Georgetown 84, Duke 68, 2:10 left: Probably the most telling stat from this game is the field goal percentage disparity. Georgetown is still shooting over 70 percent from the floor, which is absurd, while Duke is stuck at a dismal 35 percent. Singler just fouled out, and the Hoyas just converted another and-one.
We're done for now--check The Chronicle's Sports Blog later tonight for postgame material.
Georgetown 84, Duke 63, 3:53 left: The "overrated" chants have started and given how the Blue Devils have performed, that's a pretty accurate statement. Complete debacle in the second half, as Georgetown has gotten whatever it wants on the offensive end. A disappointing effort from start to finish here for Duke on the road. The Blue Devils simply were not efficient offensively, shooting a low percentage from the floor, while the Hoyas did a good job playing to their strengths and using ball movement to set up wide-open looks. You can blame the interior defense almost wholly for this loss, because Duke has built its identity this season on defense and toughness. Neither attribute made the trip to DC today.
Georgetown 80, Duke 61, 4:46 left: It appears that Duke didn't really learn much from last season's loss to Villanova in the tournament. In that game, the Wildcats used the backdoor cut repeatedly to victimize the Blue Devils, and Georgetown is doing the same thing today. Not a good omen going forward.
Georgetown 76, Duke 58, 5:52 left: Georgetown continues to outhustle Duke on both ends of the floor, and the Hoyas continue to convert easy layups and dunks. The Blue Devil interior defense has been beyond awful today, and Duke won't be able to beat anybody if they play defense like this the rest of the season. The crowd can smell blood now, as they start to amp up the noise here.
Georgetown 69, Duke 54, 7:34 left: It's getting ugly at the Verizon center, as the Hoyas are eviscerating the Duke defense. And the Blue Devils have been trading baskets, but that's not good enough down double-digits. Save for a last-gasp miracle comeback--like Virginia Tech pulled off at Virginia Thursday night--this one could be in the books.
Monroe is playing at his best and looks like a sure NBA prospect--he can drive both ways, make his foul shots and find the open man either on the perimeter or underneath the basket for easy layups and dunks. He has 16 points right now.
Georgetown 57, Duke 46, 11:56 left: Duke is playing with a 3-guard lineup, with Singler at the power forward, but it hasn't paid any dividends so far. Freshman Andre Dawkins had two open three-point looks, but missed them both. Meanwhile, Georgetown hit a triple on the other end of the floor, pushing the lead back up to double digits. Making matters worse, Lance Thomas just picked up his fourth personal foul, so he'll probably be extremely limited for the rest of this contest.
Georgetown 54, Duke 46: 13:32 left: The officials are really calling everything out there, as both squads are quickly piling up fouls with a combined 9. Nolan Smith, who's been invisible for most of this game, hit a nice bank shot but Greg Monroe answered on the other end with a dazzling double spin move that really fired up the crowd at the Verizon Center. Blue Devils are within striking distance, but need to string together consecutive stops to really make a dent.
Georgetown 52, Duke 43, 15:31 left: A promising start to the half by Duke with consecutive triples by Scheyer and Smith was quickly erased by more lapses in transition defense for the Blue Devils. Greg Monroe threw down a fast break dunk, followed by another Duke turnover and a dunk by Julian Vaughn. Since that point, the Blue Devils have hit a couple of buckets and have contained the Hoyas in the halfcourt game. However, Duke cannot afford to keep turning the ball over, because Georgetown is feasting on every single turnover.
Georgetown 46, Duke 33, Start of Second Half:As the second half gets ready to start, Duke has to do a better job in transition defense to claw its way back into this game. The Hoyas shot a blistering 77 percent from the field in the first half, so the Blue Devils need to clamp down defensively. On offense, Smith has to get going by driving to the basket; otherwise, the entire offense will continue to consist of contested jump shots that are not high percentage.
Georgetown 46, Duke 33, HALFTIME: A dreadful first half for Duke ends with the Hoyas up 13, and deservedly so. Duke's perimeter defense has been lax, its interior defense has been even worse and the defense in transition has hardly been there at all; on offense, no off-the-ball movement means the Blue Devils have taken tons of bad shots and missed most of them. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith have pretty much been non-factors this afternoon, and Duke won't have a chance at a comeback without those two guys.
Georgetown 40, Duke 28, 3:26 left: Everything's going right for the Hoyas, and almost nothing is for Duke. Surprisingly, it's not Greg Monroe who is killing the Blue Devils, although his passing has opened up the court for Georgetown. Instead, it's Chris Wright and Austin Freeman who are giving Duke fits in transition and with their smart cuts into the lane. They have 26 points between them, and Duke has only 28 total.
Georgetown 31, Duke 20, 7:17 left: We've got a 14-3 Georgetown run and the Verizon Center is blowing up. The Hoyas are capitalizing on every Duke turnover--and there have been many--and all of a sudden, the Blue Devils are down 11.
Duke briefly took its first lead of the game at 17-16, but then the Blue Devils left Austin Freeman open on the outside. Freeman promptly hit a 3-pointer to put the Hoyas back in front. Georgetown looks hungrier and sharper so far--the Hoyas are getting open shots in transition, keeping Nolan Smith out of the game entirely and limiting Scheyer and Singler to contested perimeter jumpers, and Duke isn't doing much to change those things at the moment. Also, both teams are in the one-and-one.
Georgetown 16, Duke 15, 10:26 left: It's hard to tell where this game is going--for a few minutes, both Duke and Georgetown settled for 3-pointer after 3-pointer, but both sides got to the rim and scored a couple of possessions in a row. Then, to bring it back to the early part of the contest, Kyle Singler hit his second 3 of the game to keep Duke within one. If the Blue Devils can make threes, they will stay in the game, yet they seem content to settle for that shot right now. That's a worrisome sign for lots of Duke fans out there.
Georgetown 9, Duke 3, 15:43 left in the first half: Sloppy start to this one from both teams, but it's in the Hoyas' favor right now. The Blue Devil offense is stagnant and not creating open looks, whereas Georgetown has gotten to the basket twice and is moving the ball decently around the perimeter. Duke is also piling up the fouls in a hurry--Brian Zoubek picked up two quick ones and the team already has four in the half.
PREGAME: And we've had our Barack Obama sighting. The POTUS briefly walked onto the court without being introduced, shook some hands, and quickly retired out the main tunnel at courtside. Not surprisingly, every person in the arena recognized him despite the PA man staying quiet.
PREGAME: Hello everyone, and welcome to freezing, snowy Washington, D.C. for what should be a great game between Duke and Georgetown. This contest figures to explain quite a lot about the Blue Devils--can they continue to win on the road? Can they beat top-10 teams? And will Greg Monroe get another technical for arguing with a fan like he did last year in Cameron Indoor Stadium?
This live blog is probably being monitored by the Secret Service because of President Obama's presence at the Verizon Center--we'll let you know where he's sitting, if he makes a public appearance--so the political jokes will be kept to a minimum today.
One other note: Georgetown fans are making a serious fashion statement right now by dressing all in gray--it's a Gray Out! Looks like the fans inside the stadium and trying to mimic the weather outside on this fine winter day.
Starters:
Duke - Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas, Miles Plumlee
Georgetown - Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, Greg Monroe, Jason Clark, Julian Vaughn
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