The first half was winding to a close, and Duke's early stream of buckets had run dry. The Blue Devils had shredded Seton Hall's man-to-man defense in jumping out to a 37-19 lead, but the Pirates' switch to a zone defense left Duke scrambling for a basket.
With the small Seton Hall contingent roaring, the momentum swinging rapidly, and the Pirates threatening to scavenge their way back into the game at the half, the Blue Devils turned to the two players who tormented Seton Hall time and again Saturday afternoon: a resurgent J.J. Redick and a mature-beyond-his-years Luol Deng.
Redick wielded the first dagger. After the Pirates clawed to within 37-28 and looked primed to cut even further into Duke's lead in the final minute of the half, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't hesitate in calling Redick's number in search of the team's first points in over four minutes.
With 47 seconds left, Redick ran the baseline, curled around a screen on the wing, and buried a long three-pointer. Shooting slump? Gone.
"I can't remember what I said to Chris [in the huddle after the big shot]," said Redick, who poured in 21 points. "I just know that Coach called a two-for-one. I came around the baseline. I pretty much had the idea in my mind that I was going to shoot the ball."
The Blue Devils weren't done yet. After forcing a missed shot by former Dukie and current Pirate Andre Sweet, the Blue Devils drew a foul with eight seconds remaining. The inbounds pass from the baseline went to Deng at the free-throw line. The precocious freshman turned, shot, and buried a jumper--Laettner-esque while being fouled. Seton Hall threat? Gone.
"We got to the last minute of the first half, and we used a two-for-one, and we outscored them 5-0," Krzyzewski said. "That gave us the momentum... and then we started out right in the second half."
Redick and Deng, who combined to score 41 of Duke's 90 points, set the tone from the outset. Deng got the Blue Devils on the scoreboard with a short jumper 46 seconds into the contest. One minute and two missed Seton Hall shots later, Redick swished a 15-foot jump shot, sending notice to everyone from North Carolina to New Jersey that any shooting slump was ancient history. With that, the Blue Devils had a lead they would relinquish only once more, for a mere 21 seconds.
For Redick in particular, getting off to such a blistering start was critical. The sophomore guard is a streaky shooter to begin with, and of late the streak hasn't been of the good sort. In the six games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, Redick--quite likely the best shooter in the nation--shot a putrid 31-percent from the field, including 22 percent from his holy ground beyond the three-point line. Even Redick admits the slump was messing with his head. Think it was important for him to hit his shots early in the game Saturday?
"I'm a rhythm player," Redick said. "If I can hit my first shot and start out in a good rhythm right away, then I am usually going to be successful for the rest of the game."
Fortunately, Redick's rhythm was right on from the get-go, as he poured in 17 first-half points--none more important than the last-minute three-pointer--in leading the Blue Devils to a 14-point halftime advantage.
"It really makes a difference," junior Daniel Ewing said. "It opens up a lot of things for our offense, especially if he is hitting a couple in a row. We pretty much know that if he gets on a streak, we are going to go back to him and see if he can keep it going."
While Redick's shooting draws the headlines, Deng's do-it-all game serves as the glue holding the Blue Devils together. The freshman tallied 20 points and seven rebounds, providing an inside presence and athleticism that Seton Hall simply couldn't match. Deng is averaging 17.5 points and 6 rebounds in the first two rounds of the tournament, showing no signs of being intimidated by March's Madness. Those may not be Carmelo-like numbers, but if Deng and the Blue Devils keep playing as they did in Raleigh, the 6-foot-8 forward may become the second freshman in as many years to lead his team to a title.
Saturday's contest was only the fourth time this season Duke has had a pair of 20-point scorers, and the second time the Redick-Deng duo has pulled the trick. The Blue Devils are tough to beat even when they aren't playing their best, but if Redick's shots keep falling, Deng keeps being Deng, Shelden Williams keeps owning the paint and Duhon keeps orchestrating the whole show, the rest of the field will be hard-pressed to keep Krzyzewski and Duhon from earning their second title in four years.
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