 6, Miami 6
1:05 p.m. - Duke hasn't lost a home game all season. The Blue Devils are 13-0 at Cameron this year, including 4-0 in the ACC. Miami has never won in this building. The Hurricanes are 0-5 on Duke's campus.
It appears there are two keys to this game; rebounding and three-point shooting.
Miami leads the ACC in rebounding margin, while Duke ranks third in the ACC in that category. Whether it's the Canes or the Devils, whoever dominates the glass in this one should control the game.
Duke's three-point shooting defense is the ACC's best. The Blue Devils are holding opponents to just 26.4% from behind the arc. On the flip side, no ACC team has made more three's this season than Miami. The Hurricanes average 7.6 three's per game, and have hit 37% of their long balls this year. Duke's three-point accuracy is a huge key as well. With Miami's zone defense, the Blue Devils should have open looks from the outside.
This is my first experience at Cameron Indoor today. The media seating is court-side, can't beat the proximity to the action. It is obviously a great home court advantage for Duke to have the student seating so close to the court. But, with press row directly in front of the student section, media members are subjected to a variety of annoyances from the "Crazies." With tip off still almost half an hour away, I've already had an apple hit me in the back of the shoulder, endured a variety of unsettling odors and several knees in the back. Many students are literally two feet from the Miami players as the Canes warm up; often shouting graphic insults. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be in college again, and sometimes I'm glad those days are behind me.
As the nation recovers from the shocking news about Alex Rodriguez' alleged steroid use in 2003, I'll be getting to know the nation's best and brightest here in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
But, I digress, back to the Devils vs. Canes. This should be a great ACC game. A confident Miami team with a lot to prove faces a Duke team that looks to regain their pride and prowess after an embarrassing loss at Clemson.
Enjoy the game. I'll post again after a few minutes of action here in Durham.
