For 10 minutes Saturday, Division-II Barton did more than just hang around against No. 13 Duke--the Bulldogs dealt with the Blue Devils' aggressive defense, made open shots and stretched their lead to 16-11.
Then Duke woke up.
The Blue Devils closed the first half in Cameron Indoor Stadium with a 36-11 run and carried that momentum into the second period, running all over Barton en route to a 105-44 victory in their final exhibition game of the season.
"Initially they handled our pressure real well," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We just seemed to be ahead of ourselves and didn't finish a lot of plays. Obviously we should win, but they challenged us and never gave up, and I thought our kids played hard the whole time."
Early in the game, Barton took its time on offense and protected the ball in transition. With the Bulldogs refusing to play to the Blue Devils' desired tempo, Duke could not create the turnovers it needed to fuel its new fast-paced style. Krzyzewski said the Blue Devils were forced to play defense for 30 seconds at a time before sprinting downcourt in search of an easy layup, only to take a quick shot and return to the defensive end.
That all changed midway through the first half, as Duke's pressure proved too much for Barton to handle.
Over the last 30 minutes of the game the Blue Devils showcased their ball-handling and unselfishness along the perimeter and in transition. Freshman Nolan Smith dished out six assists and led the fast break effectively, and the team's obvious advantage in athleticism and depth made the transition from defense to offense smooth.
Duke's defense forced 36 turnovers against the overmatched Bulldogs. Senior captain DeMarcus Nelson led the way with six steals, as nine different players recorded steals on the day and Duke turned those Barton mistakes into 50 points on the break.
Junior Martynas Pocius' behind-the-back pass to Smith late in the first half and Smith's first-half buzzer-beater highlighted Duke's desire to run as often and as quickly as possible.
"We read the paper about what they had done to Shaw and how they were trapping and pressing and pushing the ball," Barton head coach Ron Lievense said. "We prepared for that yesterday, but you really need a week to prepare for that. Duke took advantage of our poor communication in filling our lanes and got great shots."
On the offensive end, forward Kyle Singler impressed again, scoring a game-high 27 points on 10-for-12 shooting. The freshman got to the basket and rebounded effectively against the shorter Barton players, capping his day with an emphatic putback dunk early in the second half. Including the Blue Devils' game against Shaw last Thursday, Singler has scored 50 points on 20-for-23 shooting.
"Kyle is obviously a special player," Krzyzewski said. "He's got real good talent, and he plays every second and he's 6-foot-9, so that makes him a good guy to have on your team."
One area in which the team continued to struggle was its 3-point shooting. In the first half, Duke made just 1-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Blue Devils shot better in the second half, going 5-for-15, but Krzyzewski said his players had been making the fundamental error of moving their feet while shooting.
"For the first two games, most of the time when we've shot threes we've been moving," Krzyzewski said. "Part of that is we're playing defense so hard that when we get to the other end and we're running, you have to pause just a little bit."
With the exhibition schedule over, the Blue Devils begin their regular season Friday in Cameron against North Carolina Central. Although Duke's competition will certainly improve, the players hope their fan-friendly style of play continues.
"I'm having a lot of fun," Smith said. "Playing with so many great players makes it easy out there, and we are out there running and just making plays."
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