No. 7 Duke men’s basketball competed in the second game of its season in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Army. After 20 minutes of play, the home team has a commanding 43-20 lead:
Inefficient shooting
For Duke, the volume from beyond the arc was certainly there in the first half. The percentage, however, was not. The Blue Devils clearly aimed to fill it up from deep early, with 16 of their 22 shots through the first 10 minutes coming from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for the home team, it only converted on three of those attempts — an abysmal 18%. They experienced similar woes at the charity stripe, scoring on just 1-of-6 attempts through the first quarter of game time. In the final ten minutes of the half, the squad was able to turn it around slightly from three point land, finishing out the frame with a 31.8% clip. The same can be said for the free-throw shooting, which they brought up to 61.5% by half’s end.
Height advantage
Duke exhibited confidence befitting a taller team in the first half, amassing a sizable advantage on both the offensive and defensive glass. Coupled with active hands and a tricky zone on the defensive end, the Blue Devils forced uncomfortable looks early and often — quickly cleaning up any misses. On the offensive end, they mitigated the damages of a comparably poor shooting performance early by crashing the glass. They were simply dominant in the paint from start to finish. As a result, they were able to reset many possessions or quickly put it back for an easy two. At half’s end, the team had snagged 35 total boards, 15 offensive and 20 defensive. Freshman Khaman Maluach was especially active on the offensive glass, grabbing 10 total in the first frame.
Transition play
Duke made it a point to push the pace early, leveraging its overwhelming rebounding advantage to move quickly down the court. Shooters were able to find their spots with little resistance, receiving the ball in prime scoring positions while Army scrambled back in transition. Although the shooting percentage wasn’t there early, the Blue Devils were able to carve out high-percentage looks with fast paced play. After a steal, the team was quick down the floor, further imposing pressure on their opponents as the lead ballooned. As the half progressed, though, Duke settled into its offense and slowed down the pace slightly, aiming to methodically generate good looks.
Closeouts and contests
Although the Blue Devils were not as active in the passing lanes through 20, they were still able to impose their will defensively. Through quick closeouts and strong contests at the rim, Duke managed to hold the Black Knights to a meager 20 points in the first half. The squad pressed quite high, often from full-court, rarely allowing the ball handler a clean look from deep. This forced rushed drives and sloppy passes from Army, which Duke was able to jump on to move quickly the other way. In the absence of a steal, Black Knight attackers would be forced among the trees, and the Blue Devils’ bigs were able to cause many low-percentage shots in close. On the whole, it was an assured defensive performance in the first half, and an uncomfortable 20 minutes for Army.
Player of the half: Cooper Flagg
Freshman Cooper Flagg had it on both ends of the floor. Notching 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists on offense and two blocks and a steal on defense, Flagg was a dominant force for the Blue Devils. The Black Knights couldn’t find an answer for the 6-foot-9 forward, as he was quick to poke out a loose ball or rush back for a contest at the rim. His mere presence elicited discomfort for his opponents on the defensive end, while invigorating his teammates on a night where they had difficulty converting on offense. Flagg was one of Duke’s lone bastions of efficiency on that end of the floor, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three. On the whole, Flagg exhibited the composure of a player much older than himself, an impressive showing from the freshman.
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