Nolan Smith’s career-high 24 points will receive all the attention from Duke’s lopsided 101-59 victory over Charlotte.
But the junior guard’s season debut may have had a larger impact on the defensive end of the court.
“We wanted to show the world that we play great defense and we deserve to be mentioned with the best,” Smith said of his team’s performance during its first nationally televised game this year. “We were really pressuring.... That was the key to our defense.”
Behind Smith’s defensive energy, the Blue Devils forced Charlotte into 17 turnovers, seven of which came in the first four minutes. They also stopped a potent 49er three-point attack by smothering the perimeter the entire game.
The 49ers could only muster 23.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc on 5-of-21 shooting.
“We got off to a good start. Nolan was terrific on the ball defending,” Kyle Singler said. “That allows Lance, our second-best defender, to go out and be off the ball and defend their best player. Just having Nolan back on the court, he brings defense and offense.”
Duke focused on establishing a defensive presence from the tipoff and the intensity both on and off the ball never wavered, exemplified by Charlotte senior guard DiJuan Harris being held to a meager four points and two assists.
Last season Harris was third in the NCAA in total assists, but the combination of Smith’s on-ball defense and off-the-ball traps from forwards Lance Thomas and Ryan Kelly limited Harris’s offensive production.
The Blue Devils defensive scheme also forced the guard into three turnovers.
“Harris is really a good guard and Lance and Ryan Kelly did a good job of helping Nolan just make them a half-court team,” Krzyzewski said. “At the halfcourt I thought that Jon, Kyle and Nolan’s experience on the perimeter did not give [Charlotte] the open shots.”
Duke’s perimeter defense was complemented by outstanding pressure in the post.
The Blue Devils struggled against physical teams with strong players in the paint last season. But forward Miles Plumlee’s performance—great defense to go along with a double-double—suggests that this may no longer be a problem for Duke.
His developing presence in the paint shows that the Blue Devils now have the ability to fight in the paint, coupled with an already strong perimeter defense.
“[Plumlee’s] defense and his rebounding was good,” Krzyzewski said. “With the amount of minutes he played last year, he is like a freshman as well... he did a good job of trapping Shamari Spears on the pass.”
Kelly and fellow freshman Andre Dawkins saw a lot of playing time Tuesday, and they did not disappoint the Cameron Crazies.
Both Dawkins and Kelly scored five points, but more importantly, they played tough defense that stifled a potentially effective Charlotte offense. Duke looks to use the fundamental play of Dawkins on the perimeter and Kelly as help defense on the interior in the future.
If the Blue Devils are able to continue to limit opposing offensive production, Duke will be able to extend their defense pressure beyond halfcourt, something they did very little last season.
“The more our freshmen develop, we might be able to do more three-quarter or full [defense],” Krzyzewski said. “But initially going in, we don’t know how the freshmen are going to come around. If they come around, we can rest [the starters] for a few minutes.”
Tuesday, those starters could have taken their rest early thanks to suffocating defense from an inspired Duke team.
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